When sprouting the names of popular sports games, the two most recognizable titles amongst fans will usually come in the form of EA Sports’ football series ‘Madden’ and their long-running soccer franchise ‘FIFA’, with both games still bolstering a vast number of players actively partaking in some of the many unique features that both games provide.

Both the Madden and FIFA franchises have become staples of the gaming industry since their early renditions that were previously released during the late 1980s to early 1990s on various devices including the PS1, Sega Genesis, SNES and Game Boy among various other fan favorite consoles.

Originally named as ‘John Madden Football’, after the Hall of Fame head coach and announcer, the series would soon adopt the singular title of ‘Madden’ ahead of the release of the 1994 title, which of course the series is still being advertised as of today.

On the other hand, the FIFA series earns its name from the International Federation of Association Football, which is the sport’s international governing body for the various league and international based soccer events including the World Cup.

Whilst other sports gaming titles such as NBA 2K, EA Sports’ NHL and UFC titles still rank as firm fan favorites, Madden and FIFA are the quintessential defiant games focusing on the sporting genre.

When it comes to comparing both franchises, there are still plenty of reminiscing factors present for fans who remain regular players of both titles as well as their own unique features that help retain their major player base with each yearly release.

The main reasons why Madden and FIFA are so popular amongst sports fans:

A fairly simplistic opening reason as to why FIFA and Madden are widely viewed as being the most popular sporting video games will often be due to the fact that both titles are based off arguably the most globally popular sports on the planet today.

Whilst football is not a widely played or covered sport internationally, it remains the US’ most popular sport at almost any level of play ahead of the likes of basketball, baseball, hockey and even soccer.

In comparison, soccer is a sport that is played all across the world in various regions of continents including Europe, South America, Africa and Asia, as well as attracting a widespread number of viewers for the sports’ various league’s/competitions such as the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and of course the aforementioned FIFA World Cup.

Soccer and football both attract viewers from both the gaming and sporting sectors which includes regular sports bettors. Betting on the Super Bowl and the Champions League Final are two of the most popular markets of the year, they are undoubtedly benefit from EA Sports’ glamourization of the events.

Another reason for both franchises’ immense popularity will stem from their wider licensing of events for these such leagues and the overall blend of single player and multiplayer modes to select from, which will cater to any gamer’s needs.

EA Sports will also regularly release a unique set of advertisements for both titles which will include some of the sporting world’s most popular athletes as well as famous celebrities making sporadic cameo appearances, which also attracts players from a much larger demographic.

What comparisons can be drawn between FIFA and Madden?

It is arguable that both franchises were able to popularize the virtual Ultimate Team mode that has now become staples of all future online sporting games as various other titles have since incorporated their own unique spin of this feature in their own yearly release.

The premise surrounding the construction of FIFA and Madden’s Ultimate Team modes are very similar as it revolves around players earning packs containing players and various customization items to construct their own fantasy squad of real-life players as well as legendary names.

Players can earn packs through competitive modes and tournaments such as the FUT Champions Mode on FIFA Ultimate Team, as well as completing challenges in the effort of improving their overall roster when playing against rivalling online players.

Both franchises have also operated under the same graphical software for years including the Frostbite engine, a feature that was frequently advertised by EA numerous times, which is often a great way to clarify that both games are being produced by the same developer.

Single player modes are also very similar in terms of execution which includes the career modes present across both games such as FIFA’s manager and player mode and Madden’s Face of the Franchise which can also draw comparisons from NBA 2K’s MyCareer.

FIFA had also previously adopted its own story mode from FIFA 17 up until 19 called ‘The Journey’ which had drawn similar comparisons to Madden’s single player story modes thanks to its layout, storytelling and involvement of the game’s most popular names.

There are various other similarities to take from both titles which have become favorites amongst fans of both sports and contributed towards the series’ longevity as a popular facet of all sporting titles.

Madden and FIFA are now the front runners for all popular sporting games, and with new releases and updates coming out at a regular occurrence, they are likely to remain atop the podium for the foreseeable future.

The post How NFL Madden and FIFA Dominate the Sports Gaming Market appeared first on Gaming.net.

Tatyana Zvanskaya joined the Belka Games team in 2021 in the position of Senior Marketing Producer. Prior to this, she filmed video art and clips, created computer graphics for TV projects, and also advanced the development of marketing creatives at Zeptolab, My.Games and the Borscht agency.

Belka Games is a game developer and publisher operating since 2010 and is the maker of hit mobile games: Clockmaker, Funky Bay, Bermuda Adventures and Solitaire Cruise released on multiple platforms, with more projects in the works

What initially attracted you to work in gaming?

What most attracted me to the gaming industry was the high speed required of all the processes. In marketing, everything changes very fast, and you have to be flexible, creative, and curious all at the same time. Working in gaming means we are constantly looking for new trends and ideas, and moving at a rapid pace to keep up – a process I’ve always enjoyed.

Another reason I wanted to work in gaming was knowing the feedback we receive from our audience and players. Before joining the gaming sector, I had previously worked in the media industry – specifically television – overseeing art projects and film production. Of course, in visual arts we care about leaving an impression, but in game development all your processes are based on it. We are constantly looking for the best solution to attract a new audience while making it better entertainment for them. It ends up becoming a permanent dialogue between us – and it’s inspiring!

Could you discuss the Solitaire Cruise game and what differentiates it from regular solitaire games?

The main differences in Solitaire Cruise from other solitaire games is the former’s narrative and atmosphere. Solitaire Cruise offers a variety of solitaire puzzles where players aim to collect as many stars as they can while sailing across the globe. Players can unlock and visit iconic beaches and cities through engaging gameplay, and a prize wheel offers them an opportunity to spin and win exclusive rewards and fill treasure chests. Cruisers can multiply their winnings by collecting gems in tournaments, and by competing against fellow travelers.

All of this is accomplished with Belka Games’ impressive art production. Solitaire Cruise is challenging, engaging, and truly beautiful; you feel the vacation vibe through the screen. It’s the best!

What was the original inspiration for bringing a huge celebrity like Dolly Parton into the game?

We are always looking for new solutions to make our games even better, and to provide new and exciting experiences for our players. This special event with Dolly Parton gives our players an opportunity to connect a little bit closer with the icon and country music queen. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to work in partnership with IMG – a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media – and we hope that all players of Solitaire Cruise will enjoy Dolly's digital presence in the game. You can cruise with digital Dolly now, until April 2022.

Could you discuss some of the challenges of bringing Dolly Parton into a game?

Bringing any celebrity into a game is always an exciting adventure, and presents fun challenges that push our teams to think creatively. The toughest part with bringing Dolly Parton in Solitaire Cruise was trying to truly represent her stardom! Dolly is a legend and our team was honored to design a “digital Dolly” into the game. We did our best to really convey her incredible style and demeanor, especially given Dolly is known not only for her musical talent, but also her style, humanity, and personality. We couldn’t have done it without Dolly’s team and their amazing partnership.

What is the exact role that Dolly Parton plays in the game?

In this special event, Dolly’s character is a guest on the cruise ship and helps players explore the game. It starts from the loading screen – a digital Dolly comes up on the cruise liner and she follows players in special events throughout the game.

Our goal was to make Dolly’s digital character as real as possible and infuse a lot of her authentic personality. Dolly’s team at IMG really helped us with all these details. Some of her words, her overall mood, and her interactions with players are very close to Dolly herself.

What was it like for the Belka Games team to collaborate with a global superstar?

It was a very new experience for us and our first time incorporating a global superstar into one of our games. While Belka Games is known for its high-quality art and visually stunning games such as Clockmaker, Bermuda Adventures and Funky Bay, this was a new, exciting challenge for us. Ultimately, we wanted to give our players something unique and unexpected. We hope players are enjoying the added entertainment!

What are some upcoming new games that Belka Games is working on?

You will know soon! Our R&D department is in constant motion and always working on new projects. I can assure you that the next project will be in true Belka style – players can expect more breathtaking art and thrilling adventures.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Belka Games?

Belka Games is a great team with high expertise and an amazing culture – and, being an AppLovin partner studio, we’ve been able to fuel our growth exponentially. Incorporating a digital Dolly Parton in Solitaire Cruise is just another example and proof that as a team we can aspire to do wonderful projects together. If you’re nuts about games and would like to work with us, check out: https://belka-games.com/careers/ for more information.

Thank you for the great interview, readers should visit Belka Games or check out the Solitaire Cruise app.

The post Tatyana Zvanskaya, SMP at Belka Games – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Abbe Borg, aka “DieHardBirdie”, is the 2019 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive World Champion and esports oldest world champion at age 78. He is currently leading his own team of military veteran gray gamers. The team is dubbed the GOLDEN SNIPERS and is set to break stereotypes as they are all above 60 years old. Abbe has also launched the new series airing on Bloomberg TV, the 12 monthly “DSCVR ESPORTS” tv show.

Could you share the story of how you initially discovered video games?

I love to tinker with my hands. As an artist, I make sculptures out of paper, old books, napkins, rocks, metal sheets, or just about anything. So, when I discovered gaming through my granddaughter, I took a liking to it instantly because it dealt pretty much with the dexterity of the fingers. Also because the game requires full concentration— something that old folks like me need to work on. Plus it was so much fun and I get to bond with my granddaughter and other young people. Right now, I spend at least four hours a day gaming.

When did you initially begin playing CS:GO and what attracted you to the game?

I learned how to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) around 4-5 years ago. I set up my own Twitch channel where I stream every time I play CS:GO. It’s true that I started playing later than most pro-gamers since most gamers are around the age of 15 to 25 years old. But as they say, age doesn’t matter. During the past year, I have been playing CS:GO for about two hours a day. It’s like my training session to help improve my skills and keep me alert. I still need to train more but I’m having a lot of fun on this journey.

What I love best about playing video games is engaging with teenagers and younger gamers. People my age have lost touch with the younger generation. Getting into video gaming has bridged that huge gap between our worlds. I’d say my biggest joy is being able to interact and connect with the younger generation and learn new things and new games. That’s why I started playing, mainly to overcome the age and experience gap. Of course, you must have guessed that this game is a lot of fun, even for old chaps like me.

You then became involved with the Silver Snipers, how did this esports team start and what got you involved?

Lenovo wanted to form a team and they recruited me along with other senior gamers. That’s how the Silver Snipers team began. Curiosity got the better of me and here I am, I’m officially hooked! I’m still learning and doing my best to get better and better.

The Silver Snipers eventually won a CS:GO Senior League tournament, how was this experience?

It was awesome! The crowds were applauding and cheering us on. They were very happy that we won the tournament. Of course, the journey to the championship was not a bed of roses. Heaven knows the number of times we lost in some matches. And I got killed many times but I kept trying. We worked hard for this and it definitely paid off! The championship experience is something I will always think the world of.

You can often be found streaming on Twitch, what made you decide to stream and how many hours a day do you play?

Yes, I am streaming on Twitch. My Twitch channel is https://www.twitch.tv/diehardbirdie. I decided to stream my games after I retired from Silver Snipers. I wanted to keep on playing games on my own and spend time with my family. The COVID-19 pandemic happened and the lockdowns gave me more time to play games and stream them. I also think of playing and streaming games as my daily exercise. When I started streaming last year, I was playing for almost four hours a day, 5 days a week. I spend over 2 hours playing games and the remaining hours editing my stream and choosing highlights out of my stream. It’s like my daily practice and exercise so that I’ll stay active while staying at home. I still try to stream everyday but there are also days when I skip playing games and spend time with family.

You recently founded your own team called the Golden Snipers that is composed of military veterans. Could you tell us more about this team and its different members and why you decided to start a new team?

I am forming a new team called the “Golden Snipers” and I will lead the team. The team is composed of senior gamers like me but some of the members are also military veterans. This new team reflects my advocacy of promoting playing games to senior gamers to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations. We wanted to create more opportunities for senior players and to create an open and inclusive space in the gaming community with no discrimination against gender and age.

Do you believe you can ever be too old to begin gaming?

I believe that no one is too old or too young to play video games. Take it from me, I learned how to play CS:GO in my late 70s and I became a world champion. What’s important is that you have the guts to play and to just do your best. Keep on practicing and be patient. No one is already great when they first start playing games. Take your time and practice. Age is only a number so you can always try and do something new or learn how to play new games. Your hard work will pay off when you put in time and effort in improving your gaming skills. Don’t forget to enjoy what you do and have fun.

What are some benefits that can be had from playing games even at a more mature age?

Gaming is part of my daily routine. It keeps me mentally active. Just like any other gamer, I need to improve my skills by training every single day! I may be older than most gamers today but I wanted to prove that age should not stop anyone from improving their skills and becoming better. I got plenty of time in my hands during the quarantine and I used it to spend time with my family while playing games.

Among other things, playing games has also improved my vision, my strategic thinking, and my reflexes. My vision is getting better as I focused on hitting the targets. I can strategize with every new round and my reflexes are quicker as I learned to dodge the enemies.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about the Golden Snipers?

The veterans forming the team possess the foundation of essential survival skills and the instinct of not getting hit, all of which are very helpful in playing and winning in Counter-strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and other similar games requiring military skill and strategy. Their real-life experiences are essential to the team’s victory not only in the game but also in breaking the barriers of the stereotypical esports gamers. The team aims to encourage the elderly and senior citizens to try gaming and gain multiple physical, mental, and social benefits. As team captain, I see the team as determined, focused, and disciplined — the kind of team that values teamwork while living a balanced lifestyle while having fun playing games.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Abbe's Twitch page or visit the GOLDEN SNIPERS.

The post Abbe “DieHardBirdie” Borg, Golden Snipers Team Captain – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Rich Horgan, founded Cure Rare Disease to find a cure for his brother’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy and for other patients fighting rare, fatal diseases.

Cure Rare Disease, a nonprofit biotechnology research organization on a mission to develop precision medicine for rare diseases, has achieved a major fundraising milestone, with over $400,000 in donations received through a collaboration with a generous community of Twitch creators.

Cure Rare Disease is directing the funds raised by the online gaming community to its research program, which is developing customized therapeutics for those who have been diagnosed with rare, genetic diseases with no treatment or cures, starting with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

You have a very personal reason for having founded Cure Rare Disease, could you share with us this story?

The story behind Cure Rare Disease is very personal. My younger brother, Terry, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).  It’s a genetic disease that causes muscles to degenerate over time, including cardiac and pulmonary muscles essential for life. Due to DMD, Terry has limited mobility but continues to be in good spirits as he fights against this invisible enemy. DMD is one of over 7,000 rare diseases impacting over 30 million Americans, and is ultimately a fatal disease that has no effective treatment for the population, let alone a cure. In fact, only 5% of rare diseases have any treatment.

I founded what is today Cure Rare Disease to develop a medicine for Terry and others with rare diseases like DMD because, as a family, we were not satisfied hearing from most doctors that all we could do was go home and love him with what time we were given.  And so, we are changing the paradigm of how rare and ultra-rare diseases are treated. We are showing that developing individualized medicines for rare diseases like DMD is not only possible but also an effective way to combat diseases which are too rare to attract traditional drug development interest. For that reason, and others, Cure Rare Disease is structured as a nonprofit biotechnology company that measures itself based on patients helped rather than profits generated.

You grew up playing video games with your brother Terry, what games did you both play?

Very much so! Growing up Terry and I were – and still are – huge fans of the Star Wars titles including the MMO Star Wars Galaxies along with the classic FPS titles like Battlefield. My brother has since moved into titles like Escape from Tarkov, though we still both enjoy classic games. Video games are an amazing equalizer and outlet for both people impacted by rare diseases as well as for people who just love to game.

What inspired the idea of using the power of the gaming community to raise funds?

A rare disease diagnosis often comes with physical challenges, so given our long history of gaming, it became clear that gaming could provide an equal playing field for people of all abilities.  Since the gaming community has long been so welcoming of people with rare diseases like Terry, who can’t play a game of basketball like others may be able to, it felt like a natural fit for raising awareness and support for our mission. In fact, there are many creators who are impacted by rare diseases. We hope to help make the community an even more welcoming place for people impacted by rare diseases to share their stories and feel welcomed.

Thanks to platforms like Twitch and the emergence of streaming competitions and creators, we felt that fundraising within this welcoming community was an opportunity we could not miss.

Could you share the concept of how gaming ambassadors can assist with the process of raising funds?

To inspire the gaming community to raise money for the cause, Cure Rare Disease created an ambassador program and sought out up-and-coming talent who are Twitch partners and affiliates. The ambassadors, who entertain their community with a variety of content, share a passion for Cure Rare Disease’s mission with their communities via live streams, social media posts, and Discord chats to inspire donations.

Our ambassadors also get exclusive access to Cure Rare Disease merchandise, in-game codes, chances to win gaming systems, and other fun perks. Moreover, they are part of a community that is effecting real change for patients impacted by rare diseases for which there are no cures. We think it’s very powerful for creators, from all backgrounds, to have a hand in literally changing the future for not just one patient, but their family, their community and for the rare disease community more broadly.

Some gamers have been ultra-successful having raised significant sums of money, could you share some of these success stories?

We’re fortunate to have a great network of ambassadors who have all pitched in to raise money to develop individualized medicines that will allow other gamers to keep on playing. Our aim is not simply to apply a band-aid solution, but rather to treat the disease at its root cause – a permanent fix to fatal diseases – through the use of CRISPR and other innovative technologies. Our ambassadors play a wide range of games and have their own charity streams or participate in organized events, like our upcoming Game for Cures streaming marathon from July 16 – 25th 2021.

In terms of success stories, we’ve had creators fundraise at varying levels – from Charitymon Project raising several thousand dollars, to Catsen who raised $7,020, and to Moist Critical who topped $150,000. Every dollar raised brings more awareness and more support to families battling for their loved one’s life.

Cure Rare Disease will soon be hosting its own charity streaming events, could you share some details on upcoming events?

Our upcoming charity streaming marathon, Game for Cures, is set for the weekends of July 16-18 and July 23-25.  The six-day, two-weekend marathon will benefit Cure Rare Disease and our mission to develop therapies for kids fighting fatal diseases.  We have a number of great streamers on board. People interested in learning more should visit www.cures.gg and interested streamers can sign up at this link. We are offering fun incentives for streamers who raise differing amounts. It’s really important to us that everyone who participates is recognized and thanked for their efforts!

Most of us would have felt a sense of hopelessness at the situation, yet you took the opposite approach and met with researchers, clinicians, and regulatory experts to fully and deeply understand all the work that was being done around Terry’s disease. What made you believe that you could make a difference?

I don’t come from a particularly wealthy or influential background – I put myself through business school. But nonetheless, a family who is impacted by rare disease only has two options: fight or stand idly by.  Standing by wasn’t an option for us.  So, I did what I could do in the place where I was.  Fortunately for me, the place where I happened to be at the time was Harvard Business School.  I began to think bigger, and as I made connections with these world-renowned researchers and clinicians, I realized that we have a golden opportunity to create an organization – a movement – to find a cure. We needed to rethink how medicines are developed for small populations (rare and ultra-rare diseases) since the traditional drug development paradigm relies on large populations to spread high development costs around (high cholesterol and Lipitor, for example). However, by definition, rare diseases impact fewer patients but are no less important than chronic conditions like diabetes. In realizing that it was possible to usher a life-saving drug from creation, development and through approval – even for one person – I knew there could be an answer here for not only my brother but also thousands of others impacted by rare diseases. Thus, Cure Rare Disease was born.

A drug using CRISPR technology is being developed, could you share some details on this?

CRISPR technology is a gene editing tool that allows us to make changes in a patient’s DNA including the upregulation of missing proteins. In the case of Terry and those with DMD, we will get the body to produce more of a missing protein (the dystrophin protein for DMD, specifically) similar to one that Terry lacks, which causes the loss/weakening of muscle tissue.

We’ve seen great success on correcting patient cells in a dish as well as in animal models and are expecting that Terry will be one of the first DMD patients who will be dosed with a medicine using CRISPR technology. We are both excited as well as extremely cautious.

Beyond Terry, we have 15 drugs under development – most of which will use CRISPR to help the patients impacted. We’re excited by the idea of proving this framework out and scaling up from here. We’re able to move quicker because of the streaming community and the incredible work they do!

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our community?

Cure Rare Disease, and our dozens of families waiting for an individualized therapy, are so grateful to the streaming community for their help and support.  Without their generosity, we would not be where we are today.

For readers interested in learning more about our streaming program, they can visit us online. Similarly, we accept donations of all sizes online as well at https://www.cureraredisease.org/donate. Lastly, we invite creators to reach out and participate – it takes a community to win the battle against disease and we welcome all to join the fight. This is truly a cause where one person can make a world of difference.

The post Rich Horgan, Founder of Cure Rare Disease – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Aakash Ranavat, SVP of Operations at PlayVS, the only place where high school esports is a recognized sport with varsity letters, eligibility requirements, leagues, and state championships.

What games impacted you the most growing up and why?

I played a number of games as a kid from Madden to Super Mario Bros and World Class Track Meet on the Nintendo Power Pad to NBA Jam. All the games I enjoyed playing as a kid were team oriented and competitive social activities. It was a reason to get together with friends and play.

You’ve had a successful career having worked at both Activision and Electronic Arts, what were some of the most memorable projects that you worked on?

Launching the Destiny franchise. Destiny is the second fastest-selling new video game property in history and recognized $500 million in sales in its first day. It became the #2 best-selling video game in CY 2014 and a top 10 launch of all-time. So much blood, sweat and tears went into the development and commercialization of that game and knowing players loved it was immensely rewarding.

What is PlayVS precisely?

PlayVS is the leading amateur esports platform in the United States and Canada for High School, Youth and Collegiate competitions and leagues. It is the single community where players come together to compete, fans gather to spectate and coaches can manage their programs. PlayVS has partnerships with top game publishers to enable the platform to power high school esports league play across the nation for League of Legends, Rocket League and more. PlayVS College operates official, national leagues for titles such as Fortnite, FIFA, Madden and more.

What’s the process for starting an esports program?

The process is simple. It is identical to starting any sports team or club at the high school level. You have a champion at the schools, often a teacher, who acts as the advisor or coach of the program and gets administrators brought in while alerting students of the newest afterschool offering. Students usually can’t get enough when they find out they can combine a passion of theirs with the opportunity to compete as a varsity sport and for a state championship.

What are the different games that are currently offered and which ones are the most popular?

In high school, we currently offer League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros: Ultimate, Splatoon 2, FIFA and Madden.

PlayVS is the only place where esports is a recognized varsity sport, what does it mean for students?

It means a lot. To students, the increased exposure that comes along with winning a state title is significant. For everyone involved in that student's life, they get to experience the joys of watching their student lift that trophy, seeing colleges reach out and recruit them into their varsity esports programs, and so much more. At the school level, this legitimacy leads schools to really invest in their esport programs. Schools will even invest to build gaming labs with the intention of creating a competitive esports team and bringing home more championships.

How receptive are most high schools to the concept of esports partnerships and championships when first introduced to the concept?

They’re very receptive. Most schools see this as a similar offering to traditional sports and a great way to engage new students who may not be competing in other after school activities.

Do you still find time to play games yourself, and if yes what games are currently keeping you busy?

I do! I play mostly mobile games now given I have less time, but I also enjoy the quick bursts of play. I have really been enjoying Wild Rift.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about PlayVS?

If you or someone you know would like to play in our leagues head over to the PlayVS website and register for an account! Anyone looking to follow along for the ride can always hear more about the high school esports landscape and PlayVS by following along on our Twitter.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit PlayVS.

The post Aakash Ranavat, SVP of Operations at PlayVS – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Paul Froggatt is the Co-Founder and Technical Director for the video game studio Outlier Games.  Based in Dublin, Ireland, and Toronto, Canada, Outlier is an independent video game development studio focused on innovative multiplayer games and they are the creators of This Means Warp.

What games did you grow up playing and which ones have stood the test of time for you?

I've always been into strategy and simulation games, so have fond memories of titles like Roller Coaster Tycoon, Sim City, Theme Hospital, and Age of Empires. I think the core gameplay of those games has never grown old, especially considering we're continually getting remakes or spiritual successors 25 years later!

Prior to Outlier, you had a 10-year career at Google and also created and sold an award-winning restaurant business. What made you decide to pivot towards launching a gaming studio?

Games have always been my passion, and I really wanted to learn more about how they were made. I started teaching myself gameplay design and programming in my spare time about 4 years ago, and loved it! I found myself in a situation where I could follow my passion while keeping the lights on, so jumped at the chance!

The first game you launched was Zombles' on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in 2018. What was this game and what did you learn from the experience?

Zombles was inspired by games like Lemmings, and was a simple puzzle game for mobile. It was really an attempt to solidify my understanding of the online tutorials I'd been working through in the months prior, and getting experience in developing and releasing a game. I would definitely recommend any aspiring dev to do the same – your first game should be something achievable but stretches your abilities, and you will learn a huge amount. After that I felt ready to move on to commercial projects, and started formulating ideas that would later become This Means Warp.

Outlier Games is launching “This Means Warp”, an online co-op spaceship management game. What was the inspiration behind this game?

This Means Warp is really a combination of two genres – strategic roguelites, and co-op action games. We felt that most co-op titles were very focused on ‘party' experiences, with short play sessions and simple mechanics for accessibility. There weren't too many titles that offered the frantic action and camaraderie of multiplayer, but were targeted more at core gamers who wanted a strategic challenge and longer-form gameplay they could experience with friends.

Could you share with us some of the gameplay mechanics?

The game balances high-intensity combat (players rushing around fixing systems, putting out fires, shooting the cannons, etc) with strategic long-term choices (how to invest in your ship, what to upgrade, and how to build an effective playstyle). It's an interesting combination, particularly as the game can be played singleplayer, local co-op, or online co-op!

What type of players will most be attracted to this game?

There are really two types of players we're trying to design the game for. The first are core gamers who want a challenging real-time roguelite they can enjoy alone or with friends. If you like Binding of Isaac, FTL, Risk of Rain 2, Heroes of Hammerwatch, Gunfire Reborn, etc then hopefully you'll really enjoy This Means Warp. The second are gamers that enjoy fast-paced games with a friend or partner – games like Overcooked 2, Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime, Unrailed, etc. Hopefully we have a bit of each for people to experience!

Do you still find time to play other games, if yes which are your favorite?

I tend to either play strategy games (Voxel Tycoon has been a recent addiction) or the big 3rd-person console titles like Spider-Man, God of War, The Witcher, Assassins Creed, etc. The Witcher 2 was a particular stand-out for me.

What’s your vision for the future of Outlier Games?

We'd love to continue building online multiplayer games for core gamers! This Means Warp has already established a growing community, so we'll be getting their input and stealing their ideas for game number 2! Outlier was built on the idea of making games that expand upon previous titles to foster a community that enjoys many of our games. This Means Warp is just the start!

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Outlier Games or This Means Warp.

The post Paul Froggatt, Co-Founder & Technical Director at Outlier Games – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Gordon Li is the Co-Founder & CTO of Shotcall a marketplace and platform for fans to play games with their favorite people.

You call yourself a lifelong gamer, what games most impacted you growing up?

Maplestory had a huge impact on my life. I made so many friends online and it was the first community I fell in love with. When I was 12 I wanted a new computer so I asked my dad for one. Being an engineer himself, he saw this as a learning opportunity for me and challenged me to build my own. I was overwhelmed, but my guildmates on Maplestory came together to help a random 12 year old kid they met online build his first PC. It was then that I fell in love with not only technology, but also the gaming community.

Throughout my childhood, I have fond memories of waking up early and playing the Pokemon series while at the same time watching the show. The Pokemon game series entranced me as I felt like I was living a new life and I was enthralled by the fantasy world.

Another game that had a major impact on me is League of Legends. I still play to this day and it really opened my eyes to Esports and the competitive aspect of gaming.

Prior to launching Shotcall you had a successful career as a Software developer and machine learning engineer. When did you first realize you wanted to become an entrepreneur?

I think I always loved the idea of working on my own passion and a lot of that actually spawned from video games. Growing up, I was obsessed with a plethora of RPGs such as Maplestory, Pokemon, Dragon Nest, Kingdom Hearts and the Final Fantasy series. The basis behind all those games was that you could decide your own path and your own adventure. I applied that to my life and realized that my true passion was working on something myself.

Could you share the genesis story behind Shotcall?

As you’ve probably seen by now, I played countless video games growing up. However, the one thing that remained constant throughout all the games I played was the content. Whether I was watching OpTic gaming or FaZe Clan Call of Duty montages, learning from League of Legends coaches on YouTube or watching my favorite Fortnite streamers, I was always consuming content.

Being a massive fan myself, I realized that there was a huge market from the fan side. I watch my favorite content creators because I enjoy their personalities, but also because we have a shared love for a common game. As Twitch started growing, I constantly saw in chats that the viewers wanted more engagement. Who wouldn’t want a chance to play Fortnite with Ninja?

Streamers began running subscriber or viewer games and we took this opportunity to really help a community that we (Thomas, Riley and myself) all grew up in.

Could you share the concept behind the Shotcall community management platform and how it gets viewers off the sidelines and in the game?

Our mission at Shotcall is to bring viewers into the game with creators. We believe that this is the next step in revolutionizing engagement. With Shotcall, creators can schedule events that their viewers can register for. After that, we exchange information between the creators and participants so everyone is able to get into a game of choice and play together.

Can you provide some details on how creators can monetize interactions?

On Shotcall, creators have the option to set an entrance fee on their events. We understand that there is high demand for creators’ time, so we wanted to give them the opportunity to capitalize on that. Creators can also lock their sessions or offer additional perks to subscribers to incentivize viewers to support more monetarily.

We are currently testing our own subscription service as well which will truly allow creators to monetize viewer engagement on Shotcall.

What are some traits or habits that differentiate the most successful creators on the platform?

Successful creators on Shotcall are those who are already very engaged with their viewers. We love seeing our creators talk to their viewers through chat, hold weekly events and more. Shotcall serves as a platform to bring those events to a new level.

What are some of the tools that are offered on the Shotcall platform?

Shotcall has a wide array of features that are all catered towards one thing – community engagement. We allow creators to set up on demand sessions, start queues where viewers can line up to play or host tournaments in several different formats.

Creators can also set up their own booking options for viewers to go and book one on one sessions with them for a more intimate experience.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Shotcall?

One thing that Shotcall truly embraces is the concept that “everyone is a gamer.” What motivates us is seeing the shared love for gaming from the whole world. Mainstream celebrities, professional athletes, popular musicians and more all play video games now. We love the cultural shift that has taken place and we hope to really show the world the power of content creation and gaming.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Shotcall.

The post Gordon Li, Co-Founder & CTO of Shotcall – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Darien Morris is the Co-Founder & CEO of Hyperthought Games, an educational gaming studio with the mission of helping build a world in which people have access to opportunities for personal and professional growth, regardless of the language they were brought up speaking.  The first game being released is Lingo Legend.

At the end of 2019, you ventured out to create an educational game studio called Hyperthought Games. What was the inspiration behind launching a new gaming studio?

I grew up in a very multicultural city, and I was always intrigued by other kids who spoke more than one language. It felt like a superpower that I didn’t have. Up until my mid-twenties I went through phases of unsuccessfully trying to learn new languages. As it turns out, my initial excitement was not enough. For most people, learning a language takes years of hard work to achieve their goals, and for me it was super difficult to stay motivated for that long. At the end of 2019 I was ready for a big career move, and I wanted to create something for language learners that focused as much on engagement as it did on learning, to solve the problems that I had faced years earlier. At Hyperthought Games we are creating video games that not only help you learn a new language, but are inspired by the games we love to play and are designed to keep you motivated and having fun long enough to reach your goals.

Why is learning a new language so difficult the traditional way?

Learning a language is challenging because it is so multifaceted — It isn’t just about learning grammar, vocabulary, and developing an accent. Depending on the language you might need to learn how to read and write different characters, how to change the intonation in your voice to pronounce words correctly, how cultural norms impact what you should say, and so on.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is underestimating what it will take to learn a language, and look for shortcuts. But by going into it thinking you are going to become fluent by using a single app for 15 minutes a day, you are setting yourself up for failure. Instead, you need to set reasonable goals and use a variety of tools for learning. We believe that in order to be successful, one of those tools should be dedicated to maintaining your engagement. For intermediate to advanced learners, consuming entertainment like movies or books is great for engagement but this doesn’t work as well for beginners. If comprehension is low it's hard to get enjoyment out of most forms of entertainment. Think about trying to balance a scale between doing something that is challenging and engaging, the more challenging, the less engaging, and vice versa. As a beginner, it’s really hard to find content that balances well. That’s the problem we are solving with Lingo Legend.

How did you initially come across the concept for Lingo Legend?

Educational games need to embed learning into the game design in a way that balances efficacy with engagement. It all starts with what you are trying to teach, and we chose to focus mostly on vocabulary and phrases through flash cards because it was content that could be learned by all skill levels, including beginners who have the most trouble staying motivated. Flash cards, though an important tool in your toolbelt, are not very engaging and so we thought we could significantly improve the experience.

When it comes to game design, we needed gameplay that would allow you to practice flash cards in rapid succession, but had the depth and longevity that would keep you engaged for long enough to be a valuable learning tool. We were inspired by card-based games we love such as Slay The Spire and Hearthstone, as they are able to generate a lot of replayability through the depth of their card systems. We also looked to roleplaying games for progression systems such as questing and crafting that would ensure that players are always making progress and experiencing something new as they learn. All of these elements and more were combined to make Lingo Legend a unique card-based roleplaying game that we think will appeal to all types of gamers.

How does gamifying learning a new language make the process of learning so much easier?

When you are learning something as monumental as a new language, you have to think about it more like a marathon than a sprint. How can you make sure your learning is sustainable in the long run? We’ve spoken about how educational games can be a useful tool to keep you motivated while ensuring you are consistently making progress, but they are also great at reducing pressure and building confidence.

Everybody struggles at some point in their learning journey, and it can get very frustrating to work at a single concept for so long even if it is important to do so. We’ve built several progression systems into Lingo Legend so that even if you are taking longer to master a set of verbs or phrases, you will still be winning battles, getting new cards, completing quests, and progressing the story forward. This decreases the pressure you might put on yourself to move on to a new concept, and instead allows you to take the time you need to learn without feeling like you are stuck in the game.

What are the different languages that are offered and how many words or phrases can be learned in each?

At the moment, we have French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese available. We are currently working on Japanese and Korean. Each language has over 3,700 words and phrases organized around useful themes and grammatical concepts.

In our content development, we strive to provide practical value. We imagined situations someone might encounter from when they are first introduced to a foreign language up until immersion. Units and topics are organized to align with that journey. We also appreciate that every language learner is different which is why we give the learner the option to override the default selection and choose the content they want to practice.

How many hours per week are recommended for gamers to learn?

That really depends on your goals and your timeline. If your goal is to become conversationally fluent in a short period of time you are going to have to devote a good chunk of your waking hours to learning. Not everyone’s goal is fluency though, and that’s totally ok.

We expect most learners to use Lingo Legend for 15-30 minutes per day so roughly 1.5 to 4 hours per week. Though we encourage daily usage, we don’t believe in streaks so you won’t find those in our game.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Hyperthought Games or Lingo Legend?

Lingo Legend is currently in early access — players can sign up on our website and invites go out in waves. As I mentioned above, learning a language is a real-life super power and we have a ton of respect for anyone doing it. We love connecting with learners and players and are super active on twitter, where we share game updates and our thoughts on language learning.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more or sign-up for beta access should visit Lingo Legend.

The post Darien Morris, Co-Founder & CEO of Hyperthought Games – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Scott Willoughby is the Chief Operating Officer at Brainium Studios, he has 15 years of experience in mobile and digital product management, marketing, and brand development in consumer technology, entertainment, and gaming industries. Brainium brings classic games to life and improves on them, this includes popular games such games as Mahjong, Solitaire, Sudoku, Blackjack, Freecell, and Spider Solitaire.

What initially attracted you to the world of gaming? 

I’ve been playing video games my whole life. The first game I remember falling in love with was Pitfall on the Atari 2600.  I’d never really imagined a career in video games, but the first time I played Plants vs. Zombies in 2009, and saw the PopCap Games bumper, I thought to myself, “whoever made this game would be fun to work with.” In mid-2010, I was contacted by a recruiter about a new role at PopCap managing the growth of their new push into social and live service gaming. I jumped at the opportunity, and I’ve been working in video games ever since.

Brainium Games specializes in digitizing classic games such as Mahjong, Sudoku, Blackjack, and FreeCell and porting them over to the world of mobile. In your opinion what differentiates a successful crossover of a classic game versus a boring copycat?

In a word: craft. We’re a design company at heart. We love and appreciate beautiful things and satisfying technology interactions. We have an uncompromising design-development philosophy that prioritizes elegance without embellishment and creating games that people want to play, over and over again. Creating long-term relationships with players, and quality products we can be proud of is our driving force, not maximizing profit.

Every detail of Brainium's games are intentional — we strive to have a quality look and feel from the way the screen moves, to what sounds and colors are used. These games are often seen as “commodity games” by many developers, but not us. We see them as opportunities to evolve immensely popular games with a level of design and attention that considers their history, the needs of modern audiences, and even contemplates where they will go in the future; something we call four-dimensional design.

Do you have a personal favorite from the games that are offered?

I love our most recent game, Mahjong.  I’d never been a mahjong solitaire player before working on Brainium’s Mahjong, but the design is stunning. It’s a beautiful world to spend time in, and it just feels good to interact with. It also introduces progress mechanics and an earnable content model, which are great to see in a Brainium game.

Brianium recently teamed up with Tesla to integrate their Solitaire game into the latest software iteration of the car. What type of feedback have you received from this innovative concept?

We’re incredibly proud of our partnership with Tesla, the team there has been great to work with. The feedback for our Solitaire game in Tesla Arcade has been fantastic. Since the release last year, we’ve been told it’s become one of the most popular games in Tesla Arcade. We’ve also seen the game featured in marketing materials for the new Model S and Model X. Not only do we admire Tesla as an innovative company, we believe that in-car gaming is the next-step for games. Soon there will be fleets of rideshare cars or self-driving cars with passengers playing games as they go to their destination.

Brainium’s team has doubled over the past year, what do you attribute this success to?

We’ve been extremely fortunate that our industry and our business were able to thrive even during the pandemic. This provided us with an amazing opportunity to hire some incredible talent at a time when there wasn’t much hiring going on, but that’s not what actually fueled our growth over the last year.

Brainium has a unique culture, one that prizes curiosity, initiative, and ownership among our team. We don’t put people in rigid boxes and we don’t micromanage. We’ve seen remarkable things from our team in terms of people naturally stepping in to help onboard and mentor new employees, as well as new folks proactively identifying areas of opportunity to add value. This culture and ethos among our people has allowed us to bring in lots of new folks without having to add a ton of management infrastructure.

We pay an immense amount of attention to culture fit and alignment in our hiring process. The way our team has effectively integrated so many new members even during a tumultuous time is testament to the value of that approach.

You were initially VP of Operations and you are now the Chief Executive Officer at Brainium Studios. What in your opinion makes Brainium such a wonderful place?

Brainium was founded with a focus on a beautiful and uncompromising design-development philosophy. As we’ve grown, we’ve created a culture that has enabled us to scale our business and expand our product offerings without sacrificing the qualities that made Brainium so successful from the start.

That relentless focus on quality pervades every aspect of the company: from the actual game designs, to the way we code, to the design of our office, to the chairs we choose, and the way we treat our people. We’re a product company that happens to make profits, not the other way around. At this point our most important product is Brainium itself. Rather than just seeing ourselves as a game studio, our product vision for the business is to be a great place for talented people to come do the best work of their lives.

Could you discuss the decision-making sequence behind what game the Brainium team will work on next?

 It really is a collaborative exercise in finding what excites us. We don’t identify “good business opportunities” and work backward to products. Rather, we’ll sit around and throw out ideas and discuss genres, and think about whether or not there’s something unique or interesting we could add.  When we get to something we all start riffing on or getting animated about, we’ll pull on that thread and make plans to investigate more deeply. Sometimes that’s a quick and dirty prototype, sometimes it’s a design document, sometimes it’s a narrative construct. The approach varies, but it’s always about finding something that resonates and gets us all excited to see what we can do with it. As we grow, we’re working on ways to keep ideas coming from all corners of the company.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Brainium Games?

As mentioned above, our driving vision for the business is to be a great place for talented people to come do the best work of their lives. We absolutely can’t succeed at that without the talented people that make up our team, or the amazing work they do.  We’re immensely proud of our people and we’re honored to be named as one of Oregon’s 100 Best Places to Work. While we’ve had great growth in the last year, we’re still growing. I’d encourage engineers, designers, artists, and others looking to build something special as the next step in their career to check us out. Our hiring philosophy focuses on potential more than pedigree or past opportunities. We don’t have educational requirements, and we have people from all different backgrounds who’ve found a place to succeed with Brainium.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Brainium Studios.

The post Scott Willoughby, COO at Brainium – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Alexander Clark is the Founder & CEO of Starcade Arcade, a VR game studio and design company building titles based on the sci-fi universe of their first game Starblazer.

When did you initially become passionate about VR gaming?

Everyone remembers their first VR experience. For me, my best friend and later cofounder introduced me to the space as a hobby. I was blown away by the potential of the technology. To me, it went beyond gaming and really pushed the boundaries of entertainment by immersing people in new worlds and experiences. It began with a fascination for those worlds, and then an obsession to create some of our own.

Can you share the genesis story behind Starcade Arcade?

Starcade Arcade started with a friendship and love of new technology. My cofounder Brandon Haist used to write technology patents together at our previous jobs and then became inspired to create something of our own together. We both loved strategy games like Starcraft and stories like Ender’s Game but did not see anything like that in VR yet. The more we talked about it, the more we realized that we could create the types of content that we wanted to see in VR. It started with a simple idea for Starblazer, but then grew bigger and further into other games after that.

Starblazer is an ambitious multiplayer strategy game, could you share some details on the gameplay mechanics?

Mastering controls for a real-time strategy (RTS) game in VR has been the biggest challenge for us so far. VR is already an overwhelming experience, so bringing something in as complex as a strategy game can be a lot for users to process. That is why we decided to limit all controls to a single button. An entire game, with all ship commands, strategies, and movement, can be played by just pointing and clicking with a single button on just one controller. That mechanic, plus the fact that we use simple “rock-paper-scissors” logic with the ship battles makes it an accessible strategy game for most people to pick up and play.

So far Starcade Arcade games have been developed in Unity versus other popular gaming platforms such as Unreal engine, what was the rationale behind this?

With all of our partners, we are keen on choosing teams that are passionate and invested in the VR space. Unity has built a strong platform specifically for XR. If you look at the work that they have done building out the XR Toolkit and moving towards simpler cross-platform development, we think that their embrace of the XR space makes developing on their game engine the right choice for our games. As a small indie studio, resources are always limited. The less time we have to spend on the technical piece means more time spent on the creative world building.

You were successfully able to launch Starcade Arcade while maintaining a full-time job, could you share some of the challenges behind this?

The biggest challenge was energy management. Starcade Arcade is 100% bootstrapped and self-founded, but that came at the cost of toiling for 3 years with two separate jobs. Most days I would wake up at 4am to work on our game studio before starting my day as an engineering manager. It was hard not to get burned out or exhausted with the long hours, but the passion for what I was creating on the side kept me going strong. Looking back though, it is insane the amount of hours I was working to make it happen. Now that I’m on the other side of that, I feel like I can finally come back out into the sunlight and enjoy a little more of life.

What advice do you give to aspiring entrepreneurs or game makers?

Make friends and help the community. If you play things too close to the chest, you might miss out on amazing opportunities for your business. No one can do a start-up on their own, so it is important to identify people that you can help on your journey and those that will help you in return. Whether it is influencers that have embraced our games, peripheral partners that push our brand, or advocates that promote us within the larger headset companies, all of those relationships are vital for building a brand. Even past the business sense of it though, you will find yourself with a lot of new friends, which makes the process even sweeter.

Space Slurpies is one of your newest titles, could you share some details regarding this game?

Space Slurpies was inspired by visiting international conventions, like G-STAR in South Korea. We were having difficulties demonstrating our game because of the language barrier. This inspired us to create a game so simple and relaxing that anyone could immediately figure out how to play without us teaching them. The idea of re-creating the classic snake-based arcade game for VR seemed like the perfect concept for this. The final game achieves everything we were attempting to do. Players can move their snake freely just by moving their hand around to eat food and avoid other players. The environments are intentionally vibrant but chill, making for a nice balance of relaxation and energizing. Today, the game is released on all major headsets and is being ported over to all the upcoming mobile VR headsets as well, including HTC’s new Vive Focus 3.

In your opinion, what makes a VR game stand out from the pack?

Right now, there is a huge need for unique mechanics and content that is easy to learn and play. There are certain genres that helped VR break out into mainstream audiences – specifically I’m thinking of shooters, zombie games, and musical beat games. However, if developers are not careful, this space could easily become oversaturated and gamers will start looking for something unique and different. VR has so much potential with how it drives immersion and spatial awareness that I think there are lots of unexplored genres of games that could really make use of the technology.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Starcade Arcade?

One of the things that makes Starcade Unique from other studios is that we are building a collective brand across all of the games. Each of the games that we have made is part of a shared sci-fi universe, with a lot of the same characters and locations seen in all of them. This extends as far as our music on Spotify, with the characters even having their own playlists and content. We believe our games are stronger because they are all connected and hope people get bought into the worlds that we are creating.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Starcade Arcade.

The post Alexander Clark, Founder & CEO of Starcade Arcade – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Dmitry Kozko is the CEO of Motorsport Games, a Motorsport Network company, combines innovative and engaging video games with exciting esports competitions and content for racing fans and gamers around the globe.

You’ve been involved in Motorsports for a number of years now, what initially attracted you to this industry?

Since my teenage years, I have loved racing. I remember tinkering with my car to try to squeeze more speed out of it, then racing it. When I had a chance to work in the industry, I couldn’t pass it up.

Motorsport Games focuses on NASCAR games. What can players expect when it comes to realism, and other details from these games?

We cannot release any details on our upcoming NASCAR game at this time, but stay tuned for updates soon! Our goal is to wow our audience and shift gears to scale our other franchises such as BTCC and Le Mans.

Motorsport Games recently completed the acquisitions of KartKraft and Studio397. What does this mean for the future of the company?

We’re thrilled to have added these two uncredited brands to the Motorsport Games family. KartKraft has not only increased the amount of games we have in our portfolio, but also added the very exciting karting discipline. With Studio 397, we are leveraging their best-in-class technology that is applicable in all our future racing games. Not to mention the rFactor2 product – this has incredible potential as we work to evolve the product. So, in short, expect more exciting racing games on more platforms.

Motorsport Games is hosting the NASCAR Heat 5 esports event, Ultimate Summer Showdown, which is a four event esports tournament that began on April 30th and will culminate with a showpiece final on July 22nd. Can you share some details regarding this event and why should players take notice?

The Ultimate Summer Showdown is another opportunity for the NASCAR Heat community to become involved in the high-quality esports events hosted by Motorsport Games. By opening the series up to anyone in the community on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 who qualify, players have the opportunity to compete against some of the best racers on NASCAR Heat 5, including many eNASCAR Heat Pro League drivers and champions. While this series is separate from the eNHPL, it does allow players to showcase their skills ahead of the next season and potentially position themselves to attract the attention of eNHPL teams.

The Ultimate Summer Showdown championship finale will also feature over $30,000 in prize money, with the champions taking home $5,000 each. We have also partnered with BenQ North America, who is providing a pair of MOBIUZ Monitors to the champions, as well as three MOBIUZ Monitors to fans via social media giveaways. The Ultimate Summer Showdown has been a fun and highly competitive way to continue the excitement of NASCAR Heat 5 as we build toward the next game in the NASCAR franchise.

Motorsports Games also recently launched Traxion.gg, a content platform dedicated to the world of virtual motorsport and racing games. What can you tell us about this platform?

Traxion.gg is poised to become the destination for all things virtual racing, across the entire category. That is where we hope our community will interact and engage, as well as race together (or against one another). Traxion.gg is a destination first, and soon an ecosystem for virtual racing.

What’s your vision for the future direction of the company?

Our mission is to spread joy around the world through racing games. This means that we envision creating the best possible racings games for motorsport audiences, of all ages, around the world and beyond. As we get that right, we inspire to appeal to anyone that loves racing and to anyone enjoying good games.

Do you still find time to play games, if yes what games are you currently playing?

To be honest, not as much as I would like to! Lately, the games that I play for testing reasons and to experience what others are doing in our space.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Motorsport Games?

Motorsport Games aims to become the household brand name for all things virtual racing, starting with creating great games and esport experiences around the world's most renowned motorsport brands. We look forward to delivering fun and exciting experiences to the masses, regardless of which platform they play on or which racing discipline they enjoy. There are a lot of passionate team members here that cannot wait to show the world what we envision the virtual racing ecosystem can be.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Motorsport Games.

The post Dmitry Kozko, CEO of Motorsport Games – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Joey Jia is the CEO of Crazy Maple Studio, a gaming studio with the goal of bringing fictional stories to life by blending animation, music, sound effects, and a unique style of gameplay that offers players and readers an immersive interactive experience.

Could you share the vision behind Crazy Maple Studio?

Crazy Maple Studio’s vision was and still is today, a platform for both writers and readers to connect, share, play, create, and explore the world of storytelling, globally.

I felt traditional publishing hadn’t kept up with authors or fans and that it was time to democratize the reader and writer experience.

To give voice to authors and readers outside of what publishing gatekeepers had offered up. Serialized fiction, interactive storytelling, and mobile…these are all just technologies that we’ve harnessed to democratize access to writing and reading. We hope by using this technology, we elevate the human experience.

What initially attracted you to the concept of choose your own story games?

For me, the concept of narrative choose your own story games is just another way that content can be experienced that's immersive and fun.

Readers should have the chance to see themselves in a story. Let’s face it, a lot of interactive experiences aren’t reflective of the player. It’s really important to us that users really see representation in the story. Not only in their mind, but on the screen, too. Fans can choose gender and skin tone, and can even experience the same story multiple times in different ways.

I also saw a void in the market. Traditional publishing was not—and still isn’t—exploring new avenues of storytelling. The industry needed a shake-up, something new and unique that would engage a different audience of mobile gamers.

Could you tell us about the KISS app, and how it brings romantic fiction to a user’s smartphone?

KISS launched in October of 2020. The smart phone is a globally accessible safe space. Our readership is global, our Chapters Stories are localized in 13 languages, and their phone is the portal that allows them to explore romance adventures in a way that’s completely their own.

We certainly aren’t the only reading app out there, but our content is curated and chosen specifically by editors who have worked in traditional and indie publishing with New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors. When a reader enters into KISS, they know they’ll be provided with only the highest quality content.

Our newest reading app, Scream: Chills & Thrills, focuses on mystery, thrillers, suspense, true crime, and horror, with the same high quality of curated content.

Readers pay as they go, allowing them to sample authors/books without heavy commitments. Unlike traditional models or indie publishing, readers don’t have to purchase a book in its entirety.

AI on KISS and Scream ensures that readers have access to thousands of books that reflect their tastes. Authors benefit from the AI too, which gives them an endless source of discoverability. This is especially empowering for marginalized voices who historically have not had an easy path to publication.

An added perk of this mobile tech: authors can write and share their stories from anywhere in the world, at any time. They can create a livelihood from their content and foster real and meaningful relationships with the community of readers that they’ve grown on the app. Our authors can connect with casual readers, a demographic underserved in traditional models.

Writers who wish to work with KISS can submit stories. What benefits do writers see from this?

KISS provides authors with access to an entirely new audience of casual readers. These are readers who never would have found their book. We’re also providing authors with a bonus stream of previously untapped revenue, and we’re creating a community for our writers and readers for all voices, all genres.

Our authors are also paid for their work and it happens quickly. In traditional publishing few fiction writers receive advances, but in Kiss, Kiss writers can access an online portal for statements, payments and data, so it enables storytellers to have a consistent income that celebrates their bursts of creativity.

Another product is the Chapters: Interactive Stories. Could you tell us more about this?

Chapters: Interactive Stories is our first product and still a fan favorite with almost 3 million monthly active users. In Chapters, users choose their own avatar and make choices to direct the story as they read through an adapted popular romance novel. Chapters places the user in the story.

Chapters: Interactive Stories continues to be a vibrant place for storytellers and interactive fans. We have recently launched a User Generated Content (UGC) area called Community. We have over 7,000 writers contributing stories there daily in 5 different languages including Spanish, German, and English.

Community has shown us that fans want to support one another. The average fan in Community reads 5 stories per day and over 600,000 chapters are consumed globally every day.

Could you give an example of a story that a gamer can currently experience?

It’s so hard to narrow it down to just one story. We have thousands of stories and different genres. Why limit yourself to just one? Depending on your mood, you can indulge in an office fling, have a rendezvous with a vampire, or take a walk on the wild side. One of the interactive games our users are especially enjoying right now is “Touch and Go,” an adaptation of a book by  USA TODAY bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly. Readers are also enjoying “Seducing My Professor,” an adaptation of a popular Tessa Bailey book.

We have so many genres and themes to choose from, my best advice is to get on the app, browse, and see where you end up. You might be surprised at what you end up being drawn to.

In your opinion, what differentiates a gripping successful narrative compared to an average story?

There is so much appetite for niche stories.  And the fans of these niche stories are very often the most engaged, the most voracious fans.

I think we’ve proven that the formula for “gripping” isn’t as straightforward as traditional studios or traditional publishers would have us believe. We’re scaling new talent, interactivity, accessibility, and representation, and for our fans, those are the ingredients for gripping stories.

Engaging characters, great chapter hooks, high-stakes, and drama are what keep our readers “turning the page”.

Where do you see the future of these types of stories evolving?

Stories will continue to be more interactive and more accessible to both creators and fans. There’s a lot of talk about whether technology will replace storytellers, but I don’t see that ever happening. In the end, storytelling is part of the human experience, and we’re compelled to tell stories. Our stories will evolve as the world around us evolves.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Crazy Maple Studio?

What’s different about Crazy Maple Studio is our focus is really on empowering creators. Our writers are both globally recognized best sellers and emerging authors publishing for the first time. What we’ve found is these writers have an opportunity to perform equally well on our platform, and they both have access to a global audience and data feedback, which gives them insight into the minds of their most engaged audiences.

Readers and gamers can always count on new content, the stream will never run dry. There will always be a new story, a new experience.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Crazy Maple Studio.

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Mary Kaye Fraser is the Head of Studio at Clipwire Games, and a 20 + year games industry veteran. Clipwire Games is a mobile games studio headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with an additional team based in Montréal. Since launching in 2010, Clipwire has created a suite of games, including Bingo Story which is currently the top grossing free to play game on the app store of any Canadian developper.

Clipwire Games is expanding their team in Montreal after having achieved a 500% revenue growth in 2020. What do you believe was the secret sauce behind this astonishing growth?

When I joined Clipwire almost two years ago, we were just a small team of eight or nine people that had a handful of games that were performing quite well considering our size. Because we were a small team, everyone needed to be scrappy and wear many hats to make a startup game studio work.

Scaling the business has been a delicate balance between where we are now and how we got here and our future opportunities. We weren’t able to get here without our amazing team. From the start, we strived to create a culture that welcomes ideas from everyone and doesn’t limit the growth potential of individuals. And now that we’ve been working with AppLovin for over a year now, we’ve only continued to grow and deepen our expertise with their partnership.

Having started my career as a designer, I learned that limitations are often the precursors of innovation. This has proven to be a very useful guidance system even while “designing” growth.

Montreal is known as one of the world’s top five video game production cities. What is it about the ecosystem in Montreal that makes it so enticing for game studios?

Montreal is one of the top gaming hubs in the world and has deep expertise across so many industries, including technology, gaming and other creative industries. Based on the Ville de Montréal’s Economic Development Strategy, the city is expected to generate nearly 92,000 jobs by 2022 in cultural and creative industries, including video games, digital arts, and visual and live arts — which is so incredible to see. Because of the city’s location, amenities and opportunities available, there is a high caliber of talent in the city which makes it really attractive for growing companies.

Working with AppLovin has enabled us to focus on making great games and accelerate our growth. We’re excited to build a team in a gaming hub like Montréal which enables us to access a rich pool of established game developers, designers, artists and more.

Why is Montreal such a great city to live in?

It’s so easy to get around the city with a bustling downtown area that has fabulous restaurants and vibrant European vibe. Plus, the local government provides a lot of assistance for new residents and citizens to acclimate to the city, which ultimately encourages even more growth for the city.

Last year Clipwire Games was named as one of the Best Workplaces for Today's Youth and was recently named one of Canada’s Best Places to Work. What makes the work environment so magical?

The people! Our team works hard and we want to make sure that individuals are recognized for their hard work. We have an initiative called, “Achievement-of-the-Month” that rewards stellar employees with an on the spot bonus. These used to include an invitation to dinner with the CEO, but these have been put on hold until the pandemic is over.

When we first started working from home, we surprised and delighted employees with a new engraved set of Apple AirPods in recognition of the great commitment and teamwork they’ve demonstrated since beginning to work from home. At Christmas, we shipped everyone a large gift box that included high end branded swag including a blanket, Moleskine notebook, pens, water flask, silicone lunch box, canvas lunch bag, mug, sweatshirt and more. Now we send the same box to all our new employees so that they receive it in their first week. We also made sure that employees had the right equipment and tools so that we could still maintain our collaborative culture. Luckily, it was a pretty seamless transition and we have even been able to bring on more new employees while working remotely.

What do you personally enjoy the most from working at Clipwire Games?

There is lots of room to grow. We’ve already scaled the studio by a factor of four times in the time I’ve been here and we do our best to find opportunities for people to stretch and grow in new ways. It’s also a lot of fun to make great games that people enjoy and get creative with how we build and tell stories through games. Working with AppLovin’s seasoned team of experts and solutions has also helped us grow what we can do with our games, which has enabled us to build a new team in Montreal.

What projects are currently being worked on?

We recently signed a deal with Fremantle Media to take the player experience to the next level with an event inside our hit game Bingo Story that is based on their classic TV show, The Price is Right. And there are several other great projects in the works.

It has been such a fun adventure and learning experience for the whole team. For some, this was the first time working on an intellectual property (IP), so working with Fremantle Media has been a great learning experience. We worked with them on everything from the design to event and game concept to prizes and more.

We had such positive feedback from our players about the integration event, that we decided to extend it and hopefully replicate again.

Why was The Price is Right the perfect show to create into a mobile game?

We saw that Bingo Story and The Price is Right have similar audiences, as well as a renewed nostalgia for game shows so we thought it would be a great opportunity to create something fresh and new for players.

We also saw there was good alignment with the game’s mechanics and both demographics, so putting The Price is Right into our top grossing game Bingo Story was a natural fit. Having grown up watching The Price is Right, along with the rest of our team, there was also an element of delight when we saw the game scenes and heard the music in the game build.

On top of all that Price is Right will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year and has seen a renaissance during the pandemic as people look to nostalgia that offers a sense of familiarity and comfort. I think our timing on this was pretty exceptional and Fremantle has been a wonderful partner.

With the team expanding, what roles are you looking at filling and what type of talent are you looking for?

We’re hiring mid to senior level roles across all our teams including art, design, programming and HR. People who have experience in games development are encouraged to apply, particularly if you thrive in a fast paced, highly collaborative team and encourage ideas (even from the most unexpected places).

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Clipwire Games?

Check out our openings in Toronto, Montreal and greater North America.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Clipwire Games.

The post Mary Kaye Fraser, Head of Studio at Clipwire Games – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Shanil Wijesinghe is the COO & Co-founder at Motion Miracles, an interactive media company that creates powerful gaming & animated story experiences.

What were your favorite games growing up?

My favourite games growing up were historic strategy games. One of the first games I fell in love with were Civilization IV, Medieval 2 Total War, and Age of Empires. These games coupled with my grandfather's library at home sparked my fascination with history and the big-picture and small-picture narratives that shape humanity.

Could you share with us the genesis story of Motion Miracles?

The genesis of Motion Miracles was a two-pronged initiative made by my brother, Anish, and me. He had a hit animation and rigging Youtube channel called Motion Miracles that garnered millions of views. Meanwhile, I was a third-year university student at McGill University, Montreal, studying economics and dreading my career prospects as an economist. I could not picture myself in an analytical job running regressions of economic trends. So, I turned to my childhood to uncover what fascinated me in my youth. I determined that my love of art and the propensity for my imagination to wander off should lead me down a creative career path. Shortly after this resolution, I stumbled upon the game Journey by That Game Company which showed me that video games can be an artistic masterpiece and an ideal outlet for my creativity. Across the ocean, in Sri Lanka, my brother also wanted to venture into video game design because he felt that it was a logical next step after exploring animation. With these aligned interests, we founded Motion Miracles as a video game company in the summer of 2017.

What type of games does Motion Miracles aim to produce?

In order to allow the company to freely produce creative games and other digital media content, we resolved to establish ourselves financially to afford ourselves creative liberty. Therefore, we're pursuing mobile game production in partnership with global publishers such as Voodoo and Supersonic Games because the games' production is small in scale but has high financial yields.

What’s your personal favorite game that Motion Miracles has developed, and what makes it special in your mind?

I think this prize goes to Wacky Winter. It was the first ever game we launched to the App Store and it brought out the creative talents of the team. It has poppy and cute visuals, smooth animations, and we had a lot of fun making the array of characters. Fun fact: the world champion beat boxer at the time, Alem, worked with us to put himself as a character in the game. He even supplied us with a track of him beatboxing, which plays when you unlock and play as his character. The game is a simple endless runner where you swipe to shift lanes; however, there's an added twist in which you can tap to slam your hammer to catch runaway Christmas elves.

This was our game's trailer which my brother animated with help from our lead animator Pasindu de Silva:

And here's the trailer we released after Alem partnered with us:

The game didn't perform well since we were naive and didn't know the importance of mobile game performance metrics such as day 1 retention and Cost Per Install. However, we managed to turn a loss into a win by showcasing the game's production quality as a portfolio piece to publishers such as Voodoo and Lion who then took an interest in partnering with our studio.

One of the games that Motion Miracle has released called Tie n Dye which hit the top 10 on the US App Store. Could you tell us more about this game?

Tie n Dye, which is now renamed to perfect dipping, was one of the games we made in partnership with a mobile game publisher. Our lead game developer, and now head of the games division, Binura de Zoysa, came up with the idea and built the game around the premise of a simple puzzle game with a Tie-Dye theme. He created a snackable game in which you try to master the art of dipping things in dyes to perfectly match the target image. It's a bite-sized snackable game that's easy to pick up but hard to master.

You’ve been investigating how to safely use cryptocurrency to build a community around a game, what are some of the concepts that you have considered?

This endeavour is not being actively undertaken by us at the moment. But, it is something that would interest us in the medium to long-term. We've seen that cryptocurrency can be a great tool to help build communities around a shared interest. I've also studied a little about “Transition Towns” such as Totnes, UK, which bring together a community around an ecological and community enhancement mission. A small component of this community enhancement is introducing its own currency which helps Totnes preserve its core values without interference from the Great British Pound. We wanted to see what can be done with rallying a community around a game and then using a cryptocurrency to assist the maintenance of this community. As you can see, it's still very theoretical and very much in a pre-concept phase. So, there isn't much to talk about at the moment with this.

Motion Miracles is located in Sri Lanka, how active is the gaming community there?  

The gamer/gaming community is active here in the cities of Colombo and Kandy. Beyond the two big cities, I believe mobile gaming is the most accessible form of gaming. However, you'd be hard-pressed to find gamers who have played games beyond the big titles such as Call of Duty, CSGO, Assassins' Creed, God of War. It's quite special to find someone who has played indie titles such as Journey, Undertale, or Stardew Valley. I also believe that we're yet to see a large-scale prevalence of gaming among women in the country since games are still perceived as a source of entertainment for boys.

In terms of finding talent for the studio, our main challenge is grappling with some of the residue effects of colonization. The British colonial state has left behind a legacy in which education is meant to encourage obedience rather than creativity or out-of-the-box thinking.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Motion Miracles?

We have a lot of ambitions beyond our start in hypercasual mobile games. We have learnt so far about adding depth to simple and intuitive game mechanics since the hypercasual mobile games market rejects games that are slightly convoluted or too two-dimensional in gameplay. We're eager to take these learnings forward when we branch into PC/console games, or even games that can be used as ecological tools.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Motion Miracles.

The post Shanil Wijesinghe, COO & Co-founder at Motion Miracles – Interview Series appeared first on Gaming.net.

Joe Zhou is the Founder & CEO of FirstBlood an online gaming tournament platform that lets gamers compete and win real rewards playing Dota2, Call of Duty: Warzone, PUBG, and more.

What were your favorite games growing up?

My favorite video games growing up are world of warcraft, Sims and Maplestory.

What was the inspiration for the name Firstblood?

First Blood is what most games call the first kill of a match in competitive games like FPS or MOAB type games. Since we were creating the first blockchain-powered esports and competitive gaming platform, FirstBlood seemed very apropos.

You launched FirstBlood in 2015, could you share the genesis story of this startup?

At that time, I was between exiting my first startup company in the Bitcoin space – an option trading platform for Bitcoin and working at the new company that acq-hired us. I played a lot of legends at that time and wanted to build something special to accommodate players who would play the 1v1 game mode so my co-founder, Anik Dang, and I started building this proof of concept that would combine our passion for crypto and gaming.

FirstBlood was one of the first esports platforms to offer a decentralized token. What originally inspired the idea for the Dawn token (Formerly named FirstBlood token)?

The story began from us being gamers since we were little. At that time, with Twitch and streaming getting more and more popular, we really wanted to create this platform and decentralized currency for gamers.

What are some of the use cases for this token?

Currently you can use tokens to purchase credits on the platform, unlock premium benefits (for free just by holding them in your wallet) and as well as prizing.

What are some of the premium benefits that are unlocked for users for holding the token?

Users can gain access to premium tournaments and premium features. Earn points up to 5 times faster on the platform as well as early access to any game we are supporting at the moment.

What are the different types of games that are found on the FirstBlood platform?

We currently support FPS games like Call of Duty：Warzone, PUBG and FreeFire as well as MOBA title Dota2.

Could you share some details regarding the recent partnership announcement between MakerDAO and FirstBlood, and what will it mean for players?

The partnership with MakerDAO really enabled us to offer stable crypto tokens (DAI) as a prize pool and this was not possible before. It will allow players to win their prizes in stable currencies existing on Blockchain and participate in any sort of blockchain applications using those DAI.

Do you still find the time to play games, if so which ones?

I try to get at least a few hours of gaming time each week just to stay informed. During my leisure time, I mostly play Dota2 (ranked), League of Legends (ranked) and WOW: Classic.

In your view what will esports look like in 5 years?

Accessibility is the #1 thing I am longing for. The game play whether it is on the pro level or amateur level will be more available for everyone. I would love to see Esports fans participate in this space not only as viewers but also as players.

Is there anything else that you would like to share about FirstBlood or Dawn?

We have a ton of good projects currently in development, whether it’s on the integration side of things or adding the latest technology to our offering such as NFT. Definitely follow our socials to stay tuned!

Thank you for the interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit FirstBlood.

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