If you were going to set up a company to shake up interactive fiction and touchscreen graphic novels, would you choose Moscow as your base?
Probably not, but that's the location of NARR8, a 200-strong venture-backed outfit that's looking to do just that.
It launched its eponymous NARR8 app for iPad in November 2012, since rolling it out to Android, gaining around 800,000 dowloads to-date.
There are plans to bring the app to Amazon devices, Nook, Windows and smart TV too.
From the bottom up
Certainly, the company isn't lacking in ambition.
"I think NARR8 has amazing potential. There is nothing like it out there at the moment, which is why we created the application, for ourselves," says SVP Darya Trushkina.
Based in the company's San Francisco office, she heads up business development for NARR8, as well as for Game Insight.
NARR8's crisp UI integrates plenty of social options
Asides from sharing Trushkina's time and the same investor - IMI.VC - the two Russian companies aren't formally linked, however.
But they do have a similar business model; providing engaging and high-quality content via free-to-play monetisation.
In terms of NARR8, it offers 12 series, mainly fantasy and sci-fi-themed interactive comics, although also including some non-fiction.
Each series contains 25-30 episodes, of which the first two are free.
Users can buy an entire series at any stage (typically through IAP), or earn the in-app NARRS currency - by interacting within the app - to unlock them as new episodes are released on a one or two-weekly cycle.
Fast and original
Of course, as a start-up, NARR8's biggest issue is gaining consumer attention, particularly as it doesn't have any big comic book licences.
Indeed, all content is currently created in-house.
Trushkina says licensing external IP will happen, eventually.
"Licensing is tough. It's very expensive, and we're still a small company, but timeframe is the real issue," she argues.
"It takes at least six month to do, and we can't afford to be slow. We need to be fast to be successful.
"We will do licensing at some point, but not now."
Going big, going open
For the time being, then, NARR8 will succeed or fail with its own content.
And Trushkina points out that the company has a good foundation to build upon. Key metrics such as retention and engagement are solid.
"We're seeing average sessions of 12-14 minutes, which is much higher than games, while retention is 50-60 percent," she says.
In this way, expanding NARR8's reach is the next step.
Already available in four languages - English, Russian, Spanish and Korean - Trushkina says the company will be pushing the app in emerging markets such as Brazil, Turkey, Arabic, India, Indonesia and China.
Another important feature will be the release of its editor system that will enable users to create their own simple interactive stories.
These will be curated and then made available to all users, via a typical revenue split deal, although the exact percentage is yet to be confirmed.
"We have millions of ideas. It's our blessing and our curse," Trushkina jokes.
You can check out NARR8 for iPad [link] or Android [link].
Interview
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
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