Interview: Building Neverwinter And Looking Back On 10 Years
Neverwinter is celebrating ten years in operation, releasing on PC back in 2013, with console versions coming a few years later. The MMO from Cryptic Studios has seen multiple new modules released, fleshing out the world of the Forgotten Realms in one of the most fully realized digital versions of the realm.
Ten years is a long time in operation in any gaming medium, especially MMORPGs where games seemingly come and go pretty often. Cryptic Studios has a knack for building games that last, from Champions Online, Star Trek Online, and of course, Neverwinter. Much of that longevity can be attributed to the talented dev team behind each game, building new content players are interested in and that will keep them around.
However, as Senior System Designer Robert Gutschera, who also worked on tabletop games at D&D creator Wizards of the Coast before coming to Neverwinter, told me in an interview last week, the playground of the Forgotten Realms does play a factor here.
«Having Dungeons and Dragons as your subject matter is awesome,» Gutschera said when asked about the MMOs longevity. «Every new module there is something for us to explore. It's a rich world and there are a lot of people who are interested in it.»
Even though Neverwinter was released ten years ago, obviously development on the MMO and the engine that powers it started well before that. Game Creative Director Randy Mosiondz has been at Cryptic for 18 years now, working on City of Heroes, Champions Online and eventually on Neverwinter. Interestingly enough, Neverwinter went through some pretty big iterations leading up to the MMO we all know now — most specifically the decision to make it more narrative-focused or to create the action RPG players have taken to since
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