Happy New Year from En Masse Entertainment
January 6, 2012
By Brian Knox, Senior Producer
If 2010 was the year we debuted TERA, then 2011 was the year we refined, polished, and perfected TERA to live up to the expectations we set.
The year went quickly as development milestones flew by and we moved from goal to goal.
We opened 2011 with the most important event of the year—TERA's Korean launch in January. At that point, we had paying customers to whom we were accountable. For En Masse and Bluehole, this was a critical step toward becoming a global product, because our teams had to learn to balance the needs of multiple territories. It took us time to hit our stride, but we are now in sync and pushing forward, both creating new content and polishing current content. The game that launched in Korea and the game that will launch in North America are staggeringly different—we've made significant changes. Everything from game balance to all-new game features to critical security needs have finally come together. Hardcore fans like you, who've been with us since our first focus group test, will truly appreciate how far we've come—and how much your feedback has affected the game—when you get your hands on it in 2012. We've listened to you, and you'll see a finished product ready for you to play!
As the year progressed, we spread word of TERA through community and trade shows. We had a blast at each show—meeting with our fans and showing off the game to the press is always rewarding. At each and every event, we believe we created a memorable demo experience that captured the heart of what TERA is—not an easy thing to do for a vast MMO in 20 minutes. We even walked away with awards, including Game Informer's Best PC Game at E3. More importantly, though, we walked away with people talking about what a game-changer TERA really is in the MMO market.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention one of the less sexy but more critical things we accomplished over the last year. Our platform team has built something from nothing to meet the support needs of our customers. So many tools are taken for granted. The launcher, the installer, the forums, the account management system, the customer support tools, the data center build-out, security measures and serial code generation—these are the tools or systems that never get any love if they're working, but get all the blame once something goes wrong. It can be thankless work, but it's critical to the success of En Masse and TERA.
As the game, marketing, and platform come together,
we believe we've created something special—a product that will raise expectations in the industry for game and service experience. It may sound cliché, but this is just the beginning. We are already focusing on what's next for TERA after launch. What content are we developing? What events should we run? How can we improve our service even further? Launch itself is critical, but preparing for those first 30, 60, and 90 days afterward is just as important.
The final leg of our journey starts today, and soon the world of TERA will open up to all who are willing to brave it. We are excited to go on this journey with each and every one of you and look forward to seeing you for the launch of TERA—and more importantly, the adventures beyond...