The gaming industry takes all types. There are coders. There are designers. And then there are the people like Tobias Edl. He leads the business development at InnoGames, a Germany-based browser and mobile game developer and publisher. His primary focus at InnoGames is to build and strengthen relationships with media such as newspapers, TV shows, gaming websites and more.
“Luckily for people like me, there are jobs in the gaming industry in which you do not need to have any skills in programming, design, or art”, he says. He is a 10-year veteran of the gaming industry and has had previous stints as the director of business development at Playa Games and senior manager of business development at King. In addition, he has 14 years of experience in online business.
Opportunity in Collaboration
While his job may not be the first thing people think about when they think of gaming, his job is an integral and necessary part of the gaming industry — and he encourages others who share similar passions and skills to check out what a job like his has to offer. “If you are a communicative person who likes to see and meet a lot of different people, and who is not anxious dealing with numbers, business development in the gaming industry might be the perfect match for you.”
Tobias brings a wealth of expertise and relationships to InnoGames. He notes that his long-term relationships with media contacts have been a help to him in his current role and that it is “important to build up a collaboration which is based on trust.” He loves the fact that he gets to meet new and interesting people from all over the world — many of whom share his passion for gaming.
One of his proudest moments so far at InnoGames has been setting up a deal with a TV broadcaster which advertised one of their games to television audiences. He reflects, “I was happy as a child when I finally saw the TV spot.”
The Ultimate Guessing Game
He also has a passion for the gaming industry itself, saying it’s growth and continually changing dynamics keep him constantly interested. “No one knows what the business will look like in five years and this is part of the challenge. It is never boring here and you can expect the unexpected.”
Looking forward in the gaming industry can be the ultimate guessing game. Tobias notes that trends such as Facebook, the Wii, and browser gaming all had not been foreseen by many in the industry until it was on top of them.
Tobias does have one prediction about the future of the industry. He believes that important improvements in player interaction will ultimately play a bigger role and be more important in the long run than the hardware games run on, such as Oculus Rift. But even that is an educated guess at best. “The only thing that is certain is the constant gain and increasing market share of mobile gaming,” he says.
Despite what the future may or may not bring to the gaming industry, Tobias plans to be there for it and face any challenges head on.
Comments
