Private servers, Early Access and stable launches: How GPORTAL and Stunlock pulled of V-Rising
Stunlock Studios, the minds behind popular titles like Bloodline Champions, Battlerite and Battlerite Royal, are well known for competitive multiplayer games with a heavy emphasis on player skill.
Founded in 2010, the Studio based in Sködve, Sweden, decided to do things differently when it planned its next title: V-Rising. The mixture of base-building and collective monster hunting was a big multiplayer hit in 2022 and, at peak times, managed to engage 150,000 vampire overlords.
GPORTAL is a German-based server hoster operating globally, celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Its hosting portfolio offers private servers for over 100 different games, including popular titles like Minecraft, Valheim and Conan: Exiles. In early 2021, the firm reached out to Stunlock Studios, realizing the potential and quality of V-Rising.
In this interview, Rickard Frisegård, CEO of Stunlock Studios and Lars Kübler, Head of Business Development at GPORTAL, speak about their initial contact, experiences in their partnership and thoughts about server hosting in the games industry.
Battlerite is a successful arena brawler and it seems like you found your home in competitive multiplayer. Why switch to a heavily PvE (player versus environment) multiplayer game with private server hosting?
Frisegård: At Stunlock Studios, we're always looking for ways to innovate and explore new genres. While we've had great success with competitive multiplayer games, we saw an opportunity with V-Rising to create a unique PvE-focused multiplayer experience that would cater to a different audience and expand our portfolio.
"Private server hosting allows players to have more control over their gaming experience"
Private server hosting was a part of our
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