With its recent acquisition by Oberon Media, Games On Deck
talks with I-play senior VP of content strategy and licensing Leighton Webb about casual games, the success of the
Fast and the Furious franchise and the choice to diversify into video.
In this excerpt, Webb explains why he thinks I-Play's
Fast and the Furious titles have been such a success for the company:
“The Fast and the Furious is really sort of the perfect storm if you think about it. Hindsight is always 20/20, but looking back here's what I think it is. First of all it's a great brand, a great franchise in terms of the demographic that it appeals to- the young male demographic. The movies did very well, particularly in DVD sales.
Secondly, the guys at Universal were very progressive and did a fantastic job in working with us on the marketing and promotion of the game. That was very much core to the success - getting the awareness out there among consumers.
Thirdly, I think it comes down to just the name on the deck. As you'll know, when you purchase on deck all you see is the name, and a title like The Fast and the Furious immediately conveys to the consumer what the game is, what they are getting - it conveys a sense of excitement, they know it's a racing game.
Of course, a lot of it is down to the development team doing a fantastic job creating a great game. ”
You can now
read the full GamesOnDeck feature on the subject, with more from Webb on the mobile hardcore and the company's development philosophy (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).
