Launch Interview

MMORPG:

Tell us about the development cycle of Black Prophecy, how long did it take to build the game?

Chris Schuett:

Development of Black Prophecy started in 2006. One might say that 5 years of development time is kind of long, but the game had to overcome several obstacles before it finally saw the light of day. Reakktor Media, the developer of Black Prophecy, was going through several investors’ hands, each with their own vision of how the game should look. This resulted in several fundamental changes to the game’s core features. You can imagine that the team had a hard time, especially when one of the major investors went bankrupt and Reakktor was forced to file for insolvency as well. However, good leadership and dedicated employees made it possible for us to now be able to explore the depths of the Black Prophecy universe, and everyone is definitely happy about this.

MMORPG:

What were some of the lessons you learned from Beta?

Chris Schuett:

We received plenty of constructive feedback from the beta community during that time, which helped us greatly to improve Black Prophecy. However, the major challenge was preparing and analyzing this vast amount of feedback. The lesson we learned is that player feedback is essential but it can become quite tricky to process it properly. For the future we will definitely have to think about more efficient ways to do so.

MMORPG:

What would you say to players who are seeing Black Prophecy for the first time?

Chris Schuett:

Grab your flight suit and jump into your cockpit. Unlike any other space action MMOG, Black Prophecy creates a fantastic space gaming experience. Fans of Wing Commander or X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter will feel at home immediately. On top of that, Black Prophecy is free to play, so there is actually nothing that speaks against giving it a try.

MMORPG:

How can players get involved in the game, where can they download?

Chris Schuett:

All they have to do is register a game account for free at http://blackprophecy.gamigo.com. All further instructions, such as the download link, are included in the confirmation e-mail received upon registration.

MMORPG:

Space combat is tough to get right, what are your favorite parts of the design?

Chris Schuett:

First and foremost is the fantastic atmosphere. Reakktor Media’s artists did an incredible job of breathing life into what Michael Marrak has created on paper. But the combat system is also very captivating. You don’t simply point and click like in other MMOGs, instead you actively control your ship and so have direct influence on the results of combat. I’ve often found myself breaking out in sweat during an intense PvP skirmish as you really have to focus on your targets and getting your ship out of the line of fire.

MMORPG:

What are your plans for launch, do you have any promotions or player events planned?

Chris Schuett:

For the release we will reward all previous open beta players with a nice welcome gift and are also planning several promotion events for the first few weeks after release.

MMORPG:

Looking a few months out, what can players expect from Black Prophecy?

Chris Schuett:

The first add-on is being prepared for launch as we speak and will feature new game content and features, such as the new special ability system, an entirely new sector with plenty of missions and sub-sectors, and lots more.

We’re already in the planning phase for the second add-on but I can’t elaborate on the scale and content yet. What I can say though, is that it will have a huge and positive impact on the PvP experience in the game.

Further add-ons will follow, leading up to the release of the major expansion of Black Prophecy that will include the station walking feature and is planned for release early next year.