Interview with Lockpick Entertainment’s David Rosén

We had the opportunity to interview with the CEO of Swedish developer Lockpick Entertainment, the company behind the MMORTS Dreamlords. David Rosén, the CEO shared with us some insights on who they are and little about the future of Dreamlords.

The MMO Gamer: Could you begin by telling us about yourself and how you came to be the CEO of Lockpick Entertainment? How well prepared for the job were you?

David Rosén: My name is David Rosén, 35 yrs old with a history in the IT/Internet industry where I held different management positions. Being used to approximately the same kind of people on the staff (programmers, artists and creative leads/game designers) I was pretty well set for this. However the computer games industry has a few things that are completely different. Anyone who thinks he knows everything about a new position is probably wrong and I expected a few bumps in the road, so far nothing too serious. I was asked by a friend and former colleague to join this group in late 2003, the group evolved and we turned it into Lockpick Entertainment back in 2004 which is when I became the CEO.

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The MMO Gamer: How did Lockpick Entertainment come into being?

David Rosén: The group that ended up being Lockpick Entertainment was based upon a group that formed 2003 when a couple of guys studied computer game development at the University of Skövde. They wanted to create a demo on the side and I was asked to help them out with some structure and management. The team presented the demo “Saga of Ina” at the Swedish Game Awards (KTH Game awards back then) where we won best game of the year 2004. At that point we decided to start up the company and draw out the plans for the next project.

TMMOG: Who are the owners of Lockpick Entertainment and what do they bring to the company? How are your projects funded?

DR: So far the majority of the company is held by the employees, a concept that I have always liked. We have however brought in fresh capital and experience from several external owners. Gothia Science Park (the science park in which we are located) are shareholders and business developers alike, we also have Innovationsbron Väst, Almi Start Invest and Scandinavian Financial Management who all contribute with more than just money and then some private investors. Projects have been funded using our venture capital and we have also received project funding and loans from Almi, Västragötalands regionen, Sparbankstiftelsen Alfa, Föreningssparbanken and now recently the Nordic Game Program.

TMMOG: You have three very different games under your belt; an edutainment title, a side scrolling adventure game and of course the reason you showed up on our radar. The MMO strategy game Dreamlords. Is Dreamlords your only venture into the MMO industry or do you have plans for future projects in the genre?

DR: Well, the Saga of Ina was just a demo but it’s true that we like to venture into several areas. The industry still has a lot of areas to evolve in and we’d like to contribute in several areas. Dreamlords is our first and so far only MMO. We’re proud of what we have achieved so far with it but we have a long way left until our vision of the game is fullfilled.

TMMOG: By today’s standards, Lockpick is a rather small studio. How many people worked on Dreamlords and how much did the development cost?

DR: We have been quite a few people involved over the years, somewhere around 25-30 but many of them to a very small extent. The core team has been around 15 people and we have spent close to a million USD. The low cost is due to the fact that we basically worked for no pay during the first two years and supported ourselves elsewhere.

TMMOG: How many active subscribers does Dreamlords have now and when do you expect to reach your subscriber goals?

DR: I can’t go into details I am afraid but we now have an increasing number after a few bumpy first months and we’re really excited about our PvP upgrade that should be out in a few weeks. Our goal is, as always, world domination so it can take a while

TMMOG: What kind of plans do you have for Dreamlords, can you tell us a bit about them?

DR: Apart from the new PvP game-play that we’ll launch soon we’re also looking at co-op PvE and Convergence wars.

TMMOG: Dreamlords is distributed digitally through the Dreamlords website, do you have any plans on distributing the game in any other ways or through other digital distribution solutions?

DR: We are talking with several publishers on the matter, nothing I would like to disclose yet.

TMMOG: Going back to the company; you have the role of executive producer for the live development team for Dreamlords as well as your CEO position for the company. Will it not present a problem to have both these roles when it comes to looking at what’s best for the company as opposed to what is best for the project, in this case Dreamlords?

DR: Yes and No, for a small company it’s important to be agile. As I basically know both sides of the coin at all times I’ll be able to make decisions based on all the needed information. So far our only launched title is Dreamlords and that means it is a huge part of the company. But yes, it’s not always easy to maintain both roles. I guess I talk a lot with myself and struggle with “my inner voices”

TMMOG: Lastly, is there anything else about Lockpick Entertainment or Dreamlords that you’d like to tell our readers about?

DR: It’s not often a brand new company manages to do what we have just done. We are truly a unique company with an even more unique title. If you would like to try out a completely different take on MMO gaming with a focus on strategy I urge you to try out Dreamlords. Sure, a CEO and Exec Prod talking about his game should be considered as biased but so far we have gotten good reviews and all have claimed that this is something truly different and a fresh breath of air in a market that is sadly too often filled with carbon copies of other success stories.