BLOCKLORDS is a medieval MMO grand strategy game that gives players the power to shape the game's economy and influence its history. In this Q&A, David Johansson, CEO of MetaKing Studios and creator of BLOCKLORDS, shares his background, vision, and challenges in creating a game that combines his passion for immersive gaming, storytelling, and web3 technologies. He also explains how BLOCKLORDS caters to different player personas, from peasants to kings, and how the game aims to create a more engaging, balanced, and player-centric experience.
After starting his career in film production in Hollywood, David made the switch to the gaming industry when he moved to China and founded MetaKing Studios, the developer of BLOCKLORDS. Since its inception, the indie studio has grown to over 50 employees in 20 countries. In BLOCKLORDS, players are transported to a medieval world filled with strategic, immersive challenges and new adventures, where their decisions and skills shape the world and narrative.
Korea IT Times set the stage to interview David Johansson, the CEO of MetaKing Studios and the creator of BLOCKLORDS to share a fantastic story about investing in Web3 gaming resurgence, the 2024.
Can you tell me some more about your background and what made you interested in the gaming industry? As a result, why did you choose to create a strategy-based game?
I've always been intrigued by the untapped potential of immersive gaming experiences, envisioning a world where the gaming excitement lasts for months, not just hours or days. Growing up playing strategy games like Command and Conquer, Total War, and Crusader Kings, I saw potential in the gaming scene, especially in addressing challenges within free-to-play game economies. This insight inspired me to create BLOCKLORDS, the world’s first medieval MMO grand strategy game with a player-owned economy. I was heavily influenced by my experiences in film school, where storytelling took centre stage. I wanted players to have ownership of in-game assets and realised that I had a unique opportunity, one where I could combine my gaming roots with a vision for a more player-centric gaming future. My background served me here. More specifically, my transition from film studies to Hollywood and later into the gaming industry, contributing to titles like Crusader Kings, Liberators, and League of Angels, has shaped my perspective on player preferences. In 2017, I dove into the world of cryptocurrencies and developed a deep understanding of web3 technologies. This resulted in steering my focus towards the development of BLOCKLORDS, which also laid the foundation for co-founding the Seascape Network.
When we began developing BLOCKLORDS, we wanted to take the best elements from MMORPG, strategy games and play-to-earn games, solve some of the most commonly expressed issues from players, and build the best game we could. The game has gone through various iterations, but it is a very similar idea at the core. BLOCKLORDS provides asymmetric incentives. Gamers can play as they want and are empowered to take part in the story and lure of the game. Ultimately, we want to avoid being the type of game solely dependent on developers producing new content over and over again or where only the players who get started early or buy NFTs can extract value from the game. That is not our goal. For me, the dream game I’ve always wanted to see was an MMO game with a strategy element, with tangible epic battles - but you must work your way up to become a Warrior or a Ruler or eventually a King. This is our goal for BLOCKLORDS - to create a more engaging, balanced, and player-centric experience with all of this in mind.
Tell me about BLOCKLORDS. What does it take to build a player-driven game economy?
Building a player-driven game economy, like BLOCKLORDS, combines a diverse blend of gaming experiences. Originally, the game was crafted as a hybrid of my favourite game influences, aiming to appeal to a diverse spectrum of players who would be transported to a medieval world of groundbreaking gaming adventure.
We cater to four distinct gamer personas, including the Farmer, Warrior, Ruler, and King. For the farmer, it's about managing resources and building a farm, creating a realistic and engaging experience within an Age of Empires setting. The Warrior finds excitement in facing challenges and battling bears, wolves, and raiders. As players progress, they can take on larger AI opponents and eventually other players, introducing a competitive element. Moving up the ladder, the Ruler layer focuses on power dynamics and economic influence. Rulers control regions, making decisions that impact prosperity, such as adjusting taxes. Competition arises as Farmers can relocate to regions with more favourable conditions.
At the pinnacle, Kings strategise and engage in wars that impact the entire nation. This is exactly what sets BLOCKLORDS apart from other games, as players are given the chance to shape the game’s economy. Farmers, Rulers, and Kings collectively contribute to the dynamic and player-centric medieval world, fostering an environment where choices and interactions dictate the course of the game. It's a journey of legend, pioneering a new era in strategy gaming by merging the best of traditional and modern gaming models.
Is community-building vital for the progression of the gaming industry?
Community is central to the growth of any game. Building a fan base of dedicated gamers takes time, and is something that must be nurtured. Innovation in the ever-evolving gaming industry involves more than simply technology; it also involves creating immersive experiences that draw players in from all over the world. Gaming experiences are revolutionising the growth of communities, this not only enriches the game experience itself but also the wider cultural fabric. In order to build that community, engagement is essential — many leading games are promoting this through providing exclusive benefits, collaborating with influencers, live streaming and so much more. Gaming is evolving into an unrivalled adventure thanks to cutting-edge technology, gripping storytelling, and an everlasting commitment to the community.
At BLOCKLORDS, we are creating not just a game, but a world for our players. Our vision goes beyond simple gameplay. We are aiming to connect people, inspire innovation and create an environment where each player feels not just involved but empowered. Something we pride ourselves on is our ability to reward our players, they grow within the game, which in turn enables the game to progress. We have some exciting announcements coming in 2024 that will really showcase just how much our players mean to us, and why building a community is so vital for progression in this industry.
BLOCKLORDS’ has released two cinematic trailers to date, what went into the production process and how do they reflect the game? Why are graphics so important to craft a compelling narrative? Are there more trailers to come?
We released our first trailer, Protect Your House, in 2022, it currently has over 1M streams and kick-started our minisode series. Creating BLOCKLORDS cinematic trailers involves a meticulous production process aimed at reflecting the essence of the game and captivating the audience. Various elements contribute to crafting an effective trailer, including 3D models, layered files, impactful sound effects, and more. With the help of the team at Axis Studios, we created our second cinematic trailer, Slay the Bear. The trailer was built in CG and showcases a brilliantly realistic stand-off between a moose and a bear, depicting fight scenes that express a wider range of movement and emotion alongside impressive design, animation, rigging and groom.
The graphics here were important to nail down. Our production team used real-life movements of bears and moose in order to imitate the ones portrayed in the trailer. The groom effects contributed to the real-life-looking fur on the bear. The graphics contribute vastly to crafting this compelling narrative that the trailer suggests.
We’re excited to release our third and final minisode in the series in 2024—stay tuned for when it unveils.
You have some big-name investors and platforms backing the game, can you tell me some more about them and how they support the growth of BLOCKLORDS?
We are fortunate to be backed by incredible investors and some of the biggest names in gaming such as Korea-based Krafton, Square Enix, and Fun Plus. They have helped to guide us and enabled us to grow and reach greater heights and audiences. Without their support, we might not have reached our open beta stage as soon as we did. Some leading industry games took 10+ years to build. We’ve only been building BLOCKLORDS for two years and we hope to launch the full release of BLOCKLORDS, accompanied by a mobile version in 2025.
Thanks to the support and guidance of these investors, BLOCKLORDS is building something never-seen-before. Strategy Games are a franchise in need of a refreshment and BLOCKLORDS is ambitious enough to pair this with a dynamic online setting and reward players with a player owned economy that is confident enough to challenge the greats such as EVE Online.
What do you envision for the future of the gaming industry?
The growth of Web3 gaming this year has been exponential, with projects raising a total of $2.3 billion. As a result, I envision over half of the major publishers will most likely be involved in at least one Web3 project in 2024. The continuous development of Web3 gaming brings new meaning to players, enabling them to be directly involved in the games and narratives they choose to be a part of. Just as playing online and microtransactions became critical to gaming, enabling players to impact the trajectory of their character narrative, so too will Web3 gaming by introducing community input and the value of collaborative storytelling to ensure the longevity of a game.
Alongside this growth in Web3 gaming, I predict that in 2024 the first Web3 games will achieve a Daily Active User (DAU) of over 5 million. With gaming industry mainstays, like Microsoft and Sony, angling towards bringing blockchain to gaming consoles, there is potential that this is the step needed to bring blockchain to the mainstream. The gaming industry is ever-evolving, and with the introduction of new technologies, enhanced audio and graphics, there are always updates to be incorporated. As we continue to build BLOCKLORDS, I am always interested in how games like ours are also further developing. I have no doubt the future will continue to be action-packed.
Finally, what does the future look like for BLOCKLORDS?
We recently just released our Whitepaper, detailing all of the exciting launches and announcements to come over the next year such as Kingdom Wars, BLOCKLORDS mobile and so much more.
Longterm, we’re excited to continue growing and launch officially at the end of 2024. BLOCKLORDS will be available to the mainstream audience and with the upcoming launch of the game on mobile devices, BLOCKLORDS will be at the fingertips of anyone with a phone.
