MMOsite.com: This is the first time that we have had the opportunity to sit down together, thank you for your time. So to start, would you mind introducing yourselves and your team to our audience?

Travis: Hi there! My name is Travis Baldree, and I?m the Project Director for Mythos. You are also speaking to Max Schaefer, Executive Producer of Mythos. We have a fantastic team of 10 here in Flagship Seattle working on Mythos.

MMOsite.com: When and why did you decide to make Mythos? I found that Diablo and Mythos are strikingly similar. Diablo is a masterpiece of RPG games. Don?t you think it?s a big challenge?

Travis: The Mythos project began in an interesting way. My friend Phil Shenk (the Art Director at Flagship) and I had been wanting to do a little project together, and by chance, Flagship came upon the idea of doing a small network test game for Hellgate: London, to prove out the networking back-end and pave the way for a smooth Hellgate release. One thing led to another, and the Mythos project was born. Given the history of the founders of Flagship Studios, making a Diablo-style game isn?t really a great surprise - but making one that players can experience for free is.  It is certainly a great challenge to live up to the legacy of Diablo, and we hope that with continued effort and constant support and feature additions, we can do so.
 
Max: As soon as we started working with Travis and his team things worked out really well so the natural next step was to expand our plans for Mythos considerably. We have most of the core Diablo team working at Flagship Studios - I think 17 of them at last count. We realize living up to the Diablo series is a huge challenge, but who better to do it?

MMOsite.com: How would you compare Mythos to Diablo? There?re rampant rumors that Blizzard will make Diablo 3. Do you think it will have any negative influence on Mythos if it?s true? In your opinion, what will Diablo 3 be like?

Travis: I don?t have any real insider knowledge about Diablo 3, its existence or the form it will take.  In gameplay style, Mythos is very obviously a game in the Diablo mold, with fast action, fully mouse-based play, and battles against hordes of enemies, rather than one or two.  If and when Diablo 3 is released, I like to think there?s plenty of room left for Mythos as well, as a game that is lighter in tone, free to download and play, and constantly supplemented with new content. You won?t have to make a decision at the counter about which one to buy, that?s for certain!

Max: Mythos borrows the same easy, point and click sensibilities of Diablo and Fate, but blends them into a world with MMO elements closer to WoW or Guild Wars. The Diablo universe is more intense, darker, and more brooding. All of us are very anxious for Blizzard to announce they are making Diablo 3, as we all want to play it! Blizzard does everything first-rate, so if they do it, it will be awesome. We always feel that the more great games there are, the better it is for all of us.