Warframe Developer Interview

Hello Megan, thanks for sitting down with us. Why don’t you start off by telling us about yourself and the team?

Hello, and thank you for having me! My name is Megan Everett, and I’m the Community Director & Live Ops at Digital Extremes, working on Warframe for the last 10+ years. I work with an incredible group of people on the Community team to bridge the gap between the growing player base and our Developers. 

Can you try to briefly explain Warframe? Obviously, not an easy thing as it has been going for just over 10 years.

That’s a difficult question that gets harder every year! I remember 10 years ago, I would have said the classic “Ninjas in Space” description, but it’s truly so much more than that now. To me, Warframe is an ever-evolving universe where you can play however you want. With over 55 Warframes and hundreds of weapons, it’s a smorgasbord of potential. Take it to the stars, the oceanic depths, the neverending Void, or even your own imagination. Come and go as you please because we’re always here when you want to jump back in. :) 

Warframe has received steady updates throughout its life, but the latest one is one of the most important, what can you tell us about it?

Whispers in the Walls will finally give players more information on who Albrecht Entrati is. He’s such a pivotal character in the entire story of Warframe, but has always been shrouded in mystery. He’s the big bang that has led us to where we are, and Whispers in the Walls will answer some questions, but also leave us with even more to theorise! This Quest sets up the future of Warframe.

What can you tell us about the new lore in the Whispers in the Walls expansion?

In an attempt to not spoil too much, the overarching theme of Whispers in the Walls touches on loneliness and understanding. It’s about coming to terms with your true feelings and emotions and making those hard decisions to sometimes set things free. We hope players resonate with the story in their own way and fall in love with (or maybe fear?) these characters!

What did the team learn from The Duviri Paradox that has affected Whispers in the Walls?

Great question! I think back on our time developing the Duviri Paradox and admire how weird we were willing to take it. I feel like it really proved to us that we can make pipe dreams become reality in Warframe and that no idea is too strange. In order to really push the narrative to new heights, we have to stay true to ourselves and our players, and make the game we enjoy playing. 

Can you expand on cross-progression (AKA cross-save)?

Happy to! Launching Cross Platform Save has been a huge endeavour for a long time now. We’re excited but nervous to ship it on a 10 year old game. We’ve been very cautious and thorough in respecting every single item we’ve launched for all the platforms. This includes one-off promotions eight years ago, platform-exclusive skins, Founders items, TennoGen, and everything in between. We’ll be rolling Cross Platform Save out in phases to maintain a steady flow of players hitting our servers and do the big one-time Merge of their accounts. We want to do this right and not have it be a negative first impression.

How do these updates and this latest expansion tempt older players back to their Tenno and Warframes?

There’s something for everyone with Whispers in the Walls. There’s a story to immerse yourself in, a new Warframe to experiment with, an expansion to familiar systems like Heavy Melee and Archon Shards, and the return of Clan Operations! While there are no Leaderboards this time around, we’re excited to see a resurgence in social participation with this Update. 

Do you worry that the amount of new content and expansions can be confusing for new players or daunting for returning ones?

That’s always a question we have to ask ourselves, especially as a 10-year-old game. Over the past couple of years, we have really put effort into making new content as accessible as possible while respecting New Players, Veterans, and even mid-Star Chart players. It’s a hard one to solve, and we have at least the next five years of Warframe’s story planned out, so it’s up to us to set the stage appropriately and make the right decisions for our players, new and familiar. 

Is there anything you’d like to tease about Warframe: 1999, announced at TennoCon 2023?

We have some really wild ideas for Warframe: 1999 that I’m bursting to talk about, but I love my job too much to tease. Whispers in the Walls will set up what comes next in Warframe: 1999, and I just hope players are along for the ride with us! 

Finally, what’s one thing that every Tenno should experience at least once?

The Second Dream quest! :)

Thanks for reading this interview, but don't leave without heading over to claim your free pack of goodies! We have both a New Players pack, as well as an Existing Players pack, so there is something for every Tenno!