This is a Game Dev Podcast, today with my guest Benjamin Zuckerer from Cip Soft, the creators of Tibia, an MMO that has been under continuous operation and development for over 30 years. This is an entertaining and educational look behind the curtain of how to make and run online games that last for decades.

Links to my Guest

➤ Wishlist Persist Online on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2082980/Persist_Online/

➤ Play Tibia Online: https://www.tibia.com/mmorpg/free-multiplayer-online-role-playing-game.php

➤ Jobs at Cip Soft, Germany: https://www.cipsoft.com/de/karriere/stellenangebote

0:00 - Intro

1:02 - The Origins of Tibia (1995)

3:04 - Pioneering the 'GMUD' Genre

4:25 - Tibia's Place in Early MMO History

5:37 - Surviving the Dot-Com Bubble

8:43 - Inventing the Freemium Model

10:44 - The Story Behind the Name 'CipSoft'

12:32 - Development Before Modern Tools

13:48 - Company Growth & Evolving Roles

15:21 - The First Mobile MMORPG & Launch Strategy

17:29 - Joining the Games Industry

19:13 - The Role of a Product Manager

22:58 - The 'Duping' Problem in MMOs

28:25 - Team Culture & Security Threats

32:50 - Single Player vs. Online Game Development

37:28 - Why There Is No Tibia 2

42:26 - The Struggle for a Second Hit

47:08 - The Birth of 'Persist Online'

51:12 - From Manager to Maker and Back

53:43 - Building the 'Persist Online' Team

57:09 - Prototyping & Co-Developing With the Community

1:01:45 - How to Listen to Your Players

1:07:21 - The Early Access Development Model

1:11:00 - The Economics of Free-to-Play

1:17:49 - Ethical Monetization

1:23:38 - CipSoft & Persist Online Today

1:27:53 - 20% Time: Fostering Innovation

1:31:04 - Testing 'Persist Online' (Pre-Alpha)

1:35:45 - The Challenges of Launching on Steam

1:45:28 - 'Persist Online's' Steam Release Strategy

1:53:57 - Advice for Indie Online Game Developers

2:02:13 - The Exponential Cost of Making Online Games

2:11:14 - Why Make Online Games? The Service Model

2:17:17 - Engaging Players with a Limited Scope

2:22:13 - Outro & Final Advice

My game "Thronefall":

➤ Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239150/Thronefall/

➤ Discord: https://discord.gg/gVYctptyg8

➤ Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Thronefall-2669627.html#Overview

My game "Will You Snail":

➤ Play Will You Snail on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1115050/Will_You_Snail/

➤ Join the Will You Snail Discord: https://discord.gg/G3mRDrK

For the game developers among you:

➤ Join our creative game dev community on Discord: https://discord.gg/Ye6zzfQ