Flagship Studios Interview

Behind the Veil has conducted an interview with Flagship Studios' Bill Roper, asking the ex-Blizzarder several questions about his game development history and future. An excerpt:
Q: Fast-forward to Warcraft III, which was created under a fully developed company. What was different than ten years earlier?

A: The biggest difference was probably the ability to support the game, which was AMAZINGLY grander in scope and functionality than the original Warcraft, on a global level. The amount of dedication to purpose and logistics it takes to launch a game worldwide on a specific date is difficult to describe. It takes a coordinated team of marketing, PR and sales people working in tandem with the developers to pull off, and it was something pretty amazing to be a part of.

Also, the maturity of the company as a development studio was very different. There were so many elements of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans that were, back then, new and unknown. By the time Warcraft III rolled around, the team had been through and refined aspects of the process so well that issues that had once taken weeks to solve now only took days or hours. That is something that experience gives a team - the ability to get through potentially sticky development situations in short order.