Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #6 takes place from April 19th to 23rd, so to give you a taste of what to expect, we'll bring you interviews with some of our esteemed speakers at the show.
The conference spans five days and will feature a broad selection of tracks, talks and speakers, as well as various fringe events and the return of our meeting system.
For more details on the event and to book a ticket, head to the website.
This time, we spoke with Voodoo product manager Tibo Vincent-Ducimetière who will appear as part of a panel on the best practices in user acquisition and retention.
PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a bit about your company?
Tibo Vincent-Ducimetière: Voodoo is a developer of hypercasual mobile games for iOS and Android that was founded in 2013.
We create games internally and in collaboration with hundreds of studios worldwide, employing 335 people. We’ve published more than 100 mobile games so far, with more than five billion downloads and 300 million monthly active users.
What does your role entail?
With so many games being created by Voodoo and our partner studios all over the world, my role is incredibly varied, but my main focus is on maximising the creativity of our playable adverts.
Playable ads have become increasingly popular over the years, pulling key themes from the game and offering users a 'try before you buy' experience. One of my main roles is to make sure our playable ads are creative and engaging, ultimately driving user acquisition. They need to be meaningful, attention-grabbing and appealing. None of those things are possible without solid creativity to back them up.
Researching new and innovative technologies is also key to ensure we stay ahead of our competitors, helping us to scale production and performance overall. And, most importantly, I need to make sure I’m on the pulse of all things creative, so I’m constantly on the lookout for the next big trend that we can bring to the development of our playable ads.
Why did you want to work in the games industry?
I’ve always been a creative person, and working in the games industry has given me the opportunity to use as many of my creative skills as possible, whether I’m writing code or creating art. The games industry is truly unique in that regard, offering creativity in whatever role you enter.
Instead of applying for these roles and setting yourself up for disappointment, look out for other roles that can help get your foot in the door.Tibo Vincent-Ducimetière
What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?
As appealing as superstar roles such as game designer and game developer are, it’s incredibly difficult to land these roles at entry-level.
Instead of applying for these roles and setting yourself up for disappointment, look out for other roles that can help get your foot in the door. As soon as you’ve landed a suitable role with a games company, then you will be able to start climbing the ladder and aim towards your ultimate career.
Also, don’t always assume that you need expensive and professional training to enter the industry either. I don’t have any official training or education and am mostly self-taught. The most important thing isn’t your degree - it’s your ability to deliver what is required.
How has the games industry changed since you first started?
When I first entered the industry, things were much less competitive than they are today and there was less ownership from studios.
While the competitive nature of the industry is fun and exciting, it means we’re constantly battling to keep ahead. However, I see it as a welcome challenge and make sure that every day I’m being more creative than the day before to give us a strong advantage over our competitors. This approach also helps our partner studios to succeed in a very crowded market.
Studios are also much more likely to look into self-publishing now and take full ownership of their products. Even though studios will always be competing with one another, on the flip side there is a lot of knowledge and learnings being shared across the industry as a whole.
What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?
Mergers and acquisitions have definitely been one of the hottest topics in the industry, with a mixture of some big and small names making headlines. As a result of so many mergers and acquisitions, studios have been consolidating and bringing on experts to make their games and ads bigger, better and more creative.
Working with these experts from across the industry gives studios the opportunity to grow and shine, potentially branching into different genres and ensuring their games successfully make it into the hands of players all over the world.
What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?
Playable ads in general will play a much larger role in the success of the industry, as they continue to grow and cement their position as one of the best performing creatives.
Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?
I’m looking forward to networking with other creatives in the industry, and sharing ideas on what the next big thing will be for mobile games in the hypercasual space.
Want more?
The full conference schedule is now live on the website. In the meantime, you can also check out our other track rundowns and coverage of previous Pocket Gamer Connects conferences ahead of the event itself.
Register for Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #6 today!
