Interview

PGC Hong Kong: Touchten Games CEO Rokimas Soeharyo on growing live ops

Pocket Gamer Connects Hong Kong 2019 will take place on July 17th to 18th

PGC Hong Kong: Touchten Games CEO Rokimas Soeharyo on growing live ops

Pocket Gamer Connects Hong Kong 2019 will take place on July 17th to 18th. To give you a taste of what to expect, we'll regularly be publishing interviews with the speakers at the show.

For more details on PGC Hong Kong and to book a ticket, head to the website here.

Today we're speaking to Touchten Games co-founder and CEO Rokimas Soeharyo, ahead of his panel appearance discussing how to grow live ops as well as his own session on why the firm chose SaaS back end for their next game.

Soeharyo previously studied physics at the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelors degree from his time. From this, he established Touchten in April 2009, which he has overseen for over a decade. 

PocketGamer.biz: Could you tell us a bit about the company?

Rokimas Soeharyo: We're a data-driven and award-winning mobile game company, with games released such as Creators of Dessert Chain and Royal Garden Tales. We position our games strategically for female audiences in specific markets across the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

What does your role entail?

I'm currently building a team of experts to bring joy to players around the world through the games we love. My responsibilities for the team predominately consist of building a great product portfolio, helping to support marketing efforts and making sure we achieve good financial management.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

I wanted to bring excitement to players all around the world through the games we produce. Growing up as a gamer, I teamed up with my more intelligent cousin and our former CTO Dede Indrapurna to form the Touchten. We are so grateful to be working on games that we believe in alongside friends and family.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?

Become a specialist in something that you love. Become an expert in something you have a strong passion for. Start something manageable and finish the project. After that, continue to iterate your project based on player feedback. The games industry is constantly growing, so find a niche and become really good at it and chances are you will have a very healthy business.

What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?

There are a lot of big opportunities in the casual games market. In the past year, we saw strong revenue growth of the puzzle games market with 38 per cent year-on-year growth projected. As female players continue to make up 68 per cent of puzzle gamers, they are a key market to tap into.

We expect big game companies to grow their investments in the female player base. As this will drive CPIs costs, it’s key for small to medium sized game developers to carefully differentiate their games and monitor user acquisition trends to remain competitive and to grow profitably.

What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?

The mobile games industry and especially the puzzle games market to grow even more strongly. I hope to see healthy competition and room for new entrants on the top-grossing charts.

How has the games industry changed since you first started?

Back then when people thought of gamers, it was of teenage boys in the basement playing a console while eating pizza. Today's mobile gamers are more likely to be your aunt or your 25-year-old sister.

The demographics of a typical gamer is shifting to be more female - which currently make up 50 per cent of all mobile gamers. And as this happens, the big challenge is for the male-dominated games industry to build meaningful, valuable experiences for the growing female audience.

Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be opening the Live Ops Landscape track with XtraLife CEO Wandrille Pruvot on Wednesday 17th July at 16:00. It will also be an honour to share the stage with game industry expert Oscar Clark.

Find out more about Pocket Gamer Connects Hong Kong 2019 on the website.

 


Deputy Editor

Matthew Forde is the deputy editor at PocketGamer.biz and also a member of the Pocket Gamer Podcast. You can find him on Twitter @MattForde64 talking about stats, data and everything pop culture related - particularly superheroes.