In an interview at Casual Connect Europe, Sourabh Ahuja described the success of Glu’s Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and how the deal came about. “We had a successful engine, which had worked before — Stardom Hollywood was the game, and we were trying to make a low-cost way of making something successful, but trying to solve the user acquisition problem, which had gotten more and more expensive,” he said. Once they licensed the game with Kim Kardashian, and she tweeted about it, however, the game went from around 100 installs a minute to 10 times that much. For the details, watch the video below.
When Sourabh Ahuja was a kid, he dreamed of being a computer programmer. Not only has Sourabh achieved his childhood dream, as vice president of Android and cross-platform development at Glu, he’s gone beyond it. He calls his appointment as VP the proudest moment of his career so far.
Sourabh has been with Glu for 11 years, and the company was his introduction to the gaming industry. Fresh out of school with a background in computer engineering, a friend referred him to Glu, where he managed to grab a job. “I was employee number 25 or so … Gaming is an exciting career for someone just out of school.”
Sourabh says he has been fortunate to work on the projects he has and gain new career opportunities during his time at Glu. He spent his first five years building games and development tools from the ground up, after which he began managing Glu’s Android development platform. “I have always looked up to and learned from our executives,” he says. “I’m very proud to be part of that group and share my knowledge with others. It took years of hard work, sticking with and believing in Glu through the ups and downs.”
Quality Work
Now he and his business unit are responsible for a large portion of Glu’s revenue — a fact he takes pride in. He calls his current position the most fun, rewarding and challenging thus far.
As VP of Android and cross-platform development, Sourabh oversees all Android and cross-platform development as well as various research projects and new initiatives like Google Glass, new ad network implementation, and more. He works closely with Google, Facebook, Amazon, Samsung and other emerging platforms to ensure Glu titles have the widest reach possible while maintaining high quality — something the company takes great pride in.
Sourabh notes that “ratings are of utmost importance,” and the company tests throughout the game process. Testing gets even more “hardcore” as the game reaches beta testing. “We do all sorts of user testing, focus groups and beta testing for our games,” Sourabh says. “The most interesting reactions (have been) those of animal lovers when they see the replay of a deer falling to the ground after being shot in the heart in Deer Hunter 2014. I can promise that no animals were harmed in the making of that game!”
A Team Effort
While Sourabh and his team have made great strides in their work, it has not been without complications at times. He admits that growing the Android and cross-platform business model has been challenging, “as they are with any emerging platform.” But he says he has been lucky to hire the “best and brightest” engineers and to receive “top-notch” developer support from platform owners.
When the inevitable occasional complications arise within the team itself, he works to resolve them by taking a step back and gathering all the information first, using his best judgement to resolve the problem. “Each situation is different and there is no universal formula,” he says. “At a certain point, you learn to manage in a way that avoids complications entirely.”
Having a team that works well together is extremely important for Sourabh, and when he’s looking to add someone to the team he makes sure to look for someone who will be a good “cultural fit” as well as someone who is intelligent and organized. He notes that humbleness is also extremely important and can be a rare quality to find in talented people. “For that reason, I sometimes prefer hiring new graduates who are hungry to learn and prove themselves.”
Watching trends and setting them
When Sourabh isn’t on the clock, he’s making sure to stay up-to-date on the latest news by following traditional and technology news sites and blogs. He is also always checking out new apps and staying up to date on movies.
While it may be off the clock, keeping up on the latest trends in pop culture and technology can have huge impacts at work. For instance, Sourabh expects that movie franchise intellectual property, which began to flourish in 2014, will continue to gain steam in 2015. Glu itself has also been responsible for igniting interest in celebrity mobile games with their title Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. Sourabh says that the gaming industry has “definitely taken notice,” and he predicts others try to emulate Glu’s success.
Sourabh notes that five years ago, Glu CEO Niccolo De Masi transitioned the business to a 100 percent free-to-play model — being one of the first companies to do so — and now it’s the preferred choice in the industry.
While it’s uncertain what the next five years will bring for Glu, Sourabh is certain of one thing: “These are very exciting times for mobile gaming — my favorite thing about my job is the respect and recognition Glu receives as a leader in the space.”
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