Ten Ton Hamster

Please tell us what you do on the FusionFall team as Lead Designer.

I am primarily responsible for the game play design as well as working with the other members of the design team on the world setting, stories, and world building. There is also a team of seven designers at Grigon (FusionFall's Korean Development Partner) that I work closely with, directing them on system design, balancing and world building.

Can you tell us, in your own words, what is FusionFall?

FusionFall is Cartoon Network's first massively multiplayer online game. We have created a world where many of the CN characters live, work and play together. The Powerpuff Girls' house and Pokey Oaks are down the street from Sector V. The Cul-de-Sac is just a stone's throw from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.

The world is being invaded by a massive living planet called Planet Fusion, which is trying to absorb the CN world into itself, and the player experience is grounded in the fight against that threat.

Will players be able to play as the PowerPuff Girls or Ben 10?

We wanted players to really connect with the Cartoon Network characters, but we couldn't have them become one of those characters, because it made no sense to have 500 Ben 10's walking around this shared world. That's why we came up with the Nano system. Now you can play with the Cartoon Network characters right there with you and still have it make sense. So, instead of having an avatar that's an existing CN character, players get to create their own unique character that blends into this world with their favorite characters in a very natural way.

How is FusionFall different from other online games out there?

The biggest difference is that we are combining two play styles: platform gaming with RPGs. That hasn't been done before in an MMO and it's really exciting. The setting and environments of FusionFall have a lot of depth and richness that many MMOs are lacking, and it's a world that's based in existing cartoon mythology, rather than being an unfamiliar fantasy world.

Is there going to be any Player vs. Player game play in FusionFall?

Not at the start. We are considering some form of a challenge system, where you and some friends can fight each other in ranked battles. But the system isn't finalized so you probably won't see that when we launch the game.

What is one thing that people should know about the game that they probably don't right now?