Another James Ohlen Interview: Challenges of Creating SWTOR

Lisa Clark interview, James Ohlen

James Ohlen is pretty good about talking to the press and fan sites. In another of many interviews he has done, he talks to IGN about the challenges of creating SWTOR. Ohlen, Game Director, has a huge part in the game and his work doesn’t end now because the game is launched. He also has to oversee updates, future content and more. But with this title comes great responsibility and Ohlen shares with IGN some of the challenges he has faced.

Here’s a snippet:

IGN: What were you trying to accomplish with this first BioWare MMO?

James Ohlen: I really wanted to bring in the three BioWare pillars to the online space. Those are represented by story, by the player’s choice in story, and by characters. Those are the three big things that I felt weren’t really well represented in the MMO space. I felt that it was the smartest course to go because it’s something that Bioware is famous for. It’s something that we’re good at doing, and it was an area where we could innovate in.

Some other questions that they ask Ohlen in this interview:
Now that the game has been out for a month, how do you feel that the final product has lived up to your original goals?
What were some of the challenges you faced while developing this MMO?
While you were developing your MMO, the game industry was shifting to a free-to-play model. What impact, if any, did that have on your team as you were developing this subscription-based game?
Have updates kept you busy?
How do videogames that you play outside of the MMO space influence The Old Republic?
It’s a fun, interesting read and well worth your time to head on over and check it out in its entirety.

Lisa Clark

Lisa has been an avid gamer since she was old enough to hold her first controller and a game writer for more than a decade. A child of the Nintendo generation, she believes they just don’t make games like they used to but sometimes, they make them even better! While consoles will always be her first love, Lisa spends most of her gaming time on the PC these days- on MMOs and first-person shooters in particular.