Recently we were given the opportunity to sit down with Nicole "Awen" Hamlett, Community Manager for Jumpgate Evolution to talk about the games past, present and future. During the Interview we touched on PvP, the differences between the three playable nations as well as the ins & outs of character progression.

Allakhazam: Hello Nicole! Thank you for sitting down with us to talk about Jumpgate Evolution. The game looks absolutely amazing!

Nicole Hamlett: Thank you! The team is working very hard to ensure that not only does it look gorgeous, but that it also functions well. I'm glad that you like what you see so far. I definitely can't wait for all of you to get into the game and see more.

Allakhazam: Jumpgate has long been an innovator for space-themed MMOs. Can you give us some background information about the franchise?

Jumpgate Evolution (JGE) is a space science fiction MMO being developed by Netdevil and published by Codemasters. At the recent Leipzig Game Convention I got a chance to see the game with Producer Michael Rowland and Marketing Manager Grace Wong, and it was truly amazing!

My first confusion was cleared up when they mentioned that this is not an expansion of the original Jumpgate MMO and while it's set in the same world but further down the timeline, it really is its own game. The story has taken more of a streamlined interest to players who'll be populating the world as pilots, and for those familiar with games such as Elite and Privateer, you won't be sorry you checked this title out.

With action/twitch based real time combat, the universe is yours for the exploring, killing, scouting, and many other path options that are available via the license program. You see, every character will be a pilot, but in order to differentiate yourself from your fellow players you'll be able to specialize in certain areas.

Basic item use is granted with little to no experience in the licensed area but using more powerful items and equipment is given only to those who've progressed through their area of expertise and proven themselves worthy of handling the responsibility. To further these pursuits players will be given licenses in their specialized area(s), though how many areas one can specialize in has not been talked about yet.