Epic Games’ Paragon may no longer be around, but in its absence, Netmarble has picked up and done something different with the IP. Paragon: The Overprime has been available in early access for a while, and after having spent that duration polishing and expanding its MOBA offerings, it’s now also ready to make its way to consoles with an upcoming PS5 version. To learn more about its console release, the biggest improvements and updates the game has made so far, and what we can expect from it in the coming months, we recently reached out to its developers with a few of our questions. Below, you can read our interview with Project Director Yong Hoon Choi.
"Team SoulEve, the development team behind Paragon: The Overprime, was initially comprised of players from the original Paragon IP who have been following the game with a passion from its beginning through to its present – now called Paragon: The Overprime."
What was behind the idea to develop a new MOBA based on the Paragon IP? What sort of work went in behind-the-scenes to ensure you were creating an experience that felt true to the IP it’s based on?
Team SoulEve, the development team behind Paragon: The Overprime, was initially comprised of players from the original Paragon IP who have been following the game with a passion from its beginning through to its present – now called Paragon: The Overprime. When Epic Games’ Paragon was shut down, the original members of Team SoulEve banded together to rebuild Paragon, and development accelerated when the team joined Netmarble F&C. In addition, the development team set a goal to improve the sense of speed during battles and the feeling of impact in physical effects, and I think it is reflected well at the moment. Also, one of the most important points is that we are constantly researching and developing heroes to revitalize the personalities of the heroes created from the original.
Paragon: The Overprime has been in early access for a few months now. What are some of the biggest ways the game has benefited from this period until now?
I think the biggest benefit is the feedback and insights from the players that are hard to obtain during development. This helped us to identify the aspects we were missing and lacked, and from there, we were able to focus on improving the game. Now, based on the feedback from many players, we are constantly focusing on improving the basic game fun in terms of playability, content, convenience, and more.
During its early access period, Paragon: The Overprime has received some criticism for its technical and connectivity issues. How are you looking to address those, and what should players expect from the game’s PS5 version on that front?
Since the launch of Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store, we’ve noticed that players in certain countries have had difficulty connecting to servers. As we found a certain level of solution, we’re working to resolve this issue and expect to see a gradual improvement. In addition, we’ve experienced some intermittent login issues, which have been greatly improved. Through the PS5 version, and by utilizing DualSense, 3D audio, and more, players can enjoy a more immersive gaming experience. We believe these features can give players real-battlefield atmosphere while they engage in the battle compared to other platforms.
"Through the PS5 version, and by utilizing DualSense, 3D audio, and more, players can enjoy a more immersive gaming experience. We believe these features can give players real-battlefield atmosphere while they engage in the battle compared to other platforms."
How will the game’s PS5 port utilize the DualSense’s unique features?
In the early stages of development, we used to overdo it a bit to emphasize the DualSense functionality, but we’ve gradually closed the gap with players and are now finding a compromise that’s more functional but not out of touch. At the time of release, we’re aiming to have announcements delivered to the pad, haptic feedback on enemy encounters, and triggers linked to various characters’ skills.
How will support for PS5’s 3D audio improve the experience in Paragon: The Overprime?
Paragon: The Overprime is a game with quality sound play, and it plays a big role when it comes to TPS/FPS games. As strategic/tactical decisions and positioning in battle play an important role in the gameplay, we are maximizing the sound play experience through 3D audio on the PS5. By maximizing PS5’s strong features, we believe it will create a more immersive game experience.
What are your plans from this point forward in terms of adding new content to the game? What’s the process like of ensuring that doesn’t come at the cost of optimizing the game and addressing feedback from players?
One of the major content additions coming soon is the Hero-Mastery system. The Mastery System will allow players to increase the skill level of their Heroes, and once they reach a certain level of Mastery, players will be able to experience their lore stories. In the early stages of Early Access, we focused on improving content development/retention, but now we’re focusing more on polishing to provide an optimal game experience for the upcoming full release and PS5 launch. In addition, we are actively listening to players’ valuable feedback on usability and gameplay improvements and investing time and development support to implement them.
Can you tell us roughly what your roadmap for the coming months looks like in terms of future beta tests? How long will the game remain in early access before launching in full for all platforms?
After the CBT ends, we’ll do a final check for improvements, and then we’ll release the game on both PC / console platforms.
"In the early stages of Early Access, we focused on improving content development/retention, but now we’re focusing more on polishing to provide an optimal game experience for the upcoming full release and PS5 launch."
Are you using the PS5’s SSD in any way to improve the experience for console players?
Because of the nature of our game, we need to load all the necessary elements of the game at once before you can play, but when loading content from the PS5’s SSD, the loading time is shorter, so you’ll experience faster loading when you move from the lobby to in-game.
What resolution and fps does the game run on the PS5?
We’re aiming for 1080p 60hz, but we’ve been working on performance improvements internally lately, so we’re expecting higher specs at the release.
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