Scarlet Blade Interview

March 23, 2013

Scarlet Blade, which has been available overseas under the title Queens Blade, is a mature MMORPG that has seen a lot of success. With its recent launch in North America, WhatMMORPG got to sit down and chat with the lead producer of Scarlet Blade to discuss what the North American version of the game would be like.

Scarlet Blade has been available in Korea under the name Queen's Blade. What changes can be expected in the North American release? Scarlet Blade has been localized for North America by Aeria Games, so it's primarily culturally-relevant changes that were made. The main thing that was changed was the text and story of the game, which had to be localized into English for the North American audience.

How popular has Queen's Blade been in Korea? Queen's Blade Online had a huge launch in Korea and has maintained a spot in the top MMO charts over there. Our partners at Liveplex (The developers of QBO / Scarlet Blade) have been very communicative about this with our team, and are very proud of the game's success in their territory.

How do you expect Scarlet Blade to be received in the US? We've run an Alpha Test and are currently in the Beta testing phase. So far, based on our surveys and our community forums, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The Beta phase has shown skyrocketing growth and outstanding player engagement, so our team is very confident that our choice to publish and localize Scarlet Blade will be a success.

What was the thought process behind choosing to publish a mature MMO? Aeria Games has always been a company which tries to broaden its portfolio and provide experiences of all kinds to gamers. We have action games, FPS games, Fantasy games, casual games, browser-based games, mobile games, you name it. Our philosophy of providing more choices for gamers is what drives us to continually expand our portfolio, with this Mature-rated game being our newest addition.

Are you at all worried about alienating certain player groups with the mature visuals? Our team has had Scarlet Blade rated by the ESRB, and has followed the guidelines and rules for publishing it in a responsible and professional way. Again, we want to give gamers choices, and we communicate the different types of experiences offered by our platform well so that a new member of the Aeria Games community can make an informed decision.

What is your personal favorite class? The classes are all really fun actually, and I really started getting into the Punisher for a while there. Once Closed Beta started, however, I went back to Whipper which I can say is actually my favorite Arkana after having tried them all. She's tough.

What do you think is the best content in Scarlet Blade? I'm partial to PvP myself, but PvE content is really well-designed. I've found the environmental design for the overworld and dungeons, both in terms of artistic direction and actual level design, really engaging. I feel like I'm not just trying to rush to end-game so that I can PvP; the content getting there is a lot of fun. Our Localization team has done some very fun stuff with the NPC text in the game, which I highly recommend taking the time to read through if you want to get a good laugh and have even more fun as you're playing.

What do you have planned to keep content fresh? Our developers have a really solid content pipeline planned out, with frequent large updates. I can't talk too much about future content, but one thing I'm personally very excited for is the massive new PvP Battleground which allows for 160 v 160 RvR matches. We've seen this in action, and it is absolutely amazing to experience.

How important would you say the focus on PvP is compared to PvE? It depends on your play style, I'd say, but the rewards for participating in PvP and PvE are both very fruitful. PvP is a major focus for Scarlet Blade, but the PvE content is really engaging, interesting, and fun. Much of the PvP in the game, also, is really PvPvE which allows everyone to contribute how they like, have a great time, and reap valuable rewards.

What type of options are available to players for character customization? Character creation is pretty nice. You can do a lot with your Arkana's facial features and hair style including many options for shape, type, color, etc. So far in the Closed Beta, I've been really impressed by the uniqueness our players can achieve with their Arkana as you walk through a crowded city or engage in a large-scale PvP battle. Everybody looks great!

What is the biggest draw to playing Scarlet Blade? Well, Scarlet Blade is a brand new game, which is always exciting, but I feel that the strong PvP/PvPvE mechanics, flexible PC requirements, excellently-written lore, and of course the mature content are all huge draws for people looking to find an exciting new experience.

To which audience(s) would you most recommend Scarlet Blade? Scarlet Blade is rated M by the ESRB, so this must be considered for your readers. However, if you are of appropriate age to play an M-rated title and are looking for an exciting new game to try out, you should give Scarlet Blade a chance. It's not just pretty graphics and an empty shell, it's a great quality game with a lot of addictive mechanics, solid PvP and PvE content, great music and lore, and a very passionate and enthusiastic community. The team here at Aeria looks forward to seeing you in-game!

Thanks so much to the team at Aeria Games for taking the time to answer our questions about Scarlet Blade!