“What we wanted to do is always look at, whether it be a game development or a mobile app or interactive story book or anything else that we would do, from a sense that we can actually build a world around this and grow it,” says Jimmy Yun during his panel at Casual Connect USA.
Jimmy Yun, CEO of Section Studios, Inc,, announced at Casual Connect USA 2014 that the company has launched a create-your-own-adventure game called Vlad the Impaler on Steam. It will soon be available on mobile as well. They are also getting ready to launch a platformer game called Tinertia as early access on Steam. They have also launched an exciting update on their popular runner game Zombie Killer Squad, that they have developed in partnership with 3BlackDot.
Working With Family
Yun would love to be an artist, but admits he is not. Instead, his creativity is in the art of business with a background in corporate strategy. But, with his artist brother, Justin Yun, as his inspiration, he decided to start Bluecanvas, a social networking site for artists online, which is best known for its magazine.
Meanwhile, his brother was freelancing as a concept artist for game companies and entertainment studios. The two of them decided to create an additional business, Section Studios, shortly after bringing in their third partner, Cecil Kim. They began growing the company aggressively. Today, Section Studios has expanded to three divisions: Games, Interactive, and Entertainment. Yun is responsible for the business end of the company and uses his strategy background to structure deals, create projects and establish a good corporate foundation for this creative studio. He claims, “Every business shares some level of common theme in what good business practice is; it is especially enjoyable to apply these business fundamentals in a creative environment.”
An Evolving Business
As a small company, they are constantly evolving. Yun says that with every person they add to the team, which is now approaching 60, they receive a new perspective about the company. It is built around its people, so with each addition, the company evolves in the direction and vision of what they can be in the gaming, interactive, and entertainment spaces. He believes, “We are blessed to have the people we have in our company. Each new hire is another amazing event that signifies a new chapter.”
A creative business has a constant need for inspiration. Yun insists that every person brings a new form of inspiration and that every project they engage in is driven by it. “We have to love what we make in order for us to make it well. Every product truly does first start in our hearts.”
A Good Secret
He considers the proudest moment of his career came when a client said, “You are the industry’s best kept secret.” He admits, “I understood the client acknowledged our youth, but nevertheless, I was very proud to receive such a compliment.” But as CEO, he most certainly does not intend for them to remain a secret. Although being well-known is not the end goal, it will certainly help them to grow.
Yun comes from a tech/manufacturing background, so he recognizes the faster and faster turnaround in technology. As a content creator, Section Studios has decided to stay informed not only technologically, but to also stay focused on creativity to build timeless content. He is fascinated by the current TV market and content, first with film and then games. He is not sure what the end result will be, but as gaming content has become essentially platform-free, he is interested to see how TVs, as a platform/console themselves, will contribute to the evolution of gaming.
Free Time to Play
In Yun’s free time, he enjoys playing with his family, golfing, reading and sometimes playing Candy Crush. Usually, he plays the games Section Studios is developing, but for pleasure, it’s Candy Crush “mainly for the same reason everyone else is playing it.” He also plays Zombie Killer Squad, a game they developed, if time allows.
As a gamer, he says, “I love F2P because it’s free!” But as a developer, he recognizes it is difficult to make a good F2P game. He has great respect for those who really understand the F2P model, but many developers are attracted to the perception of limitless success while not fully understanding the difficulty. He states, “We aspire to think in this realm as we approach each concept of games we’re developing. With our ZKS game, we’ve taken a shortcut into monetization by working with our amazing partners at 3BlackDot through an influencer driven user acquisition.” He would love to try another F2P game when their resources permit.
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