Launching a Gaming studio in Singapore
Challenges and OpportunitiesAlban Villani
FOREVER YOUNG STUDIO
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HOW DID WE END UP DOING GAMES?
Digital & Video Advertising since 2008
Games & Gamification since 2010
SIMILARITIES IN PRODUCTIONProcess Stress Tech constraints Innovation-driven
Social Media Platform
Serious GamingGamification
PARTNERS
GAMING IS THE SUM OF ALL OUR EXPERTISES
WHY DO WE MAKE GAMES IN ASIA?
MOTIVATION
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CASE STUDY – WHAKAN
STATUS Released in Q3 2012 http://www.whakan.com
FEATURES 50 characters to interact with 200 collectible spells with their
own illustration and animation 5 regions to explore Draw Runes on screen to cast
spells Original music Digital art llustrations for the story Back-end editor for Battle, Game
Balance and Map positioning
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CASE STUDY – RESULTS
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COMMERCIAL
1. 100,000+ downloads2. 90% Freemium / 10% Paid app3. Conversion rate: 1.7%4. Average spending: 4.9 SGD5. Main markets:
US/CH/KR/RUS/FR/JP/INDO
RECOGNITION
– 4.5 STARS worldwide (400+ 5-Stars)– 1,000 fans on Facebook– Spotted by major publishers: GREE,
DeNA, GAMEVIL, GUMI– Spontaneous reviews– Investor deal for Whakan’s sequel to
be officially announced in July 2013
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CASE STUDY – POSTMORTEM
SUPPORT/CONSTRAINTS
– IDEAS+Budget: 48,000 SGDReimbursement-based– M-ASSIST– OFFICE (G.S.C)‒ TIME~1 year of negotiation~3 months of completion
WHAT WE GOT RIGHT
1. Completed on time with a small team
2. Full-game instead of a Prototype
3. Additional funds from Homemade kickstarter
4. Unique identity, design5. Monetization model: we
used the game as a test6. Creation of an editor
1. Go for iOS only (budget)2. Go for single player3. Launch = wrong version4. Size (>150Mb)5. Self-Publishing6. MDA = no advisors7. Local startup ecosystem8. Design not sexy enough
for Publishers
WHERE WE WERE WRONG
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MYTHS vs REALITYOPPORTUNITIES
– MDA + GSC– IDA– SPRING– P.I.C and other tax incentives– Incubators– Singapore position in APAC: PR /
Partners / Culture / Markets– Strong Publishing environment– Network of small, talented and
resilient studios– Still cheaper to create a game in Asia
THREATS
– MDA Guidelines & Delays– New visa restrictions– Shortage of skills: visa / bigger studios– Tech: unstable market (iOS? Android?
Facebook? Blackberry?) + Singapore tries to push HTML5 (Singtel, MDA/IDA), which poses a lot of problems for programming
– Publishers: market flooded with clones and cheap productions making money
– Investors: very cautious/Easier US, EU
What’s Next? iOS/Android Multiplayer
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WORD GAMEEnd June
2013
WHAKANWARSQ3 2013