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99Games is a leader in publishing iOS and Android games in India. Beginning in 2008, they have since released 12 games for the iOS, Android, and Mac platforms, including hit titles such as WordsWorth and Prison Mayhem. Anila Andrade, Associate Producer at 99Games, has always been an avid gamer. She delved deeper into 99Games and important gaming concepts.
“The video game industry was very much in its nascent states when we set up our studio,” said Andrade. Not many people were aware of the opportunities in the industry. This became a challenge for the company as it became hard to discover good talent. With no schools specializing in game design or development, there were no official credentials to go by. Also, they were creating for a western audience when no one knew much about that market, according to Andrade. Still, it was able to publish hit games and continue towards the goal of creating simple games that could be enjoyed by a wide variety of audiences. For example, Wordsworth has over 100,000 DAU. “We feel proud to have transitioned this game from pay before download model to an ‘ad-supported’ model,” said Andrade. 99Games continues to work for all its customers.
The mobile market has altered how customers interact with games. An important concept Andrade urges developers to remember is to develop for short bursts of play. “Unlike console gaming, people often play mobile games in waiting rooms or while taking a break from work,” said Andrade. Just that trait alone doesn’t guarantees success. The game needs to be original. However, developers sometimes come across difficulties. Andrade listed some of these obstacles:
- “Meeting the schedule— you always feel that adding a few more features would enhance the game and end up overshooting the deadlines defined.
- Keeping production costs at bay-going off-schedule always results in increased production costs. Besides, you always feel that your game could use a little more polish to improve quality, resulting in additional costs.
- One of the main issues while creating your own IP for a mobile market, at least for an Indie Studio like ours, would be discoverability. With hundreds of mobile games releasing every day, it’s very easy for a good game to get lost in the crowd.”
99Games has two major projects in the work, particularly in the Social and Physics game genre. In the hopes of having them be in the Top 20 in the App Store, Andrade informed us that they are focusing on these projects for a successful execution.
