FunPlus’s latest title, Sea of Conquest is now available in soft launch on Google Play devices and will be available worldwide for iOS shortly. Coming from the creators of State of Survival and Guns of Glory, it’s a pirate themed strategy game that allows players to captain their own pirate ship in a quest to dominate the ocean.
The game also makes a big play of the inclusion of Dolby’s latest sound and vision tech in order to provide the best possible experience for players on a small screen.
"We are thrilled to unveil Sea of Conquest, offering gamers a seamless and immersive pirate experience," said Chris Petrovic, Chief Business Officer at FunPlus. "As we embark on this exciting journey, we recognize that the game's expansive world opens the door to a multitude of interpretations and adaptations. Our vision extends beyond the horizon as we strive to transform Sea of Conquest into a versatile IP seasoned with AAA features and poised to capture the hearts of players across diverse platforms and channels”
Keen to find out more we spoke to Chris about the game and the state of play for FunPlus.
It’s this variety of gameplay and the exceedingly high quality of the storytelling, graphics and audio that will set this game apart. We can’t wait to hear what players think!Chris Petrovic
Pocketgamer.biz: Tell us more about FunPlus - what do you think sets FunPlus and their games apart?
Chris Petrovic: The strategy genre continues to be both very large and very competitive, and as one of the pioneers in the category, we are constantly focused on innovating and experimenting with the goal of retaining our leadership position.
What trends and innovations have you seen in mobile recently?
There continues to be a move to platform diversification in order to de-risk the ongoing headwinds that have resulted from various decisions made at the app store level. We will continue to see this both as a business necessity and strategy.
What works best for you? What’s your take on premium games? Free-to-play? Hypercasual Vs casual? What’s hot for you right now?
We believe that the next generation of great publicly traded game companies will differ from the current ones primarily through a focus on live service games. We also believe that while genre mastery is key, genre and business model diversification is also important to ensure continued growth and optionality for the business. It is why we continue to make efforts in the casual genre and have studios building AA/AAA live service products.
And what does effective monetisation look like for 2023 and 2024? What’s the secret to earning while keeping players happy?
It looks very much the same as it does now - providing consumers with the value exchange of time and money spent in a way that creates positive experiences regardless of which path the player chooses
Tell us more about Sea of Conquest. What’s the game about, and what sets it apart?
Sea of Conquest is a brand new strategy game where players dive into an immersive pirate simulation. The development team has worked hard to create a AAA gaming experience with plenty of different gameplay features that will appeal to a broad audience. It’s this variety of gameplay and the exceedingly high quality of the storytelling, graphics and audio that will set this game apart. We can’t wait to hear what players think!
What could other companies learn from FunPlus?
I’m not sure what we can teach other companies out there as we are constantly in learning mode ourselves. We take great inspiration from the variety of companies and studios that are alongside us in pursuing one of the most difficult creative endeavours in the world - making a successful game!
And what do you think makes a successful game?
Rapid development with a touch of innovation that provides consumers with surprise and delight over a long period of time.
Are there plans to expand and develop Sea of Conquest? Is this a game that will run and run via live ops?
Our goal is to keep players engaged with Sea of Conquest in the long-term via in-game events, updates and with a thriving community. The soft launch will be key in assessing the community's feedback on the game and how it might continue to expand and evolve.
What’s next for you? Anything you can tell us about future plans?
We continue to invest in developing and bringing new products and entertainment experiences to global audiences across platforms. Look for more details on this from us in the coming year!
