Thone and Liberty is the is the latest MMORPG from developer and publisher NCSoft. Originally released in South Korea last December, Throne and Liberty is getting ready to celebrate its global launch through Amazon Games on October 1st, with early access kicking off on September 26th.
Despite it being a busy time for Amazon Games as they have worked with NCSoft to see the global release through, Daniel Lafuente, the Globalization Design Manager, graciously took a few moments to chat with us via an email interview to discuss the upcoming global launch, MMO Design philosophy and some of the upcoming changes for the October 1st launch.
MMORPG: Daniel, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me today. As the Globalization Design Manager, you must be working at full speed as the global release of Throne and Liberty fast approaches this October. Can you share a bit of your role with the development team? What have been some of the most exciting elements of your position while working on Throne & Liberty?
Daniel: Thank you for the opportunity to discuss our game and my role within it. As Globalization Design Manager, my focus is ensuring Throne and Liberty provides an exceptional experience tailored for our international audiences. It's been immensely rewarding collaborating with the talented teams at Amazon Games and NCSOFT to adapt and localize the game's content and systems.
Working directly with the NCSOFT development team to incorporate player feedback from our beta tests has been particularly fulfilling. Seeing how quickly our teams can work together to roll out meaningful changes based on feedback is impressive. I've also had the privilege of helping shape our live operations roadmap to keep Throne and Liberty feeling fresh and dynamic long after launch. Our goal is to foster an ever-evolving game experience for players across all regions based on continuous feedback and innovation. I look forward to a long future of engaging with our global community!
MMORPG: I’ve read in a few places that Throne & Liberty has changed a lot even since its original Korean launch. Could you share a bit about some of the key changes that have been implemented between the original launch and where the Game is today?
Daniel: Thank you for highlighting Throne and Liberty's evolution since its original Korean launch. Over the past year and a half, we've worked hand-in-hand with NCSOFT to implement sweeping changes based on global player feedback. The leveling process has been completely overhauled with improved pacing and educational content for new players.
We've also enhanced gear progression, vastly increased combat customization, rebalanced PvP for improved fairness, and added all new PvE modes like our highly anticipated 6-player co-op dungeons. While too numerous to list fully here, we've detailed these updates exhaustively in our latest article you can find here. It's been a rewarding and collaborative effort with NCSOFT to unify Throne and Liberty's vision as a true global game across all regions. Our launch version represents one cohesive, player-driven experience tailored to our worldwide community's needs.
MMORPG: You have just wrapped your open beta back in July. How was that experience for the team and what have been some of the key takeaways from that beta test?
Daniel: The beta testing process was both rewarding and challenging as we prepared for launch. Having players explore Solisium first-hand generated invaluable insights into what resonated, what needed additional refinement, and which new features were the most highly-anticipated. Much of that feedback has already been implemented, like pulling forward our Skill Specialization system to further enhance the overall combat experience.
We've also made camera and control improvements for a smoother experience. Player input has been at the heart of Throne and Liberty's development and is an area we plan to continue iterating around.
Our mission is fostering a game that the community feels ownership over. We want players to see the impact their voices have on helping shape the game. The beta was vital for guiding our launch preparations. We're committed to an open, collaborative relationship as we work together to evolve Throne and Liberty into a truly exceptional experience.
MMORPG: Has the team been able to take the feedback and implement changes to the client as the team is preparing for the global launch of Throne & Liberty? If so how have those changes been implemented as you prepare for launch?
Daniel: I’ve touched on a number areas where feedback has helped upgrade the experience but one that I haven’t highlighted yet is the improved console experience. Throne and Liberty is cross-play enabled from Day 1 on Xbox, PS5, and PC, and we’ve prioritized making controls, targeting, and combat feel natural and intuitive for our console players. Our game is uniquely positioned to bring console players an unmatched experience, and we'll continue refining and iterating based on player feedback to ensure an optimal experience and immersion for our global community.
MMORPG: One observation I’ve made over the years is that there are some key differences between Eastern and Western audiences regarding MMO development and how each audience engages with content. Can you discuss the differences and then speak to how the team is working to cater to a Western audience with the global release in October?
Daniel: That's an insightful question. While regional differences in how players engage with games were once more pronounced, we're seeing a blending of wants and needs from our global audience as the world becomes more connected. From the start, our partnership with NCSOFT had a shared vision - Throne and Liberty would be a unified global game with one cohesive version across all regions. Player feedback from our territories has directly impacted the Korean service as well.
We're also fortunate to be publishing in Japan, allowing us to delight players there with the transformative changes made over the past year and a half based on international input. Additionally, we've heard the desire for robust PvE content alongside PvP from our regional players. Throne and Liberty will feature 6-player co-op dungeons, solo tower climbs, extensive exploration zones, and new lifeskills like fishing and cooking to cater to PvE fans. Our goal is creating a singular, compelling experience tailored to the diverse needs of our worldwide community through continuous iteration and improvement.
MMORPG: One area that Western players tend to be divided over is pay-to-win elements found in the in-game stores of many MMOs. One particular currency, Lucent, as well as dungeon tokens, has been noted as a potential pay-to-win element for players. Can you unpack the design purpose for these types of elements and how they will impact the player experience?
Daniel: Our goal has been to create a game where all types of progression and core game features are available to everyone. We wanted a game where anyone, whether they choose to spend money or not, can fully immerse themselves in the game's rich world and content. If you choose not to spend a dime, you can earn premium currency (Lucent) in-game through various activities, from collecting rare drops to sell to other players on the auction house to earning via PvP rewards.
With this earned currency, you'll have the freedom to unlock cosmetics, leveling passes, battle passes, and more—everything that would typically be locked behind a paywall in other games. There are no loot box elements in our monetization. Every purchase in Throne and Liberty's shop, whether for cosmetics, battle passes, or other items, shows you exactly what you're getting upfront. We've released two comprehensive articles (here and here) that provide deeper dives into our business model philosophy and the player-friendly principles driving our monetization approach. They provide more details around our focus on building a fair, sustainable free-to-play experience.
MMORPG: I wanted to circle back to the note on the positive changes that have been made to some of the core mechanics of Throne & Liberty even since the open beta. With these changes already implemented, what else can players expect when the game launches in October?
Daniel: We've collaborated extensively with NCSOFT to implement critical player feedback from our testing phases. Refining the core combat experience has been a key focus area, resulting in the addition of our new Skill Specialization system at launch to provide substantially more build customization options for players.
Complementing this, we've made significant improvements to camera controls and character movement fidelity. The overall player journey, especially the leveling process, has also seen enhancements - delivering a diverse array of engaging content early on to cater to our players' varied interests. Our Launch Release Notes article covers the major improvements in greater detail, along with the full scope of everything players can expect when Throne and Liberty launches.
MMORPG: While we want to avoid spoilers for new and upcoming content, can you speak to the content roadmap for Throne & Liberty post-launch and give players a glimpse of what to look forward to in the coming year?
Daniel: I'm really excited about our ambitious post-launch content roadmap. While I can't spoil all the surprises yet, here's a high-level look at what players can anticipate over the next year: In the short term, we're planning a steady cadence of seasonal events, new PvE dungeons and raids, potentially fresh PvP modes, and an aggressive schedule of system updates and quality-of-life improvements driven by community feedback.
Longer term, our goal is to rapidly close the gap to bring major expansions like the incredible new Talandre region from Korea into the global game. We have the capability to accelerate and simultaneously release certain content across all regions when it makes sense, similar to our approach with Skill Specialization.
Players can also expect some exclusive gameplay innovations unveiled first for our global audience. We want Throne and Liberty to feel like a live, constantly-evolving service - consistently delivering new content is key. Stay tuned, as we're just getting started! Our first public roadmap article will drop right before Early Access on September 26th!
MMORPG: I want to thank Daniel for taking the time out of his busy schedule to give some insights and clarity to the development process and to share what we can expect when Throne and Liberty launches on October 1st on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. For all things Throne and Liberty and MMOs keep that bookmark saved to MMORPG.com
