Co-Optimus: If co-op IS included, what kind of support will we see? Local or Online? How many players do you expect to support?
American McGee: Co-op will be included, and since our Kickstarter appears to be on track for funding, I think we can hope for a "more quickly" version of getting it in there. In any case, no aspect of the game will be presented as "local." Co-op will always be online and will support between 2 and 4 players inside a party initially. Depending on demand we'll look to evolve and expand on that – it really just depends on what players are asking for. Our other online games support 8v8 matches in real-time, so the tech is there. It's more a question of world design and playability. Our sense is that tighter parties against more focused enemies will be more fun, but we'll look to player feedback after launch to see if that's really the case.
Co-Optimus: What sort of appeal is there to including co-op? Will players be able to perform certain special moves they weren't before, or is there some other draw? Better loot? Tougher/special enemies?
American McGee: It's certainly geared towards tougher enemies and areas, which will often result in better loot and overall mission rewards. After the initial functionality is added, we'll also look at delivering a series of co-op only missions built around the idea of raiding parties. Really it's just more fun to play together! Though we don't have fully functional co-op in the game just yet, we do have other social features and live chat – so we're seeing a social fabric evolve in and around the game as we speak.
Co-Optimus: If the game ends up on Android/iOS devices, will co-op be supported on those devices as well? Would players be able to use their characters on those devices (import from PC/Mac)?
American McGee: Yep! This is a really big deal for us, and it's something we think gamers should expect to start seeing more often. Our goal is to make it possible for you to play our games wherever you are – on mobile/tablets, via a web browser or using the client-download. And we'll make it possible for you to play across various platforms – be it Kongregate, Steam or our own gaming portal, SpicyWorld – with your friends on other platforms and devices, seamlessly. We've put a lot of effort into this technology with the hopes players will enjoy game access anywhere on anything!
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters is currently on Kickstarter with the campaign ending on February 2nd. As of the time of publishing they've received $155,000 of their goal of $200,000. It seems regardless of the outcome, co-op will be added to the game. It's just that if the Kickstarter succeeds we'll see it implemented more quickly. There's a lot of potential here - a cross platform co-op ARPG in a unique setting with consistent content updates. We'll definitely be keeping an eye on this one.
Thanks to American McGee for taking the time to chat with us about Akaneiro.