On January 15, 2012, just after the release of SWTOR, I had the chance to talk to the spanish community team. 12 months later, a lot of things have changed with the departure of the 4 Musketeers (Charlotte, François, Najat and Corentin), Antonio comes back with us on this eventful year.
Antonio's office with lots of posters and fan drawings
Hello Antonio! We are happy to be able to talk to you again. So there you have it, it's been 1 year, what do you remember from this eventful year?
Hello Charlotte!
The pleasure is mine. Indeed, 1 year already. Time flies at an incredible speed! However, as far as I'm concerned, the start of the Star Wars: The Old Republic experience dates back to 2010. I worked as a Community Manager (although the title has a whole different meaning for every video game company) and I was mainly dealing with forums and player feedback for 6 months. Then I left for 1 year and in July 2011 Stephen Reid recruited me when he was preparing his European Community team. I was the very first member of the team in Europe and with Chris Collins we recruited the others you know.
Now ask myself what I take away from this eventful year… difficult question. It is an unforgettable and grandiose experience. Lots of emotions, conventions, trips, a passionate community and interesting encounters. I have learned many things during this year and I am grateful to all the people who have been there to teach me all of this.
The launch of the game was an incredible moment. Adrenaline, excitement, impatience, etc. A tornado of strong emotions and the big boom! A satisfaction followed and a lot of work! I thought the preparation was tough… haha once the game was released that's where it got tough. Many sleepless nights of work. Calls at 3 a.m., because something like that doesn't work, or because he had to take care of something in particular and I was on-call. Unforgettable !
The Guild Summit in Austin was also fantastic. We have worked hard to set up such an event. Very happy to have had the spanish-speaking community on the spot, moreover we had a good discussion with Emmanuel Lusinchi, then other adventures that I will not mention here. Rest assured, nothing inappropriate!
Other events and meetings with the community (Paris Games Week, Eurogames, Fan Summit, etc…).
I certainly do. I would just say that what I take away is a great professional, community, social and life experience!
All of the team's stress balls confiscated!
What if there was one thing to forget?
Of course all the moments that didn’t please anyone. Please note, I am not referring to any particular event.
Don't you miss Corentin, Charlotte, François and Najat too much? Who is in their desks now?
Of course I miss them! These 4 musketeers are rare gems and I am proud to have recruited them into my team. A clever mix of personalities and skills. In short, a concrete team. But you know what it is, we take them to the cradle, we feed them, we educate them and one day… they fly on their own. Seriously, they're all very good and it's a shame the team isn't together anymore. It is life as some would say. But it's true, everyone follows their own path. They all have a bright future ahead of them. No doubt about it and they know that if they need me, I'm here!
François and Najat are still at EA where they work with Chris Collins on other projects. I see them every day and have not moved from their desks. Charlotte and Corentin follow slightly different paths, but just as interesting. Corentin's office turned into a communication platform with the studio for a while. Then it is now a position where some people relax on games during their breaks. Charlotte's office… it's the same, but with the difference that there is a post-it note that she wrote: “Charlotte was here”.
On the left, the offices of Najat and François
(yes, they are still there even if they are working on something else)
On the right, the former offices of François and Charlotte. Basically the super relaxing sofa!
How do you manage the task, now that you are the only one representing the FR community?
I am not really alone. I'm the only one from Studio BioWare. On the other hand, there is EA Spain with Alexandre and his boss who do a remarkable job and who support the community with passion and fervor! They love the project and the players just as much as I do. Beside that, there are secret agents on the forums who take care of moderating or answering questions on the Customer Service forum. You most certainly know the famous Laevena.
I must admit that some days it is difficult to reply to all my messages (e-mail, pm on forums, community e-mails, meetings and calls). And that's where I say to myself, if I were several it would be so much easier. ?
What you are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much, so much that you don't see, that the team is doing, that I do. I think the challenge is to see what we can do by focusing on the most interesting things with the hours we have in a day. It's a special organization every day!
Next to Antonio, Lars' office, the German CM!
A Torchlight II rug, when Antonio was at PerfectWorld.
What is your typical day like?
This is a question that I could answer more easily a few months ago. At present, no day is alike. They vary according to the tasks, the meetings, the things to be done quite simply. All classified by priority otherwise I do not get out of it. I'm still a human being and I have times when I need to take a bit off the hook, just as passionate as I am about Star Wars.
What impact has f2p had on your work?
No more work ! * laughs *
On the left, a great diagram on the stereotypes of European languages
(here in better quality)
On the right, success: people think it looks like this ...
while it actually looks like this
According to you, is the community still so enthusiastic?
Yes. Beyond the numbers which are good, I mainly talk about what I can read on the forums or directly in the game. People love the game and want to provide as much feedback as possible (however they do it) for improve it and make the TOR gaming experience even more fun! It can take a long time to read it all, and I wonder if I might ever need glasses from reading all the player reviews.
Some players regret the update slots… Is it no longer relevant to postpone them for Europe?
A hell of a battle for Chris Collins and myself for many months to come. Finally, we evaluated all the data at our disposal and we realized that the current niche is, however we say, the least restrictive for all the communities. Note that for Oceania it is also a question that the players ask us. Anyway, if we have to revisit this, we will, but I doubt we have to. After all, it's a good opportunity to get ready in the morning and go get some croissants and pain au chocolat! (Ireland)
Did he have to be on a chair to make this one?
Did you find the time to build a level 50 character?
Yes, a beautiful chiss specialist bounty hunter! She's classy, she's badass, and she has a partner Jawa. What could be better ? I have other alts but no 50 so far. I'm more of the type to focus on a character in an MMO. I will be riding my Shadow Jedi Consular 50 soon though to play with my companion in PvP!
Still cocktails despite an Irish year?
Oh yes, cocktail forever! However, I have discovered new excellent beers and I must admit that my taste has refined. I can't drink some standard quality beers now. The Irish know it well. Hey! You make me talk about alcohol, isn't it all a bit illegal? ; )
Lots of posters and drawings of Neitsabes.
We will notice the drawing with the trace of lipstick at the top!
To be consumed in moderation, of course. A word for the end ?
Ah not this question again… Ah yes I know! Happy first year on SWTOR to the whole community !! It is a pleasure to continue this adventure with all of you and we are not about to stop!
Thank you so much ! We follow the team and the game with as much pleasure as ever. See you soon !
Likewise, thank you to you and happy holidays to your team and the SWTOR community! See you soon !
If you have other questions, do not hesitate to post them in the comments, Antonio will be happy to answer them!
