We were all pretty stunned when Trion announced Defiance 2050 last week, and indeed, we fired off a round of questions almost immediately. Trion’s answered our questions today, including those about what’s going on with the original game (spoilers: It’s not being abandoned). Read on for the details!
Massively OP: The big question is what’s happening to original Defiance itself? Will it continue on in any way? Maintenance mode, or will it continue to see updates and holidays?
Trion: Definitely! Original Defiance will continue to receive event updates, and players can continue to login and play. We’re even working on a new Valor rewards system for people who jump in and play the game before Defiance 2050 launches, which we’ll have more information about very soon.
Will existing Defiance players get any sort of compensation or carry-over into the new game? Will characters be importable, anything like that?
We’re creating a new Valor Commendation system, which will let original Defiance players bring a piece of their Defiance experience over to the new title. However, players will be unable to bring their characters and items over to the new title. Think of Defiance 2050 like a new game, with a brand new leveling system, and items that will be completely different from the previous title. This was necessary to ensure that Defiance 2050 is the wholly realized experience that it is meant to be.
Will there be any sort of “transmedia synergy” (<3) attached to this leg of the game, or is getting away from that part of the point of this move?
While we may expand on some elements from the show in the future, right now the focus is on the experience that is wholly unique to the game. Defiance 2050 will stand on its own.
Were graphical considerations and tech for console the main impetus behind a reboot?
This was a huge part of it. Simply speaking, the old consoles did not have the raw power necessary to truly create the vision of massive cooperative online battles. With the latest hardware, we will be able to push this genre in directions that have never been seen before.
Defiance always had a reputation as being fairly easy to jump into as a lowbie, almost sandboxy in its approach. Does Trion consider this game more or less an MMO or MMORPG than the original?
Defiance 2050 will keep that same feeling that you can jump in and play at any time, whether it’s for five minutes or five hours. Defiance 2050 will retain the same ease of access, whether you are low level or end game.
What sort of mechanical differences are we going to see from the old game to the new?
Most of the systems in Defiance 2050 have been completely reworked. Some main features will be an entirely new class system, and an upgrade-based itemization system. Both of these systems will give players a crazy amount of choice in the way they want to play Defiance 2050.
Thanks very much, Trion! MMO gamers should also check out the FAQ from the studio posted last week!
