Kabam digs into The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle Earth Interview

Gameplay in The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle Earth is split into several components. Players must build a city and take advantage of the surrounding farmland to generate resources and income. They must then raise an army and take the battle to the other players who populate the persistent game world in an attempt to assert their dominance over as much of the map as possible. Combat is asynchronous, with results calculated according to the relative strength of both players’ armies and defensive capabilities. The user is protected from attack by other players for a week or until they reach a particular level boundary, at which point other players may assault their cities at any time. Suffering an attack means that the player may lose some of their resources, so it is important for players to build up their defenses.
Social features for the game include a real-time chat facility that enables players to converse with one another in real-time. There is also an in-game mail system that allows players to exchange longer private messages with one another. This is also used to deliver game news to players. After constructing an Embassy building, users are also able to create and join “Alliances” in order to play together, support one another and cooperate. The game uses its own proprietary network and “Kabam ID” login, though the player is not required to use the same username for The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle Earth as they may have done in the developer’s other games.
Social and mobile strategy game maker Kabam has been on a tear when it comes to brands, first with a game based around the iconic mobster flick The Godfather. Now, the developer has two games in the works centered around The Hobbit, the epic film trilogy by Peter Jackson covering the classic fantasy novel of the same name.
But other than the fact that it exists, we knew little to nothing about The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth for mobile devices. Until now. Kabam executive producer Matt Curtis sat down with us recently to give a better idea of what to expect from the iOS and Android game when it launches this fall.
How exactly will The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth be different from, say, Gems for Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North?
Kabam worked closely with Warner Bros. to ensure we're delivering an experience that's true to the trilogy of films. In fact, the game will continue to evolve over the coming years as the second and third movies are released, with new characters, content and fiction being introduced. We wanted to help players interact with the world of Middle-earth in an all-new way.
How will the real-time communication and guild forming work, and will this real-time communication extend to combat as well?
Like all Kabam games, teamwork and competition are central to The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth. To be more competitive, players can create or join alliances with other gamers to accelerate their progress. The game features a chat and mail system that allows players to communicate in real-time, developing strategy, planning attacks – or just being social. Alliances add a sense of urgency and teamwork that helps keep the game fresh, unexpected and exciting.
What can players look forward to in terms of units from each faction, or how will each faction differentiate beyond looks and style?
The first things players do in the game is choose a side: Elves or Dwarves. Each faction has totally unique art, faction-specific story elements and special surprises. The factions also utilize different units that are true to the fiction. For instance, Elves have archers and Ents while Dwarves have boar riders and siege weapons like catapults.
Given the increased focus on hero units, how will those factor into combat and other elements of the game?
Heroes are paramount to the overall strategy in the game and can be thought of as building blocks to building a powerful kingdom. These key characters are figure heads as they help increase city productivity and lead the player's troops into combat.
Gallery: The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth on iOS and Android
In what ways will TH:KOE support that mobile gamer lifestyle, or just shorter sessions of play?
The game-play in The Hobbit Mithril is conducive to the shorter play sessions we see in the current mobile market. We've learned a lot from Arcane Empires and Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North that has gone into refining the mobile experience for The Hobbit. Everything from the design of the user interface and session length to the ability to play the game with one hand and our use of push notifications was designed to give players a great mobile experience.