Interview

W3i's Ryan Ruud on how its $1 million Recharge Studios publishing fund will fire up iOS social gaming

Bringing that Facebook feeling to mobile

W3i's Ryan Ruud on how its $1 million Recharge Studios publishing fund will fire up iOS social gaming
Social gaming on Facebook has become a victim of its own success, with many developers crowded out and looking to branch out to smartphones to tap into new lines of revenue.

That's the view of US app distribution company W3i, with the company having recently launched a $1 million strong publishing wing Recharge Studios designed to give start ups with designs on the social scene a route to iOS.

In W3i marketing communications specialist Ryan Ruud's view, however, Recharge goes way beyond merely funding such ventures. Being able to pitch each release at the right audience to ensure users are aware the game exists in the first place is just as important.

We caught up with Ryan to ask why W3i believes it has the right model to ensure social gaming soars on iPhone.

Pocket Gamer: How would you describe the social gaming scene on Facebook now?

Ryan Ruud: Vibrant and intense. Social games on Facebook are now surpassing primetime television with the number of daily active users (DAU). The scene is also the Wild West in many aspects.

There are some who say that independent freemium game developers can no longer thrive in social gaming with Facebook a land dominated by billion dollar giants like Zynga and Disney/Playdom.

In conversations with independent Facebook developers, however, we learned that they can compete, but they struggle with acquiring new users - a solution provided by W3i.

Do you think iPhone can offer the same opportunities to social gaming studios as the early days of Facebook?

What Facebook allowed for gaming was access to millions of people. People became gamers without entry barriers or having to invest in expensive gaming devices. What iOS does is up the ante by putting a gaming device in the pocket of millions of consumers, taking the games and engagement opportunities with them on-the-go.

2010 saw the rise of free-to-play gaming on iOS with a majority of top grossing apps being available for free and generating revenue from virtual goods - a market some predict will hit $7 billion.

Just like the early days of Facebook gaming, which went from $0 to a multi-billion dollar market in an instant, drawing a lot of attention provides the means for a lot of game developers to strike gold.

So far you're restricting your input to iOS. Will you consider branching out to other platforms in the future?

The other operating systems are definitely on the radar, but right now the predictability that iOS offers provides a good environment to optimise our technique.

Research proves that users of iOS devices have a large appetite for apps, which we’ve confirmed through our own research. In addition, engagement is higher among iOS users - a critical key to successful social gaming.

What do you say to critics who allege ports of social games from Facebook fail to take advantage of the various nuances smartphones offer?

First, they’re not all straight ports. Aside from that, the race to 'get there' is on.

Can you really blame the games for wanting to get to the device first? As the market matures, it enables larger projects to capitalise on the native capabilities that iOS devices provide. The development of those more advance game mechanics come with a high price tag for production, which is something Recharge Studios and W3i Mobile Solutions aims to address.

How much of a boost will your marketing support offer studios that sign up?What we offer is full-circle marketing support. At times indie game developers don’t have the resources to gain access to primary research and insight to help in the planning and strategy phase of development.

Being able to identify gaps in the market increase the likelihood of success for an app - that is the kind of research and insight we’re offering. It’s one of many benefits that set Recharge Studios apart.

In addition, we fund the advertising and, to some degree, offer support on game mechanics.

It's not just funding advertising, either - we invested tens of millions of dollars in media to promote the distribution of consumer applications for several years. By working with Recharge Studios, we can make sure developer's advertising dollars are going to the most cost effective channels, at the right time, with the best possible rates.

Isn't there a chance someone else will come along and offer much the same set up as Recharge?

Someone else can always come along - competition is good, it makes the products and services that much stronger.

What Recharge Studios offers is more than a decade of experience with consumer applications. We’ve successfully managed a portfolio of 500 apps. We also offer a profound understanding of how to distribute and monetise free apps, having distributed over 400 million consumer applications since inception.

Plus, our technology is stellar; to be able to intelligently connect people with apps, rather than just ad-hoc, and bombard them with offers is key.

Additionally, we’re building a cooperative network providing our partners guaranteed distribution sources that are advantageous in a rapidly crowding marketplace.

Will the social gaming scene on iOS get just as packed as it currently is on Facebook?

As people discover the magic juice of iOS, yes. That’s the natural cycle of business. Fish where the fish are.

A lot of people made a lot of money on Facebook and once word got out that there was money to be made there, the marketplace got crowded fast and getting those new users became a challenge. For the little guy trying to compete with the big guy it becomes problematic. W3i fixes that problem.

What expectations do you have for your first iOS release, Dolphin Play?

It'll be big. You’ll see it as a top 100 app. We have a tremendous amount of resources to commit to mobile, both fiscal and human. We fully expect Dolphin Play to be a profitable endeavour.

That said, Dolphin Play is our first in a long series of games and as we move through 2011 look for more robust, advanced gaming experiences to emerge from Recharge Studios.
Dolphin Play in many ways offered us very valuable insight into understanding the process of taking a game through the App Store and validating our initial assumptions.

How many games are you expecting to release on iOS over the course of the next few months?In just the last week our co-founder Robert Weber has been approached by 15 companies offering 22 games seeking a partnership with Recharge Studios.

We have north of a million dollars up for investment opportunities to push publication of up to ten apps in the Q1 2011. Based on performance in Q1, we will consider doubling down our financial commitment.

Where do you see social gaming going over the course of the next few years?

Social gaming will continue to mature and adapt like any other industry.

As it does, it will continue to evolve and offer opportunities to marketers locally and globally as well as create a new generation of gamers. My own family is testament. Over Thanksgiving aunts and uncles brought along their laptops just to keep their crops from dying, however I’ve never seen them with a game controller in their hand, ever.

Social gaming critics charged that it isn’t 'real gaming'. What you’ll see in the coming years is a rapid expansion of the complexity and fun social games offer.

It provides a bridge to the world of gaming for those who, up until now, were not all that interested. As it matures, it will appeal to more sophisticated gamers. As a result the market will continue to expand rapidly.
Thanks to Ryan for his time.

Developers looking to link up with W3i should contact the firm via robert [dot] weber [at] w3i [dot] com.

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.