dtp bets big on new MMO Otherland
Large budget and ambitious concepts behind entry into notoriously difficult market
German publisher dtp is backing its just announced MMO Otherland with a serious budget in the hope of cracking the notoriously difficult online gaming market.
In development at subsidiary Real U in Singapore, the company is undaunted by the fate of a number of high-profile massively multiplayer online games, putting an "internationally competitive budget" behind the high-concept project.
"We are strongly believing that if we want to get into this market, we can only get there by a bold step. We are bold, we have the financial means and we are willing to take a calculated bet," commented Markus Windelen, COO of dtp, in an exclusive interview published today.
In development by a team that includes former Melbourne House staff, Singapore is the right location for the studio according to Windelen, believing it's the perfect entry point for Western businesses to gain access to the Asian market.
"Singapore is the only place where you can have an Asian experiment with a safety net," he says. "It feels like a Western city in the middle of Asia - you have copyright protection, which in other Asian territories is an issue, you don't have that functioning infrastructure."
The game is based on the works of sci-fi author Tad Williams and revolves around a cyberpunk, virtual reality world – a far cry from the traditional fantasy settings of MMO competitors World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.
The full interview with the dtp and Real U team can be read here.