Massively interviews the Bloodline Champions crew

Bloodline Champions is an exciting arena-based PvP game brought to us by Stunlock Studios -- pretty darned impressive stuff for such new developers, if we do say so ourselves! We took a quick look at it a while back, if you want to catch up first. While our abilities were nowhere near up-to-snuff, it was still obvious that many players were already enjoying the heck out of the game. In fact, if you look at the game's Facebook page, it's obvious that many gamers are enjoying it.

But we wanted to know more, so we fired off some questions to the team. Luckily, they decided to answer our questions before hacking us to pieces. Read on!

Massively: You mentioned that Bloodline is fitted for the e-sports crowd -- how has it been received so far?

Bloodline: We've noticed a lot of players who take their gaming a bit more serious when it comes to PvP. They seem to really enjoy the way the game is played. Bloodline Champions requires a different kind of skill than a lot of the games it gets compared to, and the players seem to enjoy the unique gameplay it offers. The fact that the game is completely skill-based with no luck or random events resonates well with the competitive crowd out there. We have already run successful cash tournaments and have had some of the top professional players in the world come out to test their skills in it, and the feedback so far has been great.

Are we going to see more Bloodlines in the future? If so, can you give us a sneak peek?

We are working on some more bloodlines at the moment so yes, there will definitely be more bloodlines in the future. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but we can tell you that they will not only be balanced with the current bloodlines, but will also offer unique play styles just as all the other bloodlines do now.

In the busy market of arena-based PvP games, how is Bloodline Champions different?

We often get the comment that Bloodline Champions is nothing like any game that players have played before, and they like it. Bloodline Champions offers unique gameplay with action-packed combat and the game requires a different kind of skill since all abilities have to be aimed. It also stands out with relatively short rounds and is thus very spectator-friendly.
With no luck or random elements, it comes down to pure player-skill, something that we feel resonates well with both the competitive crowd as well as the casual gamers out there just looking for a quick battle.

One of the main stereotypes of PvP gaming is that the games are filled with cheaters. What are you doing to make sure that this does not happen in Bloodline?

We host all of our servers ourselves to make sure no one can manipulate them and cheat. We also move calculations server-side so it won't be accessible for anyone looking to cheat the system.

What would you recommend to a player who has absolutely no experience with this type of gaming? How would you think they could stand up against a player who has much more experience?

I'd recommend a new player to try the tutorial we have and to try out the bloodlines in single player to get a feel for the game. Find what bloodlines suits your playstyle the best. The game is designed to make the best players win, but we have a matchmaking system to help you find players of the same skill level as yours to give a suited and enjoyable challenge.

Will we be seeing micro transactions in the game? If so, how would you make sure that the items sold were balanced and priced right?

We're still exploring a lot of different possibilities regarding how to monetize the game. But I can assure you that we won't sell in-game powers that affect the balance of the game. Balancing and matchmaking remain key ingredients to keep the game fun, and we don't want to do anything to upset the balance.

Any word on when the game will be out of beta?

We're aiming to have the game out of beta by the end of this year. Stay tuned for further updates!

We'd like to thank the Bloodline Champions team for taking time out from mass-murdering countless noobs to answer our questions!