RPG Vault Focus: Russia #2
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Jonric: What do you consider the notable market trends in the RPG and massively multiplayer categories that comprise RPG Vault's core focus?
The online scene is still not as huge as it is in the west or Asia. First of all, this is due to the lower penetration of internet connections, but broadband and ADSL are getting cheaper and more accessible - and the number of online gamers is growing from year to year.
We were the pioneers on the market and launched the first Russian MMORPG, called Sphere, in 2003. We also have some new ones in development. We also plan to bring Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures to our domestic market, as well as Lord of the Rings Online.
Jonric: Within these genres, what Russian- made titles have been most successful and important in the domestic market? How much success have they achieved internationally?
One of the most impressive RPGs developed in Russia recently is Katauri's latest game, King's Bounty: The Legend. These guys have proven once again, since the release of Space Rangers II, that they are capable of delivering high quality and interesting games. There were some doubts that after creating a space game, it might not be easy to switch to fantasy. Moreover, many fans were demanding a third game in the Space Rangers saga, but the developers decided to choose another direction and create something really different.
After all it turned out to be another big success for them. The game was released quite recently in Russia, and it has gotten great ratings in the press (93-95%) and attained substantial popularity among gamers. It is scheduled for a September release in North America. You can also look at Heroes of Might and Magic V, part of a very popular franchise. It was developed by a Russian company, Nival Interactive... though it is not really an RPG, of course.
Russia has entered the MMORPG race pretty late, so we don't have any international achievements in this sector. Talking about the online market, it's also hard to compete with such monsters as World of Warcraft, although I suppose there is really no need of doing so right now anyway. We would rather occupy another niche and deliver games we are good at.
