Interview: Warrior Epic’s Peter Cesario on the Upcoming Free-to-Play MMO Warrior Epic

By Ryan Plas | March 17, 2009 | | Filed under: Features, Interviews | Tags: Peter Cesario, True Games, Warrior Epic

Staff Writer Ryan Plas has a chat with Peter Cesario of True Games about their upcoming free-to-play MMO title, Warrior Epic.

The MMO Gamer: Could you begin by introducing yourself and telling us about your role in Warrior Epic?

Peter Cesario: I’m Peter Cesario; Product Development Director for True Games, and Producer on Warrior Epic.

The MMO Gamer: What is Warrior Epic, could you give us a brief summary of the game?

Peter Cesario: Warrior Epic can’t necessarily be confined to any one genre.

But if we were to try and categorize it, Warrior Epic would fit somewhere in between an MMORPG and action strategy game. Set in the fantasy world of Providence, players must maintain their Halls, discover the lands that threaten Providence, and buff up their warriors in order to destroy those who oppose peace. Simply put, Warrior Epic immerses the player into a position where strategy before battle is crucial to success.

Which warrior will the player use? Which items will be taken? Which spirits will be employed? These decisions are made prior to entering a dungeon, and are the defining choices that determine victory or failure.

The MMO Gamer: As a lot of people out there know, there is a plethora of titles out there in the Free 2 Play market. What is going to make Warrior Epic stand out in the vast sea of titles in 2009?

Peter Cesario: There are certainly a large number of micro-transaction based games out there. But what hasn’t necessarily been done yet is a micro-transaction game with the quality experience that Western audiences have come to expect. The bar has been set pretty high in the past few years, and players expect all MMORPGs, micro-transaction based or not, to uphold those expectations. Warrior Epic stands out from the ‘vast sea of titles’ not only because of quality, but because it was developed with a Western audience in mind.

The MMO Gamer: One of the more interesting tidbits I have seen, is that on your webpage you mention that you have a system ” that allows for the spirits of fallen warriors to be resurrected, infused into the item of another warrior for added bonuses, or taken along on a mission to inflict massive damage at opportune moments “. This sounds very different from what you normally see out there, can you explain this a little more?

Peter Cesario: Certainly. The Spirit System is one of the truly unique key features of Warrior Epic. The system allows for more choices from the player should their warrior fall in battle. In that sense, a warrior’s death becomes part of a strategy to attain a certain spirit at a certain level. Simply put, death is only the beginning.

The MMO Gamer: Another bullet point for the title is customization and housing. Are you referring to character creation specifics to create that perfect look, or are you referring to in-game customization through skills and “Talent” points?

Peter Cesario: Warrior Epic’s customization refers to both of those points. Not only are there options to change facial features on each warrior, or build additional wings to the Halls; but there are also skills that require customization as well. Skills can be specialized to be stronger or more effective in battle.

The MMO Gamer: What about player housing? What are some of things that we can expect in that aspect? Will we be seeing furniture as loot drops?

Peter Cesario: The player housing in Warrior Epic is referred to as the Hall. Players act as the Hall Lords and furnishing/customizing them the way they want is certainly something all players will enjoy doing. There are also rooms within the hall that function in specific ways. Each room serves a specific purpose in the game and its up the player to emphasize the focus and direction of their Hall.

The MMO Gamer: What made you decide that you wanted to do something in the Free 2 Play sub-genres of MMO’s? Do you think that F2P is going to be a big new transaction model in 2009?

Peter Cesario: True Games was founded as a micro-transaction based game company, and Possibility Space created Warrior Epic from the ground up to be a micro-transaction based game. So the fit was perfect for both companies. In regards to how big we think the model will be in 2009 – well, I actually think a quality experience and great service are far more important than the business model. If players are truly enjoying the game and the level of service they are getting is exceptional, then the rest will take care of itself. That’s what we’re striving for with Warrior Epic.

The MMO Gamer: Can you tell us when you guys are going to be hitting open beta?

Peter Cesario: Currently you can sign up on our website for a chance to join the closed beta tests beginning in March. We’ll have more information on open beta testing shortly after the CBT begins – so keep checking back at warriorepic.com for all the latest news!!