Jessica Mulligan has a reputation for playing the hero. As a member of the Themis Group, she led the charge that helped Funcom reshape and build Anarchy Online into a successful title after a horrendous launch. Then, she went to Turbine to work on Asheron’s Call. Earlier this year, Jessica took on a new challenge: the Saga of Ryzom.

The job – Executive Producer of Ryzom – lets Jessica live in France and work on taking an MMORPG that had not performed to the company’s expectations and rebuild it. She is a consultant on the project, but defines her term there as indefinite.

On October 6th of this year, Ryzom launched Episode Two of their on-going story line.

“It was always the intention to have the players drive a storyline,” says Mulligan of the company’s recent pursuit of story in their game. The difference since she came on board? They’re actually doing it.

This storyline is truly dynamic. Players determine the outcome. I asked Mulligan how much pre-planning they did, and she admitted that while they do have higher goals, the way the players react often destroys their best laid plans. As a result, the company has become very reactive in crafting story for the players that reflects what they do.