For as long as we’ve been dreaming about magic being real, the fantasy-minded among us have also dreamed of attending some sort of mystical school that teaches us all the tools of the trade so we can fling fireballs at our foes and levitate items with a flick of the wrist.
And KingsIsle Entertainment’s Wizard101 allows you to do just that – and like magic itself, the game has a history longer than you might think. The game first launched back in September 2008, which itself feels like a distant, mystical land 14 years later, and has continued to grow and nurture a dedicated community of players.
The game’s continued success is just as exciting to the developers as it is to the community that still plays it. Jeff Toney, Wizard101’s Principal Artist who’s been with KingsIsle since 2005, had his initial expectations blown out of the water, telling us that “you always hope for a great reception to any game you make, but this has surpassed my wildest dreams. I love the worlds of Wizard101 and they keep on being more goofy and fun, so it’s always great to develop art for them.”
Leah Ruben, the Senior Studio Director on Wizard101, is similarly ecstatic. “I remember sitting around in a pre-launch meeting thinking how cool it would be if we got 100,000 people to play the game,” she says. “Now we’re here, almost 60 million accounts who have played the game over the years, having some of our best years as a ‘teenager’ – it’s unreal and I’m beyond proud to be part of it!”
But how do you keep a community active for so long? Wizard101 receives three major updates a year, some of which have made significant changes to the game. For Russ Hughes, Cinematics Art Lead and another member of the team who’s been around since 2005, the biggest change was a major graphical overhaul. “Characters’ faces now have more expression, spells have more effects, and more immersive scenes and environments have more detail,” he says. “We weren’t totally sure how it would be received, but now I will go back and play the old school world, and I’m just so glad we started making updates.”
Other members of the team are more excited about increasing the difficulty of the game for veteran players. Creative Design Lead Sam Johnson is particularly interested in “incorporating more hardcore gameplay”, such as Raids, the Beastmoon Hunts, and Deckathalons.
But the game is still accessible to new players as well. Cheryl Starcher, Lead Engineer at KingsIsle Entertainment since 2006, tells us that “the game starts simple so that it’s accessible to new players, but as you level-up you can experience more depth as the team added more complexity to the game over the years. We try to protect the new-player experience so you can still experience the same game from 15 years ago at the beginning, but then you will be more challenged as you progress.”
Whether you’re completely new to Wizard101 or are returning after an extended break, there’s plenty to get stuck into on your magical journey. Wizard101 is available for free, with memberships available to see all the game has to offer – try it for yourself today.