Jumpgate Evolution - An Interview with Codemasters

What, in your mind, stands out most about Jumpgate Evolution?

Jumpgate has a huge number of great features that really make this amazing MMO stand out from the crowd. Aesthetically the game looks amazing but the one defining feature that will appeal to gamers other than the setting / theme will be the amazing twitch-based combat. In Jumpgate players will be able to jump into the cockpit and take part in realistic all-out action style dogfights in space which make for an incredibly exciting experience. Jumpgate also adds full joystick support adding yet another layer to the games realism and immersion.

How long have you had your eye on Jumpgate Evolution as a possibility for publication?

As a business we monitor all titles in the market and Jumpgate as a title shone out brightly in a particularly cluttered space. We feel that Jumpgate offers us as a publisher / operator of the game the right genre, the right theme, the right hooks and features along with the right development partner. As you can probably tell we are extremely excited about Jumpgate and we look forward to bringing this exciting new game to market along with our good friends at Net Devil.

What led to the decision to publish the game in both North America and Europe?

We’ve published a number of products now in both Europe and North America and have built up a tremendous amount of experience in doing so. Quite simply we believe in the game and our experience to deliver, it was a very easy decision to make.

How much input will Codemasters now have in the development of the game?

This is still very much Net Devils’ game, we shall of course be there to support them and offer our experience if / when needed. Net Devil are a great developer developing an amazing game and we will be there to support them throughout the development process.

Can you be specific about Codemasters’ role as publisher?

Quite simply Codemasters Online will be publishing Jumpgate across N.America / Europe. Our role as the publisher means that Codemasters Online will be responsible for getting the box onto the shelves as well as all of the other marketing, PR, community support etc which goes into launching a successful game.

Given that Codemasters is publishing both the North American and the European versions of the game, will we be looking at a simultaneous release in both continents?

Simultaneous release dates are always very difficult to co-ordinate mainly due to logistics of distribution and how games are shipped to stores across each region or country. It is certainly something that we will be looking at closely as we know how important this is to MMO gamers and we hope to have more news on this closer to the full launch of the game.

Now that the game has a publisher, can you shed any light at all on a possible launch date for the game?

The current plan is to release the game in winter 2008 however we are not in a position to announce a firm date as yet.

With Jumpgate Evolution serving as a follow-up or re-imagining of a game that was originally launched in 2001, do you think that fans of the original will be drawn to the updated version?

Think of Jumpgate as the Battlestar Galactica of sci-fi MMOs; Net Devil have taken a classic game and reworked it into something completely new and unique in its own right. The game is a completely new title and we think both previous fans and new players alike will like what they see as we move into BETA then onto the full launch of the game.

For more information on Jumpgate visit www.jumpgateevolution.com