Interview

Why Jam City believes Frozen Adventures isn't just another tie-in

“This is a game for fans and avid casual gamers alike”

Why Jam City believes Frozen Adventures isn't just another tie-in

LA developer Jam City used to be known for its original casual match-3 games such as Cookie Jam. 

More recently, though, the studio has also been active with IP licensing, initially with the release of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, a game which to-date has generated over $160 million in revenue. 

And now Jam City has turned its attention to another gargantuan property, Frozen.

On November 14th, Disney’s Frozen Adventures was launched for iOS and Android to coincide with Frozen 2's release, which started screening eight days later.

Top-grossing animated release

Anyone who hasn’t lived in an icy cave during the past six years will be aware of Frozen and its regularly heard Let It Go title track.

The original film generated $1.3 billion and the sequel has started well making $358 million in its first three days, breaking the record for biggest opening weekend earning for an animated flick.

Certainly Jam City's senior vice president of game operations Lisa Anderson (who previously worked at Disney) was confident the company could replicate its success with the Harry Potter brand.

“This is a game for fans and avid casual gamers alike,” says Anderson.

Jam City has a track record for bringing globally loved IP to market successfully
Lisa Anderson

“Disney Frozen Adventures is a match-three adventure and decorating game where players can explore the world of Frozen and decorate Arendelle Castle along with their favourite characters.

"We’ve incorporated numerous quests and adventures for players to dive deeper into the world that keeps gameplay exciting.

“Jam City has a track record for bringing globally loved IP to market successfully,” Anderson continues.

“As with all of our games, Jam City is committed to creating an exceptional game experience. We were meticulous in making the world in the game authentic from environments, to costumes and decor.”

Across its portfolio of games, Jam City reports that numbers have been strong with Cookie Jam accumulating $650 million in revenue and Panda Pop amassing 125 million installs to date.

“For the fifth year in a row, Jam City has continued to see growth across its business”, says Anderson.

“We opened three new studios Jam City Burbank, Jam City Berlin, our first European studio, and Jam City Toronto, which expands our footprint to nine studios globally.

“As we’ve always done, we focused on building a nimble, successful company to take advantage of the opportunities within the growing industry,” she adds.

We’ve made business decisions this year that will set us up for continued growth in 2020
Lisa Anderson

“High expectations”

Not only working with the Frozen IP but also partnering with a corporation as large as Disney brings with it a lot of pressure but so far Jam City is happy with the result.

“It’s looking really good; we’re super excited and watching the numbers,” says Anderson.

Frozen Adventures has reached the top 10 in several categories including Free Game, Free Puzzle Games and Free Family Games in several countries including the US.

According to early Sensor Tower data, the game has been downloaded over 3 million times.

Though unable to comment on what long term metrics are expected,  Anderson confirmed both Jam City and Disney have “high expectations”.

Going forward, the company is focusing on integrating all three new studios into the organization, while continuing to support its 15 live game titles.

Acquisitions also look to be another key trend going into 2020.

“We’ve made business decisions this year that will set us up for continued growth in 2020,” says Anderson.

“We will continue to diversify globally and deliver consistent cross-portfolio success. We’re always looking at potential new acquisitions and game launches.”

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.