Founded by senior staff from Radical Entertainment, Vancouver-based developer Hothead Games is well aware how fast the industry is changing.

From a background of triple-A PC and console games, its platform agnostic, digital download focus has already switched from Steam, XLBA and PSN to mobile.

"There's a ceiling to success on consoles," says director of technology and co-founder Joel DeYoung.

"So even though we didn't have any mobile experience, we transitioned overnight back in 2010. We thought, we've got some smart guys. If nothing else, we'll fail fast."

Kicking off

And in the two years since, Hothead has certainly found its feet.

It's worked on licences including Scarface and Jaws, come up with arcade games such as neat endless runner Zombie Ace - which is the company's first title using GREE - as well as its own sports brand Big Win, which to-date has seen soccer, ice hockey and baseball releases.

"We're not limited by type or genre," DeYoung explains. "We have a concept pitch day everyday Friday and there's no shortage of ideas."

The 50-strong developer is split into three teams, with around 25 working on Big Win titles, and the remainder split into two separate groups.

"Our approach isn't just to make games," he states. "We spend time thinking about what's already out there and what features haven't been addressed by other games."

This was particularly vital in the case of the Big Win games, which compete on iOS and Android with big brands such as FIFA, complex management sims like Gamevil's Superstars titles, and simple flick sports games.

"We really focused on the sports fan. For them, sports is about a sense of belonging, ownership and competition. Clearly, we needed to have a strong online element in these games," says DeYoung.

Riding the wave

As the company looks to reinforce its presence in the mobile industry, its biggest issue is one that's impacting lots of developers - finding the talent to scale faster.

In that context, the number of outside players - GREE, DeNA, TinyCo - moving into Vancouver could be an issue.

DeYoung prefers to think that with console studios downsizing, the arrival of more mobile-social companies will merely enlarge and deepen the pool for everyone.

"There are issues with many of the larger studios. Companies are shutting down and opening up all over town," he says.

"I think it's good news in the long run because it shows that Vancouver's a robust ecosystem for local talent. It's a real game development hub."

You can find out more about Hothead Games, and its open job positions, here.