Interview with Outspark

Questions by Brian Perry Jr.
Answered by Ryan Olson, Outspark Marketing Coordinator

Onrpg: Outspark has now launched three titles. Can you give us a brief rundown of each?
Outspark’s first game, Fiesta, is a free MMORPG set in the vibrant and colorful world of Isya. Featuring dynamic in-game events, player-versus-player content, professions, plenty of quests, friendly game masters and an engaging community of players. Play as a fighter, mage, cleric or archer, make friends and help save the world!  

Outspark’s second game, Secret of the Solstice, is a free multiplayer online role-playing game set in the beautiful land of Xen. With hundreds of gorgeous environments, fanciful creatures, plenty of quests and a classic feel, Secret of the Solstice invites players to create a character and explore its richly-detailed world.

Both Fiesta and Secret of the Solstice feature dynamic daily in-game events run by Outspark game masters. Monster battles, scavenger hunts, dance contests and themed holiday events are just a few examples of the great content being created each day for our players, and these gatherings offer a chance to meet other players, socialize, have fun and even earn experience or treasure.

Outspark’s third game, Bread ‘n Butter, is a collection of Flash mini-games played entirely within your internet browser. Build the best bakery in town with help from Benji and his friends! Gather ingredients, learn new recipes, customize your store and earn some extra “dough” as you create delectable treats for your hungry customers.

All Outspark games are completely free to play and feature premium items available for purchase with SparkCash. New outfits, health and mana potions, leveling packs, experience boosters and more can be purchased for Fiesta and Secret of the Solstice, while Bread ‘n Butter players can buy accessories for their bakeries and new mini-games offering tasty ingredients used to craft even more baked goods.

Onrpg: On top of the games released, Outspark announced a rather large investment was made in the company. Where did this come from and why was it done?
In January we announced a Series B investment from Tencent Holdings, China’s largest and most popular internet portal offering games, instant messaging, internet search and more. Outspark is working hard to build an exciting and engaging virtual playground where visitors can hang out and have fun, and we’re always looking to partner with great companies possessing similar drive, expertise and vision.

Onrpg: What are some of the immediate plans being made to utilize this cash infusion?
Outspark will use the investment to expand our virtual playground by adding even more great games. We’re also working on quite a few cool features for our web site that will make it even easier for visitors to learn more about our games, join the fun and express themselves online.

Onrpg: Over time, what will this investment mean to both the company and the various players who play your games?
Good question. Our partnership with Tencent will benefit both Outspark and the members of our community in a number of ways. The investment obviously helps us continue to source great games from talented development teams around the world, and we look forward to exploring additional ways to collaborate with Tencent’s talented staff. Their deep understanding of online communities and multiplayer games meshes well with our concept of the future of online entertainment.

Onrpg: Has this investment changed the types of games you are looking to publish?
Not at all; Outspark remains focused on bringing the highest-quality multiplayer social online games to our community and our partnership with Tencent will help us continue to do that. We keep scouring the globe for talented game developers interested in connecting with our player community.

Onrpg: Are there any games you are ready to discuss that are coming soon?
We’re currently talking with a number of different partners about potential new games for our virtual playground. We can’t announce any details about upcoming titles just yet, but stay tuned. More great games are definitely on the way.

Onrpg: Recently, two separate companies have announced partnerships with publishers to allow Real Money Transactions (RMT) in their games, with a portion of the profits going to the publisher. What is Outspark’s opinion on this, and is it something that would be considered?
The subject of real-money transactions is a popular topic in the media and one that has been brought up by members of our community as well. We’ve also discussed the subject with our developer partners. While Outspark wants to provide game and web site features that align with the desires of our players, we also have to be sensitive to a number of issues including security and potential effects on our in-game economy.