In the world where developers are constantly searching to get their games visibility, Chinese developer Dreamsky's iGameDock provides a great opportunity.

It acts like a promotional carousel, consisting of three games which are swapped with new titles every two weeks. In this way, it should constantly grow its userbase, while providing developers with opportunities to get those eyeballs on their games and upsell players to the full version.

We caught up with CEO Michael Chen to find out more.

Pocket Gamer: What was the inspiration for iGameDock?

Michael Chen: There are over 150,000 apps on the App Store, with more released every day. As developers ourselves, we find that it's getting harder and harder to get people to notice our existence, especially compared to the early days. So we were inspired to come up with a solution, not just for ourselves, but for other developers who face the same problem.

How long has iGameDock been in development?

Around seven months, but we were just playing around with code and researching the market then. Once we were decided on the idea, it took five months to implement, test and revise it into the current iGameDock.

And there's still much more to come in terms of games, social features and rewards in the coming versions.

How technically difficult was it to create this sort of app?

It was not straightforward because every developer has their own development methodology to achieve the game output they envision. The games we have worked with are all unique in their own ways.

Fortunately, we have a capable team with strong development backgrounds, partners who have been open and friendly with in terms of knowledge sharing, and we've also received valuable assistance from Scoreloop's Asian office. It's a great experience to work with and learn from every one of them.

How much of an issue is your limitation that any game must be smaller than 10 MB in terms of its download size?

We would, as much as possible, like to limit the download package to be within the 3G-downloadable thresholds, so that players can download updates at any time or place, as soon as they see an update notice. This instant gratification is quite crucial to success for iPhone apps.

However, limiting the size might in certain cases moderate the quality or type of games we can include in iGameDock. Therefore we are also exploring a DLC approach to support games that are bigger in size, and much bigger in entertainment.

What's the reaction of developers been?

We were fortunate to find two enthusiastic developers who were willing to go with us for the first round - Adylitica Studios and 2Park. With the recent traction, we're excited to have received some interested new contacts. We're still eager to talk to more partners.

How do you expect developers to use the opportunity in terms of releasing full games or cut down versions?

Developers with new games can ride on our download numbers and publicity to release cut down versions with links to purchase full versions on the App Store. We would be covering our partner developer profiles on our blog.

Developers with good and full games that have unfortunately been overlooked, can also come onboard for their right to be judged by the mass audience of players.

If you would like your game to be part of iGameDock, please contact: developer [at] idreamsky [dot] com.

When did you have the idea to integrate the FreeAppADay feed?

Including a FAAD feed was an idea we had very early on. Our core proposition was to deliver value to players, so bringing the FAAD promoted games one step closer was a natural move for us. After all, FAAD is a very successful promotional platform.

How hard was it to integrate?

We have a good working relationship with them. They provided us a feed so the integration was a breeze.

What are your plans to further promote iGameDock?

We've got much in store for iGameDock's promotion. It's all in the works as we speak:

1. We are going to do giveaways shortly via various media partners.

2. A Facebook/Twitter Campaign

3. A game voting campaign, where players or bloggers can vote for the games they want to see coming on iGameDock, and stand to win prizes or exposure.

4. An advertising campaign on various iPhone gaming sites. We will not only be highlighting iGameDock, but also talking about the games from our partners.

Our objective is to find partners with good games, and deliver to players all over the world. Hence, safe to say, you should be hearing more about us every two weeks.

Can you also provide some details about Dreamsky and your other activities?

Dreamsky is committed to the development and operation of cross-platform games. We're always providing a better gaming experience for gamers on the go.

IGameDock is a social utility for gaming made by people who love games, achieving the goal of tracking, sharing and comparing your gaming activities and achievements. Our next step is to deepen the functions of iGameDock.
Thanks to Michael for his time.

You can find out more about Dreamsky via its blog.