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Rift Developer: MMOs Are The "Most Emotionally Engaging Entertainment"
The new MMO Rift is the first release from developer Trion Worlds, and it seems to be building a fair amount of buzz in its launch week. Trion CEO Lars Buttler isn't surprised. He says their style of game is bound to be the biggest thing in entertainment's future, and he's got big plans to back it up.
In an interview with Gamasutra, Buttler explained why Trion is focused on the MMO market above all else:
"It used to be movies. It used to be stand alone video games. I think today the type of stunning, immersive, dynamic, and social worlds we create are probably the most exciting and most emotionally engaging entertainment you can find. That's really what drives us, that's really our reason for being."
This idea of massively multiplayer games being so important extends well beyond RPGs, according to Buttler. Trion is also working on End of Nations, an RTS with massively multiplayer elements, as well as an untitled action MMO.
Trion's plans to mix massive social elements into different genres don't end there either. Buttler says, "There will be no limits to taking big core video game genres and improving them dramatically by making them truly connected. Multiplayer, dynamic, social, and so on."
I've enjoyed what I've played of Rift so far, and it's always cool to see a new player in the industry with a grand vision. Let's wait a year or two to see how their first few products do before buying into this idea of MMOs as the best form of entertainment, though.
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