Developed by Reakktor Media GmbH, Black Prophecy is expected to announce its first closed beta test in this summer and the developing team now is working hard to get it beta ready. Today we invited Chris Schuett, Community and PR Manager from Reakktor Media to talk about this upcoming space fight MMO.
MMOsite: I know Reakktor Media GmbH has made a lot of good games in the past few years, but I still want to know more about your company's history and current situation.
Chris: Reakktor Media was founded in 1991 and has developed more than 20 international computer and video games for different platforms, as well as numerous multimedia productions meeting international standards. In 1999 we expanded our core business into the online computer games market with our Massively Multiplayer Online Games Neocron and Neocron 2.
In 2008, our mother company 10Tacle Studios became insolvent and so Reakktor Media was also forced to file for insolvency. But thanks to our excellent management and the strong will of our team, we managed to convince new and strong investors to continue the operations of Reakktor Media and with this the development of Black Prophecy.
MMOsite: How would you describe Black Prophecy in your own words? What do you think is the most appealing feature of Black Prophecy?
Chris: Black Prophecy is a fast-paced space action MMO set in a dense universe crafted by the award winning sci-fi author Michael Marrak. While Black Prophecy will also offer basic role-play elements, such as a level based experience and skill system, the focus is upon real-time first person combat action. The gameplay is very much reminiscent of games like Wing Commander or X-Wing vs. Tie-Fighter.
MMOsite: Although Black Prophecy is a space fight MMO, it has an epic background and a grandiose story. Can you share with us more about this aspect?
Chris: In the 26th century, mankind has expanded across the galaxy, yet few of its colonies are controlled by Humans. The true rulers are the cybernetically enhanced Tyi and the biogenetically perfected Genides. Their striving for total control over all human species drives them into the territory of an ancient alien race that does not tolerate other cosmic civilizations; the "Restorers".
To survive this war and uncover the motives of the alien's' destructive behavior, you are forced to join one of the two dominant human races. Their search for the origin of the Restorers becomes a race for survival of all three human species.
MMOsite: Do you find it's harder to "tell a story" in a space fight MMO than in an MMORPG? How did you resolve it?
Chris: On the contrary, the space setting enables various ways to tell an exciting story and it does not depend on the game being an MMO or an MMORPG but rather on the technical capabilities you have at your disposal. With Black Prophecy we have several technical systems to hand that allow us to perfectly blend Michael Marrak's fantastic story with the gameplay our game designers have patterned.
MMOsite: Could you introduce to us some details about the combat system in Black Prophecy? How does it set itself apart from other Sci-Fi games?
Chris: As previously described, Black Prophecy utilizes a real-time first person combat system that allows you to control your ship with either the classic mouse/keyboard setup (WASD), a gamepad or possibly joystick. Alternatively you can of course navigate your ship in the third person perspective. Unlike other games, it is very much up to the player's personal skill in flying, executing tactical maneuvers and using appropriate weapons to adapt to the current combat situation.
MMOsite: Though popular among the western gamers, Sci-Fi is also an extremely challenging genre for the developers. How will you take the challenge and what will you do to catch gamers' eyes?
Chris: With Black Prophecy we place strong emphasis on offering a dense and vibrant game world that caters to the fantastic story and setting our author Michael Marrak has created. By utilizing the Gamebyro graphics engine we possess a powerful tool for creating stunning looking space environments that allow you to completely immerse yourself into the game. Building on the capabilities the graphic engines offers, our graphic artists have created a beautiful and authentic game world with huge planets, stellar nebulaes, dense asteroid fields and much more.
But Black Prophecy has of course more to offer than "just" this. The fast-paced combat action will thrill players and bring back good old Wing Commander and X-Wing vs. Tie-Fighter memories. The innovative mission system will offer a vast variety of PvP and PvE challenges where players will be able to assign a mission's specific objectives to one or more team members. These and many other features clearly distinguish Black Prophecy's gameplay from other MMOs.
MMOsite: As we know, EVE Online has already reached the top of space themed MMOGs. Black Prophecy will ineluctably be compared with EVE online. How will you respond then?
Chris: Except for playing in space, Black Prophecy does not have much in common with Eve Online. Each game serves its own target group and has its own unique features. It's up to the players and their preferred gaming styles to decide which game they are going to play.
MMOsite: Can you unveil the exact date for the CBT? And how can we get into the CBT? And what about your rough schedule for open beta and final release?
Chris: We are currently unable to provide a date for the start of the closed beta as this date has to be determined in consultation with our future publisher. Currently we are in negotiations with several potential publishers and are confident to be able to tell you more in the coming weeks.
MMOsite: Apart from Europe and North America, are there any other territories you're targeting?
Chris: While Europe and North America are our main target markets, we also would like to see Black Prophecy distributed in other foreign markets, like the Asian market. In the end the decision, whether or not to expand to other markets, will be made by our publisher.
MMOsite: Have we missed any important topics or is there anything else about Black Prophecy you wanna talk to our readers?
Chris: We would like to invite everyone to visit the official Black Prophecy website at http://www.blackprophecy.com to learn more about Black Prophecy and join the community in the official community forums at http://forum.blackprophecy-game.com. In the forums people from all over the world are gathering to discuss Black Prophecy, submit their ideas and suggestions and receive important information about upcoming events.
MMOsite: Thank you for doing this interview with us and wish Black Prophecy a big success!
14-05-2009, 13:02
Interview with MMOsite.com
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