MMORPG.com: How do you feel about the developing classes in the Warhammer Online world? New elements like the Chaos Zealot, really add a new idea to classic Chaos designs. How does Games Workshop view an addition like the Zealot?

Erik Mogensen: We love it. Remember, EA Mythic (must remember, must remember...) aren't working in isolation here. They don't have to get things past us, we're working together to flesh out the Warhammer World. Myself and Alan Merrett our IP Manager (he's the man who ultimately yay or nay's anything creative that GW or any of our partners do) are in constant contact with them, discussing these things. We meet face to face at least once a month as well. Don't tell them, but we go see them mainly because they give us Twizzlers. Why doesn't the UK have Twizzlers?!

I've said all along that GW is perfectly comfortable with Warhammer Online adding new elements that haven't previously been described as being part of the Warhammer World. MMORPGs have very specific needs that are unlike anything GW has had to think about before. In some cases EA Mythic create these new things, and then ask us for feedback on their ideas. The Squig Herder was one of those moments. It's sheer madness, but in a very suitably and in a very Greenskin way, so we naturally loved it! Sometimes, they come to us with a specific need and ask us to propose the solution. An example of this would be 'we need a support class for the Dwarfs, someone who can heal, but there doesn't seem to be a precedent in Warhammer'. We at GW had some discussions, and the Runepriest was born. Lastly, sometimes it's a dual effort where we'll sit in a room together for a day and collaborate to come up with ideas and solutions to the more challenging issues. 'What does the Chaos 'Capital City' look like?' is one question we addressed that way. GW and Mythic both bring different areas of expertise to the table, and we work very well together.

The last thing I want to say on this is that EA Mythic have earned our trust by showing us a real intrinsic understanding of not just the bits of Warhammer we've committed to books and miniatures, but to the underlying thinking, the ethos that bounds the Warhammer World. The Zealot is a fine example of this, as is the Norscan Longship which EA Mythic have kindly allowed me to show for the first time. I wish I could give you more examples, but a lot of the great new stuff they've come up with has yet to be revealed. I want their artists and designers to really feel like they 'own' this game, and part of that is encouraging them to experiment and create new things. So, we came into this project not only knowing and accepting that new elements would need to be created, but were also (and still are) excited by the prospect.