Hello, Channel Netmarble Readers! We are back again with Netmarble Inside! Today we bring you an interview with 'Team SoulEve'. Many of you might not be familiar with the name.

Team SoulEve is currently working on 'Overprime'. Ever since the announcement at the latest NTP, Overprime has been drawing much attention. Its gorgeous graphics and its coming to PC and Console stand out from most of the titles we've been introduced to.

Before Overprime, there was a short-lived game from Epic Games named 'Paragon.' With passion and dedication, Team SoulEve started working on a game with the assets from Paragon. But the lack of human resources and expenses were weighing them down. This is when Netmarble extended a hand, allowing Team SoulEve to continue developing Overprime. 

In the end, gamers worldwide could meet Overprime via the first CBT. Being announced as one of the most anticipated titles in the 5th NTP, Overprime gives the impression that there are only a few steps to the launch. We have interviewed Team SoulEve regarding their journey with Overprime, and what their plans are next.   

# Netmarble and Team SoulEve

Unfortunately, developing a game with only love and passion isn't an easy task. In reality, there are many challenges, such as costs and lack of workforce. These are challenges that many small-scale development teams and developers face. Therefore, we were most curious about the positive changes the support of Netmarble brought to the development process. 

[PD Choi aka. ‘Ranger’]

Q. Please briefly introduce Team SoulEve. 

'Team SoulEve' began with developer 'RocketMania,' who created the Paragon-based game 'Overthrow,' and Prime X team coming together to make Overprime. Many of those looking forward to Overprime were players and fans of Paragon. 

Our top priority was to 'make it enjoyable for many users when developing Overprime. To this end, we put a lot of effort into improving game performance and securing servers so that the players could enjoy the game even on a low-spec PC. To increase accessibility, free-to-play, and support for various platforms are our strategy and development direction.

Q. There have been many games claiming to be Paragon's successor, but Overprime managed to draw the most attention. As an indie game development team, I heard you had hit the limit several times. We understand that Netmarble's help getting over that limitation was a big help.

As many of you will probably agree, making a game with a few people is hard work. The name 'Team SoulEve' was made from a promise 'let's put all our heart and soul into making this game until Christmas Eve, and if that doesn't work, we'll go our separate ways. We were so desperate that we were fundraising from our wallets at that time.

Netmarble F&C contacted us while we were working on Overprime development. They saw good in the direction as mentioned above and gameplay of Overprime, and decided to support us. This allowed our team to secure sufficient manpower and expenses for Overprime development. Thanks to this, our team was able to secure the funds and manpower to continue development. 

[If you want to know more about Team SoulEve that was on the brink of collapse]

When we first started developing Overprime, it was just 'Ranger,' 'RocketMania,' and a minimal number of people making the game. We have a sizeable team due to support from Netmarble F&C. We are moving forward based on a clear vision and direction, sharing interesting ideas, and joining forces with people from various backgrounds. We will strive to provide such quality content this way continuously.

# Efforts to become a "Popping Game"

Team SoulEve has emphasized their vision of making Overprime into 'a game enjoyable for many users. It isn't just something they hope for, but it is a genuine problem, something necessary for the game's long-running success. This is especially relevant with MOBA games such as Overprime where several people meet online to battle. The reason for Paragon's collapse can be attributed to a decreasing player base. So, what kind of efforts are Team SoulEve making to continue Paragon's legacy and become a long-running success at the same time?

Q. Overprime feels like a standard MOBA game. This is because, unlike existing MOBA genre games that removed or remodeled many elements of MOBA to lower the entry barrier, Overprime seems to contain all of that. Though some might say that various variables could add to the game's fun, some could feel that the game is too complicated, not to mention the exhaustion. We would like to hear what the dev team says about this.

Among the reviews of players who played the game, some stated that 'the game looks difficult because there are too many factors to care for. We are fully aware of this feedback, and we are trying our best to make Overprime feel less complicated. We are preparing and strengthening methods that can help players easily acquire the necessary information and communicate with their teammates in-game, like recommending items in the shop to give guidelines to the players.

[The most surefire way of collecting player feedback = gameplay] 

One more thing to note is that Overprime blends two familiar genres: MOBA and TPS. You have to fight enemy heroes and minions to destroy the enemy tower is intuitive. If you put down your fear of trying out new games, Overprime will be an easier and more enjoyable experience.

Q. In PVP games, veteran users' presence can also be an entry barrier for those newbies. Although Overprime itself is a brand new game, as a successor of Paragon, it is expected that there will be a skill gap between users who have played Paragon and those who have not. How do you plan to close the gap between such players? 

Users who have played the original or existing games are bound to have a high understanding of the game, and especially in PvP games, we are aware that this is directly related to their skills. The development team is also pondering a solution to this in many ways.

[Out-game Team Leader Seo]

As time passes after launch, a skill-based matching system will match players with similar skill levels. However, this is not the case at the beginning of the service. We are preparing tips for new users in and out of the game. Examples would include:

• Tutorial videos.
• An active community where users can exchange information.
• In-game elements such as skill range display.
• Voice chat for better communication.

Q. Is there any tip from the developer's point of view you want to give to new users who haven't experienced Paragon?

First, it's important to watch gameplay videos through YouTube or Twitch and learn the overall process of the game. And you should start by imitating the play of a veteran and find your style. The core of the MOBA genre is team play. You will have to gather your wits and cooperate with other players to win the game. Organizing a party in advance and practicing together will improve your skills quickly.

[In-game Team Leader Lee]

Q. Out of all the differences between Overprime and Paragon, I think the most visible part is the character's appearance. Tiana, Cynthia, and Valora seem to be refined into the faces commonly seen in Asian games. Including these changes, is there anything the dev team focused on throughout the character design?

The designers at Team SoulEve are East Asians, so this is often reflected in character appearances. (laughs)

[In-game Part Manager Park]

Paragon characters have great personalities and backgrounds. We plan to inherit the characters faithfully and develop them to be better. However, because many models were familiar to the Western eye, they had difficulties appealing to Asian users. You can see the efforts to supplement this part in the current appearances, especially in the characters coming from an Asian background.

We are preparing various skins that will give a new look to the heroes participating in the battles of Overprime. We are ultimately aiming to appease players globally. If I had to summarize it into a few keywords, it would be a reinterpretation, modern, global, and diverse.

[Attractive heroes of Overprime, with many more, are on their way!]

Q. Releasing the game on various platforms is a way of attracting many players. The game is set to be released on PC as well as consoles, and I wonder if there are plans to support cross-play.

As of now, there are, unfortunately, no plans for players to be able to play across platforms. It isn't all that hard to make this happen technologically. Still, we believe that it wouldn't be fair to match players playing with a keyboard and mouse against players using gamepads or joysticks due to differences in handling. 

[For fair play, Overprime will be only be released on PC initially]

# Tempering and beyond

Last January, players were finally able to play the much-awaited Overprime. Over two days, 57 thousand players from all over the globe participated in the first CBT. There must have been a lot of encouragement and support from players and heartfelt criticism. Based on that, we looked into what kind of preparations Team SoulEve is making and plans after release. 

[SoulEve Overprime Service Planning Team]

Q Reports say about 57,000 people participated in the first CBT. The proportions are 64% in Asia, 14% in Europe, and 18% in America. What did people think of the game?

Let me tell you something interesting about our latest CBT. Before the CBT, the Overprime Youtube channel and Discord accounted for about 98% of North American and European users, which contrasts with the first CBT, which had a high proportion of participants in Asia. There was an influx of Asian users, mainly from countries where marketing proved successful. Through this, we reaffirm the importance of marketing since more users would want longer game service. 

We are aware that localization, such as language support, must come first, and we plan to do just that in the future.

The game's overall rating varied throughout the regions, but the majority of the players enjoyed the game, and that was very encouraging. Apart from the relative score difference, the overall user satisfaction was very high. The feedback on the game was somewhat unified regardless of the region, and it gave Overprime a clear direction.

Q. What is the most memorable feedback or feedback you feel must be addressed most urgently from the last CBT? And what are some internal problems you must resolve before advancing further? 

[Team SoulEve is working hard to communicate with the users even now!]

We carefully reviewed the user feedback, and we were able to prioritize our to-do list. First of all, we think server stability is the highest priority due to the nature of online multiplayer-based team fighting games. Optimization is also essential as it allows more users to access and enjoy the game, even on a low-spec PC. Next up is creating a pleasant gameplay environment. This includes countermeasures against illegal program users or 'unmannered play' such as intentional breakout. We plan to establish a firm standard in advance to prevent such mishaps.

Last on our list. We are also planning to improve convenience in-game, care for new beginners, fix matchmaking errors, overall UI reorganization, tutorial reinforcement, and fun stuff.

[Team SoulEve uses various channels such as Trello or Discord to communicate with the users to get feedback actively. Overprime Community Trello capture]

Q. A pool of interesting characters is crucial in maintaining the success of a character-based multiplayer fighting game. Overprime inherits the characters from Paragon, but looking over the characters that have been introduced, we could see many characters never seen before in Paragon. We are curious about your plan on implementing Paragon characters to Overprime. In addition to that, we wonder what your views on adding original characters are.

We plan to add all characters that utilize the Paragon resources after giving them some tweaks. Paragon users will have fun comparing the changes we made to their familiar characters.

Original characters will be introduced alongside existing Paragon characters. As many of you may already know, the digital human 'Jena' is planned to join Overprime. Overprime's original character 'Adele' was introduced before 'Jena.' We plan to take the Paragon story beyond reinterpretation and branch out to create richer content.

[Adele, coming soon to Overprime]

As for the concrete character addition cycle, original characters will be added every three months and characters made from existing resources will be added every one month. As for the reason why there weren't that many characters during the CBT, to keep a good power balance while maintaining the fast-paced battle, well-constructed characters were selected accordingly from our character pool.

Q. We can't look over the 'free-to-play' aspect of the game. You mentioned that paid products would mainly be skins and emotes. Could you tell us the details of that?

All paid products will be cosmetic elements only and never affect your stats or skill. We don't aim to be number 1 in sales, and we want to see the users have fun.

Q. Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to players waiting for the game?

As mentioned earlier, we were players and fans of Paragon, just like many of the fans waiting to play Overprime. We aim to make a "game that many users can enjoy" rather than a "first-place sales game. We hope that you agree with our vision. We will try our best to meet your expectations for the rest of the development period.

[High-quality merch is prepared for the official release of <Overprime>. I just can't wait… for the game and the merch!!]

Find more about Overprime at

• Overprime official website: https://overprime.netmarble.com/en/ 
• Overprime Discord: https://discord.com/invite/yTn63c6qhR
• Overprime community Trello: https://trello.com/b/ReJuJQf6/overprime-community-trello
• Overprime Twitter: https://twitter.com/overprimegame
• Overprime Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/OverPrime
• Overprime Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OverPrime