IGDA Game Developer Group meetup happened just last Tuesday, April 27 in NYC. Organized and lead by Tam (thanks Tam) and held at Large Animal Games studio.
Focus: “Getting Your Game In-front of Eyeballs” or simply marketing/ promotional strategies for games.
We, at Miharo games attended this event and even shared our strategies. I would absolutely encourage developers to attend meeting as such. Most valuable thing you get is yet another fresh perspective on marketing.( I meant that in positive way) In Miharo’s case, strategy was validated (to some degree) and areas for improvement were clearly exposed. We were both influenced and motivated by presentation given by Tina Shih, representing Arkadium, and Sherry Adams (Sarbakan). Both studios are much bigger and more accomplished than Miharo, yet much of strategies are shared. Most important being: marketing is more than just advertising. It’s a combination of SEO, SEM, PR and SOCIAL MEDIA. I guess I should reverse it: SOCIAL MEDIA etc…
Marketing budget dictates how far you can push and what you can get.
We can talk about ROI all day long but first one needs the” I” in this formula to undertake what Arkadium and Sarbakan are able to pull off. That said, even a tiny budget (or none) allows to replicate efforts larger studios. Granted, it would be with much smaller share of voice but still enough visibility to boost traffic and sales. Just have to be consistent and creative.
Miharo Games Low Budget Marketing Plan:
Covering basics
When you got to start somewhere start with standards.
- Optimize all your channels for SEO, even if site content is not updated very often you need to ensure all you got is solid. Relevant keywords and phrases, good original content etc…
- Have a blog (just like this one), facebook, youtube, forum etc… all adds up.
- Must track: web data, traffic etc… it will only validate your efforts but most importantly help you understand your customers/visitors. Another bonus is tracking direct response from external campaigns. We use Google analytics but there are many options out there to choose from.
Social Media Focus:
- FOLLOW, INFLUENCE and then LEAD. Not an easy formula but attainable. Social Sites are SOCIAL (DaDa) and demand human interaction. Be human. Be genuine and leave your sales pitch for distribution companies.
- Keep it fresh and up to date; share your opinion, even better if edgy J
- “Nothing to write” – total BS. Write up review of games you play, like, dislike. Be honest. I assume if your’e into gaming you do play games. Share a link to competitors’ site. I believe this will pay off: better traffic, search visibility.
PR efforts
- Reach out to all critics, reviewers – both small and big fish. The pond is large and it takes few (or more than few) baits to catch something. Every back link, mention counts.
- Miharo is not branding any promotional efforts; we focus on the games not the company.
- Send emails daily if you’ve got time. You really do not know what will make it online. Our strategy; short email with a pitch plus attachment containing screenshots, descriptions etc… That’s how we’ve got our profile on GameSpot and few other large and well known sites. True, it’s hard to find us there but it counts for SEO.
Special promotions:
- High score contest, funny survey or a dare – be creative/ be different.
- Miharo repeats all efforts: Social Media, SEM and PR
Now, that was before the meetup. After Tina’s and Sherry’s presentation we’ve added few points:
- Start marketing early in development stage! (stressed by Sarbakan)
- have a plan
- figure out what’s your target audience
- make sure you’re choosing right platform per your target
- Generate interest even before beta testing; share a soundbite, a trailer etc..
- always test your game with new “set of eyeballs”
- Tina shared that ‘if you don’t know who your prospective player is, try to get a very diverse audience to test a game’
- Collect data during game testing. It might very well happen that after stage 2 good percentages of testers hit the “wall” of difficulty. It will be way easier to adjust setting before game is release than after.
If you like to join this meetup and meet myself and bunch of other great people, don’t hesitate.You can find IGDA on http://www.meetup.com/igda-nyc/
Here, I would like to thank:
Tam, for organizing the event. Tam just ported Scrambler to ipad with much success. Check the game here http://www.neuronicgames.com/skrambler/
Large Animal Games http://www.largeanimal.com/ for having us over and giving us a little tour of their studio.
Tina Shish (Akadium), for great presentation http://www.arkadium.com/game_library.aspx
Sherry Adams (Sarbakan),for sharing good advice. Check their site at www.sarbakan.com . They’ve just released really cool game, Lazy Riders. Super nice concept, where a player guides a character by manipulating/controlling outside word. REAL NEAT.
Thanks for stumbling upon this blog entry.
Monika
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Do you love old games as we do? I can hear your screams crying about YES!!! Anyway Good Old Games adds Monolith’s FPS game game called Blood 2 to their store. Game is Windows XP, Vista and 7 32-Bit/64-Bit compatible and DRM-free of course. Also it has game’s soundtrack too. You can buy the game from GOG.com for only $5.99. Go and spill some blood.
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Eidos and Crystal Dynamics released new screenshots and one artwork for their upcoming digital download only arcade game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. You can check out new screenshots from here.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is the first download only title from Crystal Dynamics and the first Co-op Lara Croft game. A classic formula of puzzles, combat and exploration coupled with breath-taking visuals deliver this fast-paced, isometric gaming experience.
When Lara Croft finds the long lost Temple of Light in the mountains of Central America, she unwittingly frees an evil spirit determined to plunge the world into eternal darkness. Alongside Totec, a Mayan tribesman, you must hunt down the Mirror of Smoke in what will be a new and incredible adventure.
Famed fantasy artist Michael Komarck captures an intense and epic moment as we see Lara Croft and Totec fight for survival in the first official piece of key art for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will be released on XBLA, PSN and PC this Summer
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Bungie, known for Halo, Myth and Marathon, has entered into an exclusive 10-year partnership with Activision, to bring it’s next big multiplatform action game universe to market.
Under the terms of the agreement, Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices. Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The groundbreaking alliance will provide Bungie its first such partnership since splitting off from Microsoft in 2007, significantly broadening its global reach by providing the resources and support to develop, distribute and release games worldwide on multiple platforms and devices.
Activision will broaden its portfolio with a new franchise from one of the industry’s most creative, successful and proven studios, whose games have sold more than 25 million units worldwide. To date, Bungie’s Halo games have generated approximately $1.5 billion in revenues, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK. Activision expects this agreement to be accretive to its operating margins as of the release of the first game.
“We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,” said Harold Ryan, President of Bungie. “From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences.”
“Bungie is one of the premier studios in our industry and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with their talented team over the next decade,” stated Thomas Tippl, Chief Operating Officer of Activision Blizzard. “Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry’s best creative talent. Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities.”
Blizzard released StarCraft 2 Beta client for Mac users. You can download the client from your Battle.net account. Just log in and you can see the client if you are an existing beta tester. Only US version available right now but Blizzard will release it for other regions soon.
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Atari released first trailer of Eden Games’ social racing game Test Drive Unlimited 2. Game is coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 and will be available this fall. Also you can check game’s website.
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Electronic Arts released the debut trailer of their sci-fi horror game. Visceral Games is developing the game for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Game will be released this fall. Check out the awesome trailer now.
]]>Register NOW for your chance to win an iPod Touch, Amazon gift cards and our games! In order to win you need to play the online demo of our game Elliptic Twist and get the highest score on the leaderboard, that’s it! The contest is NOT limited to US residents – we love our international fans!
Register here: http://www.contest.elliptictwist.com/
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MEET MELINE : THE 3D ANIMATED SHORT FILM (by Sebastien Laban & Virginie Goyons) from Sebastien LABAN on Vimeo.
Last year in Lyon, France Sebastien Laban and Virginie Goyons debuted their short film “Meet Meline”. This 3D animated short was completed after 2 years in the making. Meet Meline was basically created at the home of Sebastien and Virginie. In one of their bedrooms to be specific. Virginie, a 3D Supervisor at a gaming company in France, and Sebastien A director and Photographer, wanted to create a simple animation to train themselves in 3D, but after they took the animation to a 20 seconds short they decided to take it to a greater level and push their limits. This film was created in their free time with no real budget.
The six and a half minutes short tells the story of a little girl that very soon in the story gets visited by one of her drawn creatures. The story continues with her trying to find this creature, and it expresses her curiosity very well. This film sets you back to your childhood, at the time that we were all so curious about everything.
The animation the textures and the camera angles of it are superb. The compositing and post production of it is also something that deserves some kudos. The music and sound FX are incredibly awesome. Not so often a 3D short comes around with such carefully crafted sound.
The film is totally worth the watch. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it in many ways.
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WiiSpray – a technical experiment
During development in the Spring of 2007, Bauhaus University Media Department students Martin Lihs and Frank Matuse completed Prototype One, forming the groundwork for the WiiSpray. Upon consideration, Martin Lihs chose to further investigate this project for his Master Thesis, developing an entirely new Prototype, known today as WiiSpray 2nd edition. Complete with new ideas as to how the interface works, how the physical model appears, and a new 3 Dimensional interaction concept. The part of the software that allows Collaboration working is now in a betastatus.
What is the „WiiSpray“ project?
The foundational basis for the project goes well beyond replacing real graffiti as an art form. Moreover, WiiSpray
is to be seen as an interface to give graffiti a new virtual level surpassing tactile boundaries of the tangible world.
Within the system, there is a symbiosis of digital and analog as well as overcoming restrictions of distance and time. An advantage of the system proves to possess a user-friendly design simple enough for children to use. The virtual canvas allows the user to decide what is saved and what is discarded, all the while keeping the surrounding area clean and free of what otherwise would be a messy form of media.
The actual hardware tool of the artist – the spraying can – remains constant in its shape and
function and is a catalyst for this software supporting innovative computer interaction. The self-explanatory program requires no previous knowledge or reference of a user’s manual. This software allows users to make the game all their own, offering a wide
range of colors, interchangable caps, along with the possibility to incorporate the user’s personal photos, graphics, and backgrounds into the setting.
The WiiSpray provides a framework of different possibilities yet without any specifications on how to use it. Every user decides for themselves what his or her creative expressions might be.
WiiSpray is independent of platforms and is based on »Adobe Flash«,
a »WiiiSpray server« how is based on the »WiiFlash server«, and standard »Wii« technology.
WiiSpray, a technical experiment with a lot of potential for expansion and application.
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Thousands of game developers were waiting for Adobe CS5 release for a one specific reason. Adobe promised new Adobe Flash CS5 will have I-Phone / Android app compiler. That means you could make games for I-Phone and Android from Flash itself. Lots of companies were in pre-production for new games. This could open doors for new games, new opportunities, new development systems and eventually new jobs in gaming industry. Apple’s application store is so big it could turn all those dreams into reality for game developers like us.
Well, Apple already destroyed it all before it even started. New version of the iPhone Developer Program license makes those dreams impossible. It is like a slap on the Adobe’s face, some other game engines, Indie Game Developers and game players.
Here is what Apple says on new version of Developer License section 3.3.1
3.3.1 — Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).
Well that means you cannot make games with Flash and send it to Apple anymore. Adobe CS5 is not even out yet and Apple bans the Flash with this last minute move. This section also affect some other game developing engines, like Unity 3D for example. Some of the most successful games in app store are made with Unity, but this new section bans also Unity 3D for future games. It might also affect future Unreal Engine mobile or I-Pad plans badly. So what is going to happen to developers already in production of games with Unity 3D? Don’t ask us, we are one of many and we are still not sure…
Why? Don’t they want more games in their store? Isn’t that weird?
Well it is Apple after all and monopoly is in their vocabulary. They don’t want a lot of Flash games and apps releasing for both IPhone and Android. Elimination of Flash and other engines will consequently keep them on top. It’s not in their interest for every iPhone game to be available on Android. Of course on this death row are some other game engines to be sacrificed, and some small game companies and some indie developers will be screwed here and there. That’s just couple of eggs lost in the way of the great omlet.
We love to make games and we will never stop doing it. It doesn’t matter for Apple, Microsoft, Sony or whatever the platform it is, we will figure it out and keep making games for players. It will be Flash, Cocoa Touch, Unity or whatever we have to use… At the bottom line game developers make games for players not for these companies.
We wish Apple could learn to share the big pie and not to limit game developers or players.
But we guess there is no app for that…
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Yesterday at 11am(EDT) Adobe unveiled the new Creative Suite 5. The new features were presented in the following categories:
- Design Premium
- Web Premium
- Production Premium
Each of these packages explained a few of the things that we’ll be able to take advantage in the new release. Here is a short list of the new features :
For Photoshop:
- A new Fill with content awareness. This will allow you to remove an portion of an image and have the gap be completed by Photoshop. The result: a clean quick content removal and filling the blank space without the use of the Clone Stamp or any other method. All this in just seconds.
- The ability to use 3D in text right inside Photoshop.
- Ease to handle HDRI.
- A noise reduction improvement. Images will retain detail much better.
- A lens correction effect. This will help correct the lens distortion by simply telling Photoshop the camera you used.
For Flash:
- Export the content created in flash to multiple devices. This is the one feature that got us really excited. If this is truly what it claims it does, developers will be able to take their applications technically everywhere from web to Android and hopefully iPhones and Ipads. This will really change things for game developers (assuming that it will work seamless).
For Illustrator:
- The possibility of of easily handle dashes and lines. with just a single button tap yo can get your lines to match much better in the corners.
For Dreamweaver:
- You can check how a page will behave across all the browsers. Using BrowserLabs we can now compare browser renditions of a page or “onion skin” them one on top of the other.
- Dreamweaver will also link all the files that are required to load a page. this will help you see what files are connected to a page and less trip to testing in a server.
For the other programs the changes didn’t see that drastic other that Adobe is now developing 64bit versions for all of them. This is great for those of us who are dying to change to 64bit and use as many ram as we want.
In conclusion, the new CS5 seems pretty promising. Some of the softwares are really good updates while others aren’t that much. I’d recommend you get trial versions and see if the fit to you before upgrading.
Here is a link if you want to know more and see some videos:
CS5 Full description
We will soon be launching a contest to win an 8G iPod Touch! In order to win you need to play the online demo of our game Elliptic Twist and get the highest score on the leaderboard, that’s it!
Stay tuned. (or you can start practicing already 
)
Check out the gameplay trailer .
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The Nano Suit is back!!
EA and Crytek announced that, the release date of the long time expected sequel of Crysis, will be in for the holidays this year. The announcement came with a nice preview of what to expect in the third game of this award-winning franchise. This time the aliens are back with a full invasion and of course what better place to start the destruction than New York City. The new trailer showcases the disaster that has been happening in the city and how the US army is also more involved in the war against the aliens. The game ill be released for PC as well as Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
To see the new trailer click here:
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Apple unveiled details about the next major update to the iPhone OS for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. iPhone OS 4.0 will be available this summer for iPhone and iPod touch. iPad owners, which already have a few of the features in iPhone OS 4.0, will be able to upgrade in the fall.
OS 4.0 will give developers access to improve and extend the capabilities of their apps, such as multitasking and improved enterprise support.
Multitasking
Multitasking capabilities will open new doors for developers and users. For example while you are listening Pandora, same time you can download the song you are listening. Because of multitasking, developers can be able to manage their services to best optimize battery life and performance.
Backgrounds and Folders
You can add custom backgrounds for both the lock screen and the home screen. For new way to organize your apps, iPhone OS now has folders. Apps can be dragged on top of each other to create a folder, and other apps can be added.
Multiple e-mail accounts can be seen all at once without switching accounts. Switching between different inboxes much faster and you can add more than one Exchange account if you want.
Game Center
Game Center will be Xbox Live kind of service for applications. Leaderboards and achievements, challenge to other players and more.
iAd
Developers will have APIs to add support for ads into their apps, and will handle all the necessary ad sales. The ads will help support free apps, and developers will get 60 percent of ad revenue. iAd will not take you outside of the app. Dismiss the ad whenever you want, and you’re right back where you left off.
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Pearl Lands is a new online real-time space strategy game from Miharo Games. Develop your own planet, build up your army, make allies and foes in the universe, trade resources and attack hostile planets. Coming soon.
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