During a recent Master of Orion event in Sydney, Stevivor caught up with Wargaming Global Publishing Producer, Jacob Beucler, to discuss the game.
Master of Orion does many things for Wargaming. First, it’s helped launch the publisher’s new WG Labs division.
“WG Labs is really cool, just in general,” Beucler said of the new arm. “Innovative gameplay is what we want to do. We’ve taken two initiatives: to make Master of Orion legendary, and the other is do third-party development; find other markets that we’re not prevalent in.”
Beucler stressed that it’s very important for Wargaming to expand out of its comfort zone.
“World of Tanks just owns a market,” he explained. “It just has it. It’s like talking about League of Legends in other countries, or Tanks in Russia. Boom. No more conversation.”
The acquisition and revitalisation of a classic 4X — exploit, exterminate, expand and explore – game means fans of the genre benefit, and WG Labs and Wargaming itself will have a different type of game under its belt. But it won’t be something that’s accomplished overnight.
“With Master of Orion, it’s about bringing the IP back, first and foremost,” Beucler said. “Do we want to grow the WG-not-net library of fans? Absolutely. Why wouldn’t we?
“But, we’re not too far ahead of ourselves to think Master of Orion is going to sell a hundred and forty million copies, and we’re going to have 90% conversation from World of Tanks players. No. That would be silly. But if we make a really brilliant game, can we sell copies? Absolutely.”
Beucler said he, developer NGD and the entire Wargaming team know it’s make or break with this release.
“It all ties into laying the foundation for Master of Orion and bringing it back. You get one shot to bring an IP back; we all understand that.
“We’re all passionate about it; all in. It’s do or die time to get Master of Orion back into the market with the highest possible quality.”
Master of Orion is available now through early access on Steam and GOG.
Stevivor flew to Sydney and attended a Master of Orion event courtesy Wargaming.
This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.
