In an interview with Businessworld, Level Up Games managing director Minnette Navarrete discusses the various business models and operating conditions of their games. According to the article:
She added that the company is even open to working with local content providers.
What local content could their Ragnarok and Rose Online use? I am informed that there is some localization in Gunbound in the form of characters and items.
For MMORPGs, when will Pinoys create their own worlds. They could start with storylines and 3D models. The Korean games franchised locally, and foreign ones like World of Warcraft, don’t let users shape the world. They only “play” in it. Games like Second Life which allow user-created content have not been franchised. Will these take off locally?
They may be looking for a commercial deal – buying these from content providers, the same way our local telcos buy apps. For MMOGs with stories, they can commission writers to create scripts.
For the ultimate in localization, when will the local MMOG companies commission programming and development work to local companies? They could start with components built with application interfaces (APIs), the building blocks of companies. This is what our very own FlipSide Games is doing for development and outsourcing.
3 comments
“Letting users shape the world” is a technical and gameplay issue. Control over game content is there for balance and security. If users had their way, everyone would have their very own MMO private servers. Tight control on gameplay and balance is a good thing.
First they need to increase the quality of the games.