At Gogii Games, we have developed a long list of Top Ten games which use pragmatic design strategies. And with over 50 titles and two million units sold, I believe that luck has had very little to do with our success. As much as our designers might hate to acknowledge it, the true keys to our success have been logic and data. In fact, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of monitoring consumer trends and independent marketing data to support any game build.
That’s why we start every new design project with a clear understanding of our target consumers and their evolving interests—at which point we let the designers take over and create something that is fun and enjoyable (provided that it is on target, of course). That way we keep both sides of our studio happy.
Predicting the viability of any gaming concept is critical. We use a number of resources in analyzing the marketplace and consumers.
What follows are some of the strategies we have used to create our most popular game titles.
Monitor the Market
For starters, it’s important to monitor casual game sites on a daily or weekly basis. One of the most successful hidden object games still available on the market is Titanic, which is good to know if you’re considering creating a hidden object game. But remember to study the games that have flopped too. Look to other gaming titles available on alternate media as well. One of Gogii’s biggest successes was Puppy Luv, which was developed after analyzing the patterns and revenue of Petz from Ubisoft and Nintendogs from Nintendo.
Some suggested sites for research include:
• www.BigFishgames.com
• www.Realarcade.com
• www.Iwin.com
• www.zone.com
• www.Reflexive.com
• www.pogo.com
• Games.yahoo.com
Keep Up with Consumer Trends
Review as much data as possible on trends and consumer preferences. Look at movies, television, and magazines. But don’t think too literally about the results. Try to think about what made various titles successful and why they might not be successful if launched today. Analyze the top themes of the year in case any of them might translate into a casual game. And consider regional, national, gender, ethnic and language barriers to success. Our latest title, Escape from the Museum, was influenced by the movie Night at the Museum—which earned over $200 million at the box office.
Choose Your Target
Online you’ll find excerpts of research studies and gender polling. Such data can be very helpful in understanding consumer preferences and defining your target customer. For example, based on such data, we have made the strategic decision to design strictly for women. Although I dislike restricting our consumer base to that extent, it has made the most business sense for us.
Make Time to Know
Don’t waste time building a game for yourself! Knowing your customers and their interests is vital to capturing their attention. Even with a massive marketing budget you can end up with low sales if you fail to properly target your customer. On the other hand, the right mechanic can sell without all the bells and whistles. Take Sudoku for example. Although it is a simple game concept, it is highly rewarding and addictive.
Even with the right research, you still need to deliver a strong product that is fun and is properly packaged. The Office is a great license from MumboJumbo, but it has not performed well with online audiences. Nevertheless, their box for retail distribution looks great and could do quite well in that distribution channel.
There are no guarantees. We had incredible success with Nanny Mania but when we released Babysitting Mania only eight months later, it didn’t perform. That just goes to show you that data never guarantees success; it merely increases the probability of success.
Establishing the brand in 2006, Gogii Games has since produced 11 products and 5 major hits. Ten titles are currently in development and scheduled for launch in 2008.
Published titles are available in multiple formats including PC retail, Nintendo Wii, NDS, GBA, and Mobile Phones.
Formerly, Donovan owned Infiknowledge Inc., there he produced Gamefiesta and gathered the skill set required to understand the consumer side of casual gaming. In 2001, he sold the company to Traffix Inc (TRFX:NASDAQ) a publically traded marketing company.
Prior to forming Infiknowledge, worked for ICG a promenade Agency that worked with Developers and Publishers for placement, M&A and licensing arrangements. Having spent over 15 years in the Video Game business Donovan has established a large number of relationships and contacts in multiple traditional and non-traditional channels for distribution and licensing.
