Royal Blood is an upcoming AAA mobile MMO from Korea that aims to make a significant impact in the West. According to an interview with us, the developers at Gamevil have made several adjustments to the game.
What is it actually about? Royal Blood aims to enhance mobile MMO features that are popular in PC MMORPGs to stand out among players against the competition. It offers engaging battles with minimal autopilot and a lot of group content.
There’s also a strong focus on Western players that Gamevil aims to reach with Royal Blood. They want to establish themselves as the first full-fledged mobile AAA MMORPG in Europe and the USA. You can learn more about how they plan to achieve this and the steps the developers have taken in our interview with Gamevil Europe’s head, David Mohr.
Developer Gamevil in Interview
Mein-MMO: Why was Royal Blood postponed and when can we expect a release?
Gamevil: After the launch in Korea, we wanted to ensure that the game is ready for a Western audience. We made a lot of changes to nearly every gameplay aspect. It took us a lot of time to fine-tune all these changes. Everything was tested in the first West beta. Soon we will know if anything needs to be changed. We hope to be able to announce a global release date soon.
Mein-MMO: You’ve certainly followed the progress of Lineage 2 Revolution in the West and have taken the player feedback into account. Did that influence Royal Blood’s strategy in the West? Did you make adjustments because of it, and if so, which ones?
Gamevil: Of course, we observe what happens in other games. But for Royal Blood, most of our insights came from our first experience in Korea. After various internal testing sessions in our global offices, we were then ready for the open beta for Western players. We hope to gain further insights into the final touches before release.
Mein-MMO: You said that you reward players who do not use auto-play. The cooldown management is more effective. Are you trying to distinguish yourself from other “MMO managers,” and what was the motivation?
Gamevil: It works through our skill set system, one of Royal Blood’s main characteristics. While you don’t need to consider this in autopilot, it makes a huge difference in challenging gameplay situations and when you are out with other players. Basically, you can choose two skill sets for your class, thus changing the role you take in the game.
Thus, for example, you can switch from a simple damage dealer to a more utility-focused role. Warriors can draw the attention of enemies while mages perform crowd control. This class-specific gameplay can only be effectively executed manually. If you want to earn more points through cooperation, play with manual control to receive better rewards!
Mein-MMO: Can you tell us more about the class system? How many classes are there and how can they be specialized?
Gamevil: There are four classes in the game that MMO players should be familiar with. The warrior can be focused on tanking or DPS. Both the female mage and the ranger can be played as AoE or direct damage dealers. The bard is a versatile support class. You can switch your skill set at any time and thus immediately change how you play your class.
Mein-MMO: How do dynamic events work? Is this similar to Guild Wars 2?
Gamevil: The core of the field events is the “Flash Event.” While players are questing in the field, they gather at a specific time at a specific location for various flash events. And yes, it is somewhat similar to the system from Guild Wars 2.
Mein-MMO: What is the goal of the 100vs100 battles? What strategic elements are there?
Gamevil: We decided to change these battles to 70vs70. This will make them more convenient and easier to organize for players. The goal is not just combat but to try to become the “Lord.” The Lord rank is awarded by accumulating all “Lord points” during two weeks of wild skirmishes between realms in siege battles.
Additionally, it is important to be successful not only in combat but also in strategies and politics. This way, we want to prevent the RvR battles from becoming a simple war between high-ranking users.
Mein-MMO: Can you already say what the focus of the item shop is? What advantages can be purchased?
Gamevil: Items from the shop are primarily about saving time. Various items from the shop can all be acquired in the game. There will be no item available only with real money. If you play the game long enough, you will reach the highest level of growth, regardless of how much money you spend.
