Casual Connect Kyiv Industry Insights to Provide Developers with Latest Gaming Expertise

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Casual Connect Kyiv Industry Insights to Provide Developers with Latest Gaming Expertise

September 30, 2017 — by Casey Rock

Alexis Kennedy has a storied career in gaming, literally. He has done guest-writing gigs for such prominent studios as BioWare, Telltale, and Paradox – and as the creator of Failbetter Games, he grew a two-person startup into a studio with 16 employees and over $1.3 million a year in revenue. As part of the Industry Insights track, Alexis will open the conference at Casual Connect Kyiv with a keynote lecture on game narratives and how to better marry stories with game systems. Many other experts will join Alexis in sharing their expertise with attendees over the conference’s three days of lectures and workshops.

Events News

Casual Connect Kyiv Casino Track to Highlight Both Ukraine & World

September 26, 2017 — by Casey Rock

Casual Connect returns to Kyiv for the first time since 2013 – and it’s not coming alone. Coming with it will be representatives from industry-leading companies – such as Google, Epic, Ubisoft, Facebook, Amazon, Toca Boca, Murka, Huuuge Games and Failbetter Games – to discuss the games industry, growth and expansion, casino gaming, navigating markets and new technologies, and much more.

Asia 2017 Video Coverage

Tarush Agarwal: Creative Solutions to Add Customer Value | Casual Connect Video

September 18, 2017 — by Catherine Quinton

As a developer, you constantly notice the changing dynamics of the app stores. How will the changes affect business models? How will they affect you?

At Casual Connect Asia Tarush Agarwal, Business Director at Toca Boca, gave insights into how you can successfully navigate this constantly evolving ecosystem. Tarush is responsible for managing and growing Toca Boca’s digital presence and revenue with global strategic partnerships. Before joining Toca Boca Tarush worked for the Walt Disney Company in LA and New York.

Using Toca Boca’s method for creating high quality apps for children as an example, Tarush demonstrated how leveraging partners and diversified business models can reach new customers globally. He described the best practices for developers to find creative solutions that will add customer value. To learn more about this important topic, be sure to watch the video of Tarush’s session at Casual Connect.

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To see another lecture by Tarush from Casual Connect Europe and learn about his career, see this exclusive article.

Asia 2017 Video Coverage

Leonard Frankel: How to Bring Clan Systems Into Your Game

September 17, 2017 — by Catherine Quinton

What is it about clan systems that is so intriguing? They are becoming more and more popular and have now been introduced in nontraditional genres. The racing genre has becoming especially engaging as this opportunity for social interaction has become a part of the experience. Leonard Frankel, as Co-Founder and CEO of ClanPlay, a messaging app that sychronizes with the chat inside games, is in a unique position to understand why and how clan systems really matter.

Prior to Clanplay Leonard was Vice President of Business Development at Plarium, a leading mobile strategy game developer. At Casual Connect Asia, Leonard used the clan systems in CSR 2 and Real Racing to demonstrate the key aspects of setting up a strong clan system in any game. Then he used these principles to set up an imaginary system for the arcade racing game Asphalt. To learn more about this exciting way to incorporate social interaction into a game, be sure to watch the video of Leonard’s session at Casual Connect.

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To see more about Leonard’s career and views, including his presentation from Casual Connect Europe 2017, see this article.

Asia 2017 Video Coverage

Atsuo Nakayama: IP Business, Why and How | Casual Connect Video

August 26, 2017 — by Catherine Quinton

Atsuo Nakayama speaking at Casual Connect Asia 2017.

How vulnerable is the game industry in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? Its competitors in Japan and the US have an IP business foundation. Without the same foundation, Atsuo Nakayama maintains that ASEAN will lose ground in comparison.

Atsuo is President and COO of Bushiroad Singapore where they manage its TCG, Mobile game and Anime business that derives from the IPs they own, including Vanguard, Baddy Fight and BanG Dream. They also specialize in the IP business from their previous work as Studio Head and General Manager of Bandai Namco Studios in Vancouver and Singapore.

Atsuo described the process of creating the fan base for the game IP they were making, “It took a three year effort to crystallize IP with a certified core fan base.” Clearly this is not a quick and easy thing to do. But they insist that by following Bushiroad’s procedure in creating IP, developers will realize this is just what Singapore and the ASEAN countries should be targeting. Watch this video of Atsuo’s presentation at Casual Connect Asia to learn more about the importance of IP business.

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To read more about Atsuo Nakayama including a lecture from Casual Connect Asia 2016, see this exclusive article.

Asia 2017 Video Coverage

Nelson Rodriquez: Be Ready for the Coming Changes | Casual Connect Video

August 25, 2017 — by Catherine Quinton

What’s coming next in the game industry? It’s a vital question for all game developers and publishers; if you are not constantly aware of coming possibilities, you may not be able to profit from them or even stay relevant.

At Casual Connect Asia, Nelson Rodriguez, shared some exciting developments that will completely change how games are made, played and distributed. Nelson, head of Akamai Technologies media and games industry marketing strategy, has the experience and perspective to offer in how to be ready for the future. They have helped in the launch of dozens of games across every platform, from blockbusters such as Halo 3, Tekken 5 and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood to the indie games Tweet Defense and A Kingdom for Keflings.

Nelson described an emerging revolutionary platform that very few developers have focused on. After talking with leading technologists and companies worldwide, they predict that within five years everyone will be rushing to catch up. Nelson pointed out, “GM attended DICE and created a research division to create gamification and infotainment for cars,” as an example of what to expect with car companies investing in game technology. This unique platform is just over the horizon, so be ready! To learn more about it and the possible effects, be sure to watch this video of Nelson’s full presentation at Casual Connect.

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To read more about Nelson’s views and career, see this exclusive article from Casual Connect Asia 2016.

Asia 2017 Video Coverage

Sharon Kho: Using Voices to Bring Your Game to Life | Casual Connect Video

June 11, 2017 — by Catherine Quinton

As a game developer, you know the sounds in your game are crucial in so many ways. You may be using sound effects to underscore and add excitement to the action. Perhaps you have music to create moods and underscore the game world. It is no wonder music and sound effects are now commonplace in mobile games. But are you aware of what voice work can add to your game?

Sharon Kho is Co-Founder of IMBA Interactive

Sharon Kho, Co-Founder of IMBA Interactive, has the experience to guide you in exploring this underutilized area of sound for games. IMBA Interactive, a Singapore-based studio, provides audio and music solutions for video games and apps. Sharon is a music composer and sound designer whose most recent work on Mr. Catt received the Best Music and Sound Effect Award at the Bahamut ACG Awards in 2016.

At Casual Connect Asia, Sharon and another of IMBA’s founders, Jeremy Goh, gave a session aimed particularly at developers taking those first steps in working with voice talents, including casting and creating a script. In this session they described how to using voices to bring the characters and story of your game to life. When it comes to hiring an actor, Sharon advised, “You have to respect the actor who is going to put more things on the table than what is expected, because he has the talent you hired them for in the first place. So when you talk to the talent, make sure you get on the same page with them and make them comfortable, because at the end of the day… who knows, maybe your character development may come from the actor. Be open-minded to suggestions in order to get the best results.” To learn more, watch this video of the full session from Casual Connect.

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To read more about Sharon Kho’s views and to see another joint session with Gwen Guo from Casual Connect Asia 2016, see this exclusive article.

Asia 2017 Video Coverage

Vesa Jutila: Be Ready for Cloud Gaming for Mobile | Casual Connect Video

June 1, 2017 — by Catherine Quinton

2017 is the year cloud gaming arrived for mobile! Now it’s possible to stream and play mobile games directly over the cloud. What will this mean for your business? Vesa Jutila, Co-Founder and Vice President of Content and Commercial Partnerships at Hatch Entertainment can help you answer that question.

Vesa Jutila speaking at Casual Connect Asia 2017, photo by Lera Polska Photography

Hatch Entertainment is a new social gaming service and is set to change the way we play games. Vesa and the team have built an inspiring, high-quality game collection for Hatch. Previously Vesa held a variety of executive positions at Rovio.

At Casual Connect Asia, Vesa explored the opportunities coming through cloud gaming for developers of full-featured premium games with no in-app purchases. He described, “We made it very simple and easy for ordinary people to try out new games, have fun with great games and really share this fun with their friends.” With cloud gaming we may soon be seeing mass market penetration for premium mobile games. PC and console-first developers could have a new way to reach the massive mobile game audience. Watch this video of Vesa’s session at Casual Connect and learn what you need to know to be ready for cloud gaming on mobile.

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To read more about Vesa Jutila including a lecture from Casual Connect Europe 2017, see this exclusive article.

Europe 2017 Video Coverage

Clark Stacey: Taking Advantage of Licensing | Casual Connect Video

April 9, 2017 — by Catherine Quinton

Clark Stacey presenting at Casual Connect Europe 2017.

So you’ve made it! Your game is a success, and now you’re thinking of taking that success farther. Could licensing the game for consumer products be a good move? What are the advantages? What pitfalls do you need to watch for?

Clark Stacey is a person you might want to ask. Clark is Co-Founder and CEO of Wildworks, a developer of games for children, based in the US and Amsterdam. WildWorks IP Animal Jam has grown to become the world’s largest online social network for children. In 2016 they extended Animal Jam to include toys, consumer products and other media.

At Casual Connect Europe, Clark discussed what they learned from this process and how to position your game and your development teams to succeed with licensing. One important takeaway from his presentation is that connections back to your game can be more valuable that the product royalties. But equally important, “Don’t assume that because a company is big they know what they are doing.”

For more insights into the licensing process watch the video of Clark’s full session at Casual Connect.

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To read more about Clark Stacey including a lecture from Casual Connect Europe 2016, see this exclusive article.

Europe 2017 Video Coverage

Guy Hasson and the Math Behind the Success of Social Slots | Casual Connect Video

March 19, 2017 — by Catherine Quinton

Guy Hasson is Social Gaming Consultant of Old Man Productions, specializing in game popularity

What makes a social slots game attractive to users? What are the factors that increase the chances of succeeding in this genre? Can the profitability of the game be improved? If these are questions that are important to your business, you can’t do better than to listen to advice from Guy Hasson, social gaming consultant of Old Man Productions.

While working at Playtech, Guy learned everything there is to know about how to create a good slot game. At Playtika their emphasis was on analyzing how to create the most popular games. And as a consultant, Guy can show you the important factors that can help a slots game succeed. You can discover how to tremendously improve the average revenue per user, to increase the time the user will spend on machine and to boost the number of coins the user will bet, all important measures of the game’s success. At Casual Connect Europe, Guy’s session demonstrated the mathematical model that can lead to these results. One point that Guy emphasized was “Rate of Exhaustion (ROE) represents the game experience, RTP doesn’t. If you leave here today with one thing: RTP doesn’t matter. RTP is passé.” To learn more, watch this video of the full session.

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For more about Guy Hasson, see this exclusive article.

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