Gamers and game developers can seem like they’re on different planets. Developers wonder why deserving games don’t get noticed. Gamers wonder why popular features don’t make it into many of the games they play.
Publisher Spil Games is looking for a solution. At Casual Connect USA in San Francisco, they’re hosting a roundtable discussion between a mobile games player, a developer and a publisher to help suss out what gamers want and what makes a game successful. The discussion is part of the publisher’s Unsung Heroes campaign, which includes a already-underway competition for indie games. More than 300 games were entered, and the winner, which will be announced in September, will receive a publishing deal worth $50,000.
The upcoming roundtable discussion is set for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Booth #417 at Hilton Union Square.
The player: Kristen Rutherford is a mother and a writer known for her work on How to Be a Grown Up and BBC America’s The Nerdist Show. Recently, her gaming finds more of a home on iPhone and iPad rather than her Xbox, and she loves role play, puzzle and tower building games.
The developer: Jake Sones brings perspectives from both indie and AAA experience. Formerly a game designer for Sony, Insomniac and Blizzard, he started Shovelware Games in late 2014. The studio is focusing on games with simple mechanics and small scope. Their first project, Zombie Match Defense, is a match-three zombie defense hybrid.
The publisher: Spil Games’ Head of Licensing for Mobile Publishing Jan-Michel Saaksmeier will also be joining the panel. He previously worked at Bigpoint, where he applied his expertise in finding and developing successful games and maximizing revenue to Farmerama.
Spil Games will record the discussion and later release a video of the highlights.
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