How, after eight years, the Dragon Mania Legends crew manages to stay innovative

It's hard to find anything that lasts for two years, much less eight, given the abundance of mobile games accessible these days. But that's exactly what the developers at Gameloft Budapest have done. This January marks the eighth birthday of Dragon Mania Legends, a primo simulator for training dragons. The game keeps getting bigger and more players every month because of its adorable creatures and constant stream of exciting events.

In order to commemorate the milestone, we had the opportunity to speak with Gabor Megellai (Megsz), Lead Designer at Gameloft, and Game Producer Botond Szalacsi about their fire-breathing game. We covered a wide range of topics, from how to balance a game that has been out for years to the team's personal favourites, the winged terrors (we say terrors because some of these dragons are so adorable), to everything in between.

Now that we have cleared that up, let's get right into our Dragon Mania Legends interview.

{main_label:web_name}: With eight years of live support, a game has seen a lot of updates. Could you tell us which updates have been the most noteworthy? Which ones make you the proudest, then?Botond: We've had so many amazing events and features throughout the years, so this is a difficult issue to answer. Perhaps I could talk about how our clan system, which wasn't there when the game originally came out, was introduced or how we had our first major event with Greek mythology-inspired Divine dragons. On this one, the whole crew worked very hard as we delved deeply into Greek cultural components. It was incredible to see what the community had to say about this release!Megsz: While the Divine mega-event is something I would also want to bring up in an update, my personal fave is still the Egyptian one. It was intriguing to combine old Egyptian symbols with Scandinavian features that were originally included into the game, which were influenced by Viking culture. The story was excellent, and it was thrilling to go further and deeper into an Egyptian tomb as the event went on.

Apart from that, I generally like working on updating the game's classic components.

Could you describe how new dragons are added to the game? (In terms of composition, harmony, or basically anything at all!)Botond: Naturally. Considering that Dragolandia will soon welcome its 1,000th dragon, you can probably expect the crew to find inspiration in almost everything. So far, we've featured dragons that were inspired by animals or stars, but even something as simple as a hamburger for lunch might inspire humorous thoughts.

In addition to our artists, our community also often produces incredible fan art, which frequently lands in front of our 2D guys as suggestions.

Megsz: Though we produce dragons for significant real-life events that determine their artistic direction (such as Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, or Christmas), we like brainstorming story ideas since it allows us to produce something fresh.

Our limited-time mega-events are launching distinct narratives centred on a certain aspect, therefore establishing the visual identity of the next dragons. (Recall the divine happenings influenced by ancient civilizations that we already stated.)

Fortunately, we also got the chance to collaborate with a large number of influencers and businesses, transforming their logos into dragons for Dragon Mania Legends.

Since dragons are among the mythological creatures that occur in entertainment the most often, how did you go about developing a game with a dragon theme that distinguishes out from the competition?Botond: Our objective was to create a game where players could engage in adventures on the campaign map, take their dragons into combat, and interact with them in their habitats in addition to collecting and levelling up their dragons. Our goal was to design a direction that is visually striking and timeless.Megsz: Dragons are often odd, malevolent, otherworldly creatures seen in role-playing games. My goal in creating Dragon Mania was to create distinctive, endearing, and intelligent animals that our gamers could befriend.What factors do you believe have contributed to Dragon Mania Legends' success over the last eight years?Botond: Creating a very involved and dedicated community is one of the main reasons Dragon Mania Legends has endured. Their excitement keeps us going as the team consistently creates fresh material. We think the game is still visually attractive for new players, which sets it apart from the many rivals that have also been on the market for over ten years.What did Dragon Mania Legends set out to do in the first place? And now, eight years later, how different are they?Botond: We originally intended to make a game where players could battle and plan with their dragon squads in addition to the standard collecting feature. Since then, nothing fundamental has changed in this.Megsz: These days, I want to focus more on three things: the leaner UX, the accessible features, and the social experience. These are the things we are presently working on.Which Dragons are your personal favourites, and why, out of all the ones that are available?Megsz: The Black Hole is perhaps the most exquisite of all.Botond: Bamboo, look at the panda cub on his back! I won't say much more; the Holly dragon is captivating while being really ugly.How much has the eight years of playtime in Dragon Mania Legends shaped the game's future?Botond: We didn't have the opportunity to collaborate with a community this involved prior to DML. Even if some of the suggestions made by our players may appear absurd at first, we are able to compile insightful data that may lead to innovative improvements.

We have a group of dedicated players who are as knowledgeable about the game's economics and strategical methods as our designers are. They consistently provide input that keeps us improving.

Megsz: Even if we sometimes get unkind remarks, I would argue that the insights provided by our participants are what really define the structures of the events. This enables us to make changes that have the potential to influence public opinion. As an example, we are incorporating feedback from our newly launched Tyrant event into future updates by converting it into action items.In eight more years, where do you envision Dragon Mania Legends?Botond: As a game that can stay loyal to its roots while yet meeting the then-current market standards for features and outlook.Megsz: I can see a game where there are more social contact chances.How much has your approach to Dragon Mania Legends' ongoing development been impacted by the way mobile gaming has evolved over the last eight years?Botond: This is a continual problem for us since there are aspects of the game that we must drastically update in terms of both content and features in order to take into account current developments in the mobile gaming industry.Megsz: In the mobile gaming industry, trends come and go all the time. It's a significant accomplishment for DML to have maintained its fundamental functionality since its launch eight years ago.

I would want to draw attention to the fact that player interaction and the sense of community are now much more prominent, and we aim to further enhance this inside the game's ecology.

We at SmartRead are excited to see what Dragon Mania Legends has in store for the future. If you haven't downloaded the game yet, visit the official website to get a link appropriate for your device. Check out our listings of the top mobile games best mobile games) and mobile role-playing games best mobile RPGs) while you wait.