MMORPG: Remnant Knights has had a long running success. Can you give us some background on the life of the game and how it has matured?
Duane Colbert: We were in beta period for over a year, and just switched to full release in July 2012 with the launch of Heroes of Kasmari. That release completed our original content plan to round out a full set of gameplay, which has been well received by users and press alike. Our new content release not only adds a full story based quest line with better drops, but we are also rewarding players with free premium items every day they log in (Daily Rewards), when reaching certain milestones in the game (Progression Perks), or when they invite friends into the game. So, I guess you could say this latest release is all about keeping our players happy.
MMORPG: You mentioned some change coming to the game as the player base has gotten older, what are some of the rebranding efforts you are working on?
Duane Colbert: It’s not as much that the player base is aging…quite the contrary. We have found that the game really resonates with teen players so we wanted to update the brand to better reflect the way characters look in game, as well as making it more friendly and approachable. You can see that in our new logo, featured brand Heroes and overall website redesign. The best parts of the game are now front and center on the website and it’s much easier to navigate to find what you are looking for.
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MMORPG: Was it a hard choice to move the game up to a Teen rating?
Duane Colbert: We hadn’t previously registered with ESRB, so there was no previous rating on Remnant Knights. With the realization that our game population is predominantly teens, we thought parents would appreciate the validation that Remnant Knights does not contain any mature content. Our only ratings descriptor is Fantasy Violence, so the game is very content friendly to this audience.
MMORPG: You are also moving the game over to the Kalydo hosting service. How will this move benefit players?
Duane Colbert: This is something we are really excited about. By moving the game into the cloud, new players can now get into the game within a few minutes without the need to download and install a huge client file. Players can also access their game at any time from any PC browser rather than being tied to a single client install on a single PC. We expect many players will be taking advantage of this opportunity to enjoy some RK time at their friend’s or relative’s house in between their primary play sessions at home. There is also no loss in performance, so we really think players will like how easy it is now to get in and play.
MMORPG: What are some of the new reward systems you are working on for players?
Duane Colbert: Remnant Knights now has more free player rewards than ever before. First is a Daily Login Reward. There is a new check in location within the game which opens the Daily Login App where players can claim a new item every day. Every day of the week is a new theme so players will be able to explore all categories of items from our Premium shop. All cosmetic items are good for 3 hours, potions for 30 minutes and consumables are one time use. Players can also track what’s coming up and see what they missed on days they weren’t able to check in. This is a great way for players to try out some temporary items before buying longer term or permanent items in the Samba Shop.
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Next is Progression Perks. We’ve chosen 12 level milestones in the game that will automatically trigger an email containing a redeemable code for free premium itemsaligned to the player’s current level, along with direction about what is coming up next in game. These rewards will ensure that players will always know their next goal, and will be introduced to the content that unlocks along the way so they don’t miss out on a particular area of the game.
Finally, we’ve significantly beefed up our Invite a Friend program. Now, not only does each player earn a new premium item for every friend that signs up and reaches level 8, but their friend also gets a cool White Tiger Mount and Chatting Card. Once their friends have logged into the Remnant Knights for the first time, players can also track progress toward level 8, which should only take a few hours.
One other area of interest to our dedicated players is not necessarily a reward, but a cool new way to get 54%-67% discounted premium items by signing up for our 1, 3 or 6 month recurring VIP subscription. More details can be found at remnantknights.com.
MMORPG: Tell us about the new motion web comic coming up and how it brings the lore of Remnant Knights together.
Duane Colbert: This is something we are still working on, so we’re not quite ready to reveal the details. One sneak peek though is that the 6 new Heroes you see in our updated branding will be featured in the web comic. We expect to have more to share this Spring.
MMORPG: What other plans do you have for the game moving into 2013? Can you give us any hints about the future?
Duane Colbert: In addition to the web comic, we’ll be rolling out a new monthly event schedule that we hope our players will really enjoy. Rather than focusing on the same old stale traditional holiday events found in other games, we will be coming up with unique and quirky events based on non-traditional national holidays and other special recognition days. For example, our March event will be based on Extraterrestrial Abduction Day, and some of the special days will include World Penguin Day & Save the Rhino Day. We think this will resonate well with our players, who are usually more individualistic and unique in their personalities.
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As for future came content, we are working closely with the developer Min Communications to completely revamp the starting zone to make it more interesting and vibrant, as well as planning some new high level raid dungeons and increasing the level cap. We’ll reveal timing for these at a later date. We are committed to Remnant Knights long term, and look forward to maintaining a long relationship with our loyal players.
- Check out our open beta preview
- Read our RK review
