Kelsey Hoff: Game Design and PR for Pocket Monkey Games
Pocket Monkey Games are a relatively new indie studio that formed earlier in the year and produce titles exclusively for the iDevices. Their first game, Sparta, was able to cut through the noise and win itself a sizeable audience. With more projects in the works we caught up with Kelsey Hoff, Game Designer and PR Manager for Pocket Monkey Games, to talk about past success, in-app purchases and what the future holds for the company.
Tell us a bit about Pocket Monkey Games (PMG): How did it all come about? How big is the team? Is this a full time endeavour for you guys?
The company was founded in March of 2009 by Kris Jones. Back then, it was a one-person studio. After the success of Sparta, we realized there was much more potential in the market and expanded the company. There are now 6 members of the Pocket Monkey team, including artists, programmers, and game designers. And it is a full-time endeavor, yes.
Your first game Sparta was quite the success. Were you surprised at all by this?
Yes and no. There were many stories of AppStore successes, such as iShoot and Flight Control, so there was still a chance to achieve some commercial success. However, Sparta was a project that Kris used to test the market to see if it was still hot. We found it was, which has given us the opportunity to continue creating new games for the AppStore - our newest release due out soon!
Sparta was a side scrolling fighter, what can we expect from future games? Will you be re-using the same engine or will you be branching into new genres?
You can expect a lot from us that is outside of that genre. We currently have two games in production along with continuing support to Sparta. Our next game is very different from Sparta, in both its controls and the game's objective. We've been seeing that casual games are quite successful in the AppStore, such as DoodleJump and Flight Control. In the future we'll be looking into more casual games...something you can get a quick and enjoyable play out of.
With EA mobile, Namco, Capcom and various other big players starting to ramp up their iPhone game output are you worried at all that the App Store will end up too competitive for the indie studios?
Absolutely not. I think they need to be worried about the indie developers! The benefit of being indie is our ability to be innovative and flexibile. We can make quick decisions and bring a game to the market without having to wait around for the bureacracy of a megacorporation. We're also more in touch with our audience, through social networking sites and what not. We're able to read the trends much quicker than any large corporation could.
We’re starting to see some games use in-app purchases to eke more revenue from each game release. Will you guys be implementing this strategy for future games?
We certainly haven't written it off but we're being careful not to invoke a reaction in the gaming community of "feeling ripped-off". It is important to us at Pocket Monkey Games to be involved and connected with our audience, so this is something that has to work well with the game that uses it.
Moving away from talking business for a moment we couldn’t help but notice that you are a girl (our powers of deduction are legendary) and also a gamer. What are your favourite genres?
I love role playing and fighting games! I think it started up out of a love for Final Fantasy VII - I'm definitely old school.
Do you have any particular favourite games that spring to mind?
I love Left for Dead for the XBox 360 and I'm a die-hard fan of anything Mortal Kombat, but my latest addiction is Soul Calibur IV. The graphics are definitely something I can get into. Plus, I'm pretty good at it! For the iDevices I LOVE Doodle Jump, Pocket God, and Sally's Spa.
Pocket Monkey Games' first game "Sparta"
Do you feel that the iDevices can compete with the DS and PSP as true gaming platforms in the eyes of the hardcore?
In the eyes of the hardcore, probably not, but then again, they may not be willing to admit a "phone" can compete with a dedicated device.
The App Store seems to have inspired Nintendo and Sony to follow suit and are now letting indie devs get in on the act. TAG Games for instance are launching Car Jack Streets as DSi Ware and Fieldrunners is getting a PSP release. Do you guys plan to explore these avenues or are you developing exclusively for the the iDevices?
As of now, we are exclusively for the iDevice AppStore. From a technical and financial perspective, it makes the most sense. Plus, we need to do our part to convince the unbelievers that the iPhone is a legitimate gaming device! ;)
Thanks for your time Kelsey, before we go what, if anything, can you tell us about your new game that has never been revealed before?
I can't reveal a whole lot about the up-coming game - its still under wraps - but here's a screenshot for your enjoyment!
Thanks for your time Kelsey.
To stay up to date on the latest at Pocket Monkey Games you can follow the company @ThePocketMonkey or you can follow @KristoferJones and @PocketKelsey
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