Dungeons & Dragons Online Interview, Part One

Massively has doled out the first portion of an interview they conducted with Dungeons & Dragons Online executive producer Fernando Paiz at GDC about the success of their free-to-play model and how the team went about integrating it into a previously subscription-only MMORPG.

Every paid element of the game got a similar look with regards to the DDO store: “what things should be a recurring charge, what things should be one time per account, what things should be one time per character. […] These are the five C’s of microtransactions for us: we sell content, convenience items, consumables, cosmetic items, and concierge services. Most are self explanatory, such as content in the form of adventure packs. Concierge services refer to items such as the 32-point build and reincarnation services.

In the end, Dungeons and Dragons Online is the same game it was one year ago when it was “the forgotten MMO”: “We’re the same crunchy, hardcore, complex, rules-heavy game we’ve always been, and we’re being called the most successful online game.” The business model and accessibility is what turned it around. Players that left are returning and there’s no question that it’s been a huge financial success. Paiz had quite a bit to say about why this is, but at the core, “I think there’s a combination of things. One is we didn’t set out to just make the same free-to-play business model that other games have tried […] We always had a sensitivity to what the Western market would accept. The general shift in the market over the past few years definitely helped smooth their path as well — the public has become much more accepting of the entire microtransaction concept.