En Masse发布的大型多人在线角色扮演游戏《TERA》由韩国公司Bluehole Studio开发，动态格斗系统成为其主要特色，游戏主要考验玩家的操作技术。这款游戏已在韩国上线，位于西雅图的En Masse授权Atari负责北美地区的发行工作。游戏邦获悉，游戏将于今年晚些时候在北美地区与玩家见面。

En Masse发行副总裁Chris Lee向Gamasutra阐述选择Atari作为游戏分销商的原因是该公司对项目表现出的极大兴趣。他指出：“经研究发现，Atari公司对这款游戏十分感兴趣，这确实对我们大有益处。”Lee发觉专注于网游的Atari并非只是想随便找个作品代理，公司与En Masse的见解相同，认为必将成为巅峰之作。

尽管如此，En Masse意识到其对《TERA》的信心和这款游戏的质量还不足以让游戏在拥挤的MMO市场崭露头角。Chris Lee表示，认为一款好游戏可以自产自销，这是对运营最大的误解。他说道：“在公司早期与Atari进行的交谈中，我们就已经意识到需要精心策划方能使《TERA》在这个领域有足够的竞争力，相信这款独特的游戏能够同时满足MMO和动作格斗游戏玩家的需求。”

TERA

发布商同样考虑到Atari在运营诸如《星际迷航Online》和《龙与地下城Online》等主流MMO游戏的经验，这样的销售团队懂得如何应用MMO游戏的零售渠道，同时考虑到《TERA》中的格斗元素。为给《TERA》造势并为游戏的发布做准备，En Masse尽其所能从演示版、发布展示、预演和早期架构的测试版中获取玩家的反馈意见。Lee解释道：“我们深信游戏测试是打开成功之门的钥匙。”

提及En Masse作为项目的辅助研发者，他补充道：“我们目前主要协助研发团队调整游戏，使北美玩家获得更好的体验。”同时，两家公司还根据《TERA》在韩国的反馈信息来调整其在北美地区的发布。Lee说道：“我们都为游戏处于活跃环境中感到兴奋，与其他MMO游戏相同，我们发现了某些可以优化的地方。这便是游戏平衡和改良的开始，就像我们在北美上线前的大型测试。”

虽然本地化网游已使韩国和其他亚洲国家的MMO市场趋于饱和，但En Masse相信《TERA》将脱颖而出。公司认为这款游戏的动态格斗机制使之与各地区的传统MMO游戏大不相同。Lee说道：“现实在于你只有一次获得成功的机会。将游戏从东方世界带入西方会面临许多挑战，而且这项艰巨的任务无从逃避。这意味着刚开始就必须有开发全球化产品的想法，并与世界各地的合作伙伴紧密配合。”

《TERA》与其他典型亚洲MMO游戏的不同之处还在于它采用付费模式，而并非近年来许多游戏采用的免费运营模式。对En Masse选择《TERA》采用付费模式，Lee评述道：“这款游戏将在世界各地发布，我们也会深度挖掘游戏的可玩性并修复漏洞，提供高水准的服务和重要的游戏更新也是公司未来的目标。我们不准备在游戏中出售大量微交易道具或者频繁发布扩展包让玩家购买，公司要让所有玩家相信他们只需付费就可获得完整动态的游戏体验。”（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Interview: En Masse MMO TERA Meets Western Challenges

Developed by Korean firm Bluehole Studio and published by En Masse, TERA is an action MMORPG that features a dynamic combat system emphasizing player skill over character stats. While the game is already available in Korea, Seattle-based En Masse isn’t publishing the title in North America until later this year with distribution help from Atari.

En Masse’s publishing VP Chris Lee tells Gamasutra one reason it chose to enlist Atari as the game’s distributor is the company’s enthusiasm for the project: “Being an MMO, we were able to see the play metrics for the companies that we provided evaluation accounts for, and the folks at Atari stood out as having a strong interest in the game,” he points out. “That really went a long way for us.” Lee feels that online-focused Atari is “not just looking for content to fill [its] fiscal calendar with.” He says the distributor shares En Masse’s belief that TERA has a shot at “being a breakout success.”

En Masse realizes, though, that its confidence in TERA and the title’s quality won’t be enough to make the game a hit in this crowded MMO market. The publishing VP admits, “One of the biggest misconceptions in the business is that a good game will sell itself.” “Even in our early conversations with Atari, it was evident that they understood it would take a well-coordinated effort to compete in this space, as well as how to expand upon it given our belief that we’ve got a truly unique game that speaks to both MMO and action combat fans,” says Lee.

The publisher sees Atari’s experience working with major MMOs like Star Trek Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online as a plus, too: “It was a huge bonus for us that their sales team would know how to talk to the retail channel about an MMO AAA-title, as well as creatively keeping in mind the action component of TERA.” To build up buzz for TERA and prepare for the game’s upcoming launch, En Masse is doing everything it can to get feedback from fans through demos, trade shows, previews, and betas of early builds. “We know that trial is the key to our success,” explains Lee.

Noting En Masse’s role as co-producer on the project with Bluehole, the executive adds, “Our current focus in working with the development team is collaborating with them on adjustments to the game that we feel will make it a better experience for gamers in the North America.”

The two companies are also adapting the North American launch based on feedback from TERA’s launch in Korea. “We have all been really excited to see the game in a live environment, and as is the case with any MMO, it brings to light some areas of the game that can be optimized.” Lee continues, “This gives us a head start as it relates to balance and polish — it’s like having a huge sample of beta testers so we can work out the kinks before we go live in North America.”

And while the MMO market already seems saturated with localized online games from Korea and other Asian markets, En Masse believes TERA will stand out from the bunch. It sees the game’s dynamic combat mechanic as “a large departure from traditional MMOs, regardless of region.” “The truth is that you only get one chance to do it right. There are a number of challenges in bringing a game from East to West and no one is immune to this task,” says Lee. “This means starting with the concept of a global product, and establishing a truly collaborative relationship with your global partners.”

Another way TERA differs from typical Asian MMOs is its use of subscriptions instead of the popular free-to-play business model that many titles have been implementing in recent years.

Lee says En Masse chose subscriptions over free-to-play because of TERA’s scope: “We are going to deliver a vast world, deep gameplay, and cutting edge technology right out of the box. We will continue to deliver top notch service and significant game updates.” “We are not going to carry a big catalog of micro-transaction items to sell or have frequent expansion packs that we will charge for but instead, we want all of our players to feel confident they’re getting a robust, dynamic game up front and through their subscription.” (Source: Gamasutra)