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http://www.fiestagold.com/News/0807/fiesta_online_interview_with_ryan_olson.html
http://www.fiestagold.com/News/0807/fiesta_online_interview_with_ryan_olson.html
Fiesta Gold>>News0807 >> Fiesta Online Interview with Ryan Olson
Fiesta Online Interview with Ryan Olson
Outspark is a unique publisher and operator of free online community games and it's executives had said the company's primary goal was to help PC-based online games find the same market in North America as they currently enjoy in Asia. Fiesta Online, Outspark's first game, is a full 3D cartoon fantasy MMORPG based on brilliant and dynamic cartoon style graphic images.Now let Ryan Olson, Marketing Coordinator at Outspark, give us more details about this game.
MMOsite: Hi, glad to talk with you. To start, can you basically introduce yourself and Outspark to our readers?
Ryan Olson: Sure thing! My name is Ryan Olson and I'm the Marketing Coordinator at Outspark. As part of my job I work with pretty much everyone inside the company (game product managers, game masters, customer support staff, web producers and more) as we work to build a great online community where visitors can enjoy free games, make friends and have fun online.
Outspark is building what we like to call a "virtual playground" filled with many different types of cool entertainment. Think of it like a theme park filled with lots of cool ways to have fun. Right now we offer two MMORPGs (Fiesta gold and Secret of the Solstice) and Bread ??n Butter, a collection of Flash games played inside your web browser. Even more games are on the way. Later this year we plan to release Pi Story, a 2D side-scrolling MMORPG with an anime style and some really cool features.
MMOsite: What is your impression of GDC 2008? What titles were you showcasing at this year's GDC and what was the feedback?
Ryan Olson: GDC 2008 was great; we had a chance to attend quite a few panels and meet with some potential partners and members of the media. While Outspark didn't have a booth or other type of official exhibit, we conducted meetings in a hotel suite near the show and showed off all three of our current games. Feedback was good; a lot of people in North America are just becoming familiar with free-to-play games and we're excited for a chance to talk about what we're doing and what makes it cool.
MMOsite: How are things going on with the open beta of Fiesta? How many players have you attracted? And is there a solid date for the commercial launch of Fiesta Gold?Ryan Olson: Fiesta is doing really well; players are enjoying it and we continue to publish a lot of great new content for the game. That being said, it's still pretty new so we can't release too many specifics about the size of the player base. We did just announce a fourth game server, however. Altogether, the Outspark community is approaching 2 million registered users, meaning there are a lot of people enjoying our games. It's pretty cool to see. Fiesta's official commercial launch was November 7, 2007 ?C that's when we opened the game store. Right now you'll find tons of cool premium items inside, from new outfits and pets to power-ups like experience boosters.
MMOsite: As we know, Fiesta is a Korean made MMORPG. What are the reasons for you to bring it into the U.S. market?
Ryan Olson: Outspark wants to partner with the most talented development teams we can, and we believe Ons On (Fiesta's developer) made a game with a lot of great features that English-speaking gamers would enjoy. Quests, guilds, a large game world, crafting professions??these are just a few of the great features in Fiesta. When you combine them with the dynamic in-game events run by our Game Masters (monster battles, scavenger hunts, dance contests, parties and more), we believe the result is a really unique, fun game.
MMOsite: Fiesta is a cute anime style MMORPG, so does it mean it is only aimed at teens and female gamers? Or it is fit for all ages and types of gamers?
Ryan Olson: Fiesta gold does have a cartoon style but we think it appeals to a variety of players. Those new to MMORPGs can download the game and start playing right away and it has enough options to keep more experienced players entertained too. Quite a few Fiesta players tell us that the game is their first MMO, while others may have come over from bigger, more well-known games.
MMOsite: One of the most fascinating things about Fiesta is the Kingdom Quest system. How will the system work? What kind of quest is it? And are there any requirements on the level and number of the players?
Ryan Olson: Kingdom Quests are one of the coolest parts of Fiesta and let a small group of players (usually around 15) work together to defeat tough monsters, earn experience and treasure. Examples include battling the King Slime, fighting Mara Pirates, or even surviving an encounter with the King Kong Phino.
Players are eligible for Kingdom Quests as soon as they reach level 5. In each town there is a special NPC that keeps a list of all Kingdom Quests and signs up interested players at multiple times throughout the day. Kingdom Quests are very popular and can sometimes be difficult to join, but persistent adventurers are well rewarded!
MMOsite: Hi, glad to talk with you. To start, can you basically introduce yourself and Outspark to our readers?
Ryan Olson: Sure thing! My name is Ryan Olson and I'm the Marketing Coordinator at Outspark. As part of my job I work with pretty much everyone inside the company (game product managers, game masters, customer support staff, web producers and more) as we work to build a great online community where visitors can enjoy free games, make friends and have fun online.
Outspark is building what we like to call a "virtual playground" filled with many different types of cool entertainment. Think of it like a theme park filled with lots of cool ways to have fun. Right now we offer two MMORPGs (Fiesta gold and Secret of the Solstice) and Bread ??n Butter, a collection of Flash games played inside your web browser. Even more games are on the way. Later this year we plan to release Pi Story, a 2D side-scrolling MMORPG with an anime style and some really cool features.
MMOsite: What is your impression of GDC 2008? What titles were you showcasing at this year's GDC and what was the feedback?
Ryan Olson: GDC 2008 was great; we had a chance to attend quite a few panels and meet with some potential partners and members of the media. While Outspark didn't have a booth or other type of official exhibit, we conducted meetings in a hotel suite near the show and showed off all three of our current games. Feedback was good; a lot of people in North America are just becoming familiar with free-to-play games and we're excited for a chance to talk about what we're doing and what makes it cool.
MMOsite: How are things going on with the open beta of Fiesta? How many players have you attracted? And is there a solid date for the commercial launch of Fiesta Gold?Ryan Olson: Fiesta is doing really well; players are enjoying it and we continue to publish a lot of great new content for the game. That being said, it's still pretty new so we can't release too many specifics about the size of the player base. We did just announce a fourth game server, however. Altogether, the Outspark community is approaching 2 million registered users, meaning there are a lot of people enjoying our games. It's pretty cool to see. Fiesta's official commercial launch was November 7, 2007 ?C that's when we opened the game store. Right now you'll find tons of cool premium items inside, from new outfits and pets to power-ups like experience boosters.
MMOsite: As we know, Fiesta is a Korean made MMORPG. What are the reasons for you to bring it into the U.S. market?
Ryan Olson: Outspark wants to partner with the most talented development teams we can, and we believe Ons On (Fiesta's developer) made a game with a lot of great features that English-speaking gamers would enjoy. Quests, guilds, a large game world, crafting professions??these are just a few of the great features in Fiesta. When you combine them with the dynamic in-game events run by our Game Masters (monster battles, scavenger hunts, dance contests, parties and more), we believe the result is a really unique, fun game.
MMOsite: Fiesta is a cute anime style MMORPG, so does it mean it is only aimed at teens and female gamers? Or it is fit for all ages and types of gamers?
Ryan Olson: Fiesta gold does have a cartoon style but we think it appeals to a variety of players. Those new to MMORPGs can download the game and start playing right away and it has enough options to keep more experienced players entertained too. Quite a few Fiesta players tell us that the game is their first MMO, while others may have come over from bigger, more well-known games.
MMOsite: One of the most fascinating things about Fiesta is the Kingdom Quest system. How will the system work? What kind of quest is it? And are there any requirements on the level and number of the players?
Ryan Olson: Kingdom Quests are one of the coolest parts of Fiesta and let a small group of players (usually around 15) work together to defeat tough monsters, earn experience and treasure. Examples include battling the King Slime, fighting Mara Pirates, or even surviving an encounter with the King Kong Phino.
Players are eligible for Kingdom Quests as soon as they reach level 5. In each town there is a special NPC that keeps a list of all Kingdom Quests and signs up interested players at multiple times throughout the day. Kingdom Quests are very popular and can sometimes be difficult to join, but persistent adventurers are well rewarded!
Outspark is certainly one of the most in-depth MMORPG's that i have played. The ways to level and people to meet are positive too. I play this because of that, and currency is just another added reason to play. Game Masters aka GM's spice up the online play with events every know and again too.
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