Interview

2012 in review: Maria Alegre, Chartboost

I believe 2013 will be the year of Android

2012 in review: Maria Alegre, Chartboost
As we consider the trends of the past 12 months and look forward to the next 12 months, we've asked the great and the good in the mobile gaming industry for their opinions.

Maria Alegre is the co-founder and CEO of Chartboost, a San Francisco-based advertising and monetisation platform for mobile game publishers.

Pocket Gamer: What do you think was the most significant event for the mobile games industry in 2012?

Maria Alegre: Awesome newcomers – it's been fun to see new faces on the app stores. Besides the large gaming companies that have successfully adapted to the mobile platforms, we've seen new companies surge, such as Kiloo and Supercell.

With fairly small teams, both companies have been able to develop high-quality games that millions of users play every day.

What was the most significant event for your company?

The Direct Deals boom! Direct deals went from being an exclusive partnership done only by large companies, to being a democratised tool with which developers can work together to create extended networks and cut out the middleman of a traditional mobile ad network. 

Of course, at Chartboost we enjoy seeing the crazy growth of this trend and it's been exciting to start the year with 800 games in our network to end with over 8,000!

We have bigger and better plans for next year!

What was your favourite mobile game of the year?
Clash of Clans is my favourite right now. I have four builders and started the clan 'Clanboost'.

I'm now learning about the best strategies to protect my gold and elixir and how to tactically locate my walls and defences around critical buildings.

What do you predict will be the most important trends in 2013?

I believe 2013 will be the year of Android. In some countries – like Russia and Brazil – Chartboost has already seen over 10x growth in the last five months. I believe this trend will continue next year.

Also, many more publishers are reporting Android unit economics much closer to iOS. Everyone will be making more money on Android in 2013 which will also mean better content for users.

What's your New Year's resolution and what resolution would you enforce on the industry?

Dream BIG! This is my New Year's resolution and, maybe "enforce" is a strong word, but I would love to transmit this objective across the industry in 2013.

We are in a young, flourishing industry that more than doubles every year. Small developers with big dreams can create leading companies in one or two years. Instead of fighting for market share, we are all working together, expanding the pie as big as we can as fast as our hiring teams enable us.

If we all follow big dreams, we'll keep generating opportunities for everyone around us in the industry and make next year one to remember.
Thanks to Maria for her time.
Staff Writer

PocketGamer.biz's news editor 2012-2013