Mortal Online announced by Star Vault for the first time is a first-person MMORPG in a fantasy setting, which is also a next generation MMORPG both in terms of graphics and gameplay. There are no PvP zones, only an open realistic world where you are free to choose your own path. Experience true real-time combat where you decide every move your character makes and where your personal skill really matters.Build your own house, or set up a guild to build a keep. With enough power, violence or diplomacy, you and your allies will be able to rule an entire nation. Choose from many different races and professions. You decide your own style of playing and whether to focus on PvP or PvE, both sharing the same game world. Devote your life to crafting, combat, magic or trading. Discover new skills, tools and resources. Or be the first to explore new areas to put your name on the map.
MMOsite: Happy to have this opportunity to do an interview with you. To start, can you make a brief introduction to yourself and your company Star Vault? Have you guys previously been involved in the creation of any MMORPG?
Henrik Nystrom: I started my journey in the sandbox mmorpg genre in the game Ultima Online some years ago. It was the first so called real mmorpg released. I really liked the genre and as I got deeper into it I started to plan a mmorpg in a very early stage. The only problem back then was the technique and internet standards that were so poor. Mortal Gold is more similar to Ultima Online in its first years compared to today's mmorpgs, often called theme parks, which are based on levels, have a rather linear game play and relies heavily on automation.
The plans and some testing started back in 2002 for a very early version of what was later to be called Mortal Gold but the project really took off in 2005.
I founded Star Vault as a private structure in 2006 after presenting the handpicked team and the project (with the work name NOW) for a group of investors, who showed an interest in the project. This was not a simple task and it took lots of time to get where we are today. Where most commercial games are funded and controlled by a publisher, it's really a dream situation for everyone at Star Vault where we ourselves instead control the project and are free to do what we do best. A small group of people including myself invested the funds needed to start Star Vault and get the team going on the project in full time, soon after we converted the company structure into a stock company and got listed on Aktietorget to get the rest of the finance to be able to completely develop and release Mortal Gold.