The MMO genre has seen the arrival of the beautiful game in recent times and Jeff Lyndon, VicePresident of China Operations for the soon to be launched Interzone Futball, sat down to answer a few questions about the upcoming title which is being initially released in Brazil.

So, Interzone Futebol: action orsimulation?

It’s both. It’s a fair question though because in the past, sports games have always been either Action or Simulation. However, in real life it isn’t that clear cut. Football is a sportthat requires a strategy behind your actions. Interzone Futebol is you playing real futebol on pitch (the playing field) moving and thinking like an actual professional player.

What kind of control can we expect? Something like fifa/PES or point and click like in Empire of sports?

Again, both. We don’t want the interface to be a barrier so we are making sure that you can use the method youare most comfortable with. We also allow you a good deal of customization. So you can use your standard PC method or your favorite analog gamepad.

How are you going to manage 22 players on the field?

Interzone Futebol is a real futebol game where you play your character and every other player on pitch is another real live person. In our game you are actually playing futebol and not some hybrid game where you are the brain of the whole team switching from characterto character.

How does your character progress through the game? Any class to choose?

Characters earn experience from playing futebol and get training points. These points are used to unlock additional moves, abilities, and techniques. There aren’t classes any levels in our game (so sorry for the grinders). Instead of “levels” you have a proficiency in each of the positions on field. So in essence, your character builds up just likethe real world. Practice makes perfect. The more you play at a certain position, the better you become.

Can we expect team management? Will it be possible to play the rôle of trainer / manager?

Yes you can expect that to happen at the post launch period. We are already developing this feature.

Any gameplay other then 11v11 match? Like Street soccer, duels? Any quest or storyline?

At the moment, there is 11-a-sideand 5-a-side. More game play will be added shortly as we progress. As for storyline, we want our players to create their own experience and story. We are merely creating a large stage for them to do so.

Do you expect international competitions?

That is something for sure when wehave multiple markets!

Did you get any FIFA official licences?

In terms of game play we arefollowing as much of the FIFA rule set as possible. We even have a few retired national football players in our Design and QA departments to help make sure that everything is done right.

Any other activities in-game that don't have a connection to soccer?

Yes, although the world is centered on futebol we want players to be able to enjoy the game world even if they don’t play futebol. Most features will link back to futebol in some way, but you can just be a fan and enjoy yourself in the social world without ever entering a stadium.

What are the MMO aspects of your game? A persistant universe, character?

Interzone Futebol is a full multiplayer online game with persistent characters, progression and a full 3D world for you to explore. Outside the stadium you’ll find dance clubs, cafes, and shops to explore and have fun in. We are even putting lots of little secrets things for you to discover as you explore and party in the beach side neighborhood of Ipanema.

How much will you be able to customise your character?

You have the standard character customization found in other games where you can chose your gender, face, hair,skin tone, etc. We also have piles andpiles of clothing options you can use to make your character stand out on thebeaches of Rio.

Any housing?

Player housing is something we arecurrently working and it will be available after launch.

What kind of social network will you develop for Interzone Futebol?

It’s a social game and you will be able to meet up with friends and make new ones. We expect the serious players to put together their team before entering into match making to make sure they have the right people in the right positions.

What will be the business model for Interzone Futebol? F2P ou P2P?

Interzone Futebol is Free to Playwith optional purchases of items and other things on the web store.

Any release date? Or a date forBeta?

We plan to release the game at Brazilin Portuguese at the end of the year. The game is currently in closed Alpha andwill be going into Beta very soon.

Why did you choose to release the game in Portuguese first and how much time will we need to wait to get aninternational version?

Brazil is THE place for futebol. It’s a young emerging market and it is hungry for this type of game. It’s a good place to let the game breathe and find its legs. We want it to be a serious Futebol game and we are sure the Brazilians will put it through its paces. An International version won’t be too far behind the Brazilian release so the rest of you won’thave to suffer too much longer.

Players can visit www.interzonefutebol.com to for the latest news.

Thanks to our French partner site Mondes Persistants for conducting the interview.