Interview: Gameloft

Gameloft, the firm created by Ubisoft owners the Guillemot brothers, has been pumping out titles for handheld and mobile platforms for over a decade now.

Along with big name titles such as Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia, the company has developed it's own branded titles. Games that over the last year have increasingly come into question over their similarity in both name and style to other big titles in the industry.

We talked to Gameloft UK's Managing Director Julian Stocker about those comparisons, as well as the firm's history, his thoughts on Android Vs iPhone and the emerging the digital market.

Firstly, can you give us a background on the company. what are its origins, the original idea behind its founding and what was required to get everything off the ground?

Gameloft was founded in 2000 by Michel Guillemot. The company started it's life with the ambition of being a leading developer for mobile video games - which at the time was a very forward thinking proposition because gaming on mobile phones was nothing like we see today. Phones had limited power and functionality so games were very restrictive and basic.

From the very beginning we could see the potential mobile gaming could and would eventually have, and today we're seeing the fruits of that labour as we're now releasing high quality games on high quality platforms - and not just phone platforms but also other leading digital games platforms including PSN, XBLA, WiiWare, Tablets and Mac Store - all of which reach millions of people worldwide.

How is development split internally? Have you multiple teams focused on different hardware?

Gameloft has studios all around the world, which house all of our development team. We feel our high quality games are all thanks to the in-house development we foster - we have 4,000 developers which develop all of our releases ranging from java games, HD gaming (smartphones, tablet etc.), television / set-top box games and consoles games.

Thanks to this in-house development mentality, Gameloft is one of the very few players in the market that has the resources and know-how to be on the front-line with downloadable content for the launch of any new and emerging platform.

There's been discussion about the similarities your recent crop of iPhone titles have had with pre-existing franchises. Can you explain the thought process behind their creation, and what the team set out to achieve with them?

We aim to develop high quality games for mobile platforms and the themes we explore to create these experiences do tie in with themes that have had great success on console and PC - but it's important to remember they're still completely new and unique experiences with their own characters, stories and features - all of which haven't been seen on mobile devices before.

While multiple genres have games that share common ground, the likes of Eternal Legacy, N.O.V.A 2, Shadow Guardian, Modern Combat and Gangstar seem to tread close to existing trademarks. Is there any worry they're too close to that line? Or are they filling a gap in the mobile market?

Our philosophy at Gameloft has always been to create the best experience for everyone, creating the games they like and on the handset they own, and to sell those games through the most consumer friendly distribution channel - our games deliver an experience like no other on mobile handsets, an experience which we believe come close to the experience you might find on a console.

There is definitely a gap in the mobile market for the games we make, and with 160+ million iOS devices sold we're giving mobile owners an introduction to video games you might otherwise only find on consoles - you can think of it as a stepping stone to core games if you like, which we feel can only be positive for the video games industry.

What do you think of Capcom's MaXplosion?

Personally, I haven't tried it.

What play-testing goes into making sure the touch screen controls are just right, and do you receive any feedback or support from Apple direct in this regard?

With ten years experience ensuring our games feel comfortable and native on mobile devices we feel we're fairly well versed in creating the most accessible controls for our games. The important thing to remember is no two players are ever the same - everyone has their own preference as to how they play, which is why our touch games include the option to choose multiple control methods (be it accelerometer or touch-sticks focused) and freely move the touch buttons to where the player is most comfortable with them being on the screen.

We've heard the approval process for Apps is difficult, but no-one's explained in detail what that system is like. Can you describe how the setup works and the difficulties you encounter?

Well simply put, we're very pleased with the process Apple has in place for application approval and publication - of course every system has its kinks but the important thing is to ensure communication between developer, publisher and Apple is fluent to work through any issues - and with Apple we have that.

How have you found development on Android and other smartphones?

Android is a very promising market, which has had its issues in the past - but we're seeing a turning point for that now and we're finding development for Android much smoother. In early 2010 we were releasing games on Android devices at different times and on different days, but now we're releasing our games on supported devices simultaneously, which is a vast improvement and helps our fans better understand what games are available and what aren't.

To compliment this our Gameloft Android shop continues to grow, with more and more consumers visiting and purchasing our games - so generally we're happy with how development is going on Android and we look forward to an exciting year for Android ahead.

The mobile gaming scene is a rapidly expanding market. Is there, or will there be, any impact on the games industry as a whole, and what changes do you think there would be?

We're already seeing an impact on the games industry. Digital distribution has been a big talking point for the console and PC sector of the video games industry over the past few years, and mobile gaming is quickly becoming a large portion of what is currently fueling the success of it.

Mobile, and digital gaming in general, is opening the doors to bringing millions of device owners into video games by bringing accessible gaming to their platform of choice... everyone owns a phone or a television - and more and more people are buying smartphones capable of running HD games, but not everyone owns a console or a PC. We're finding that people who previously had no interest in video games are all of a sudden soaking them up like sponges - simply because in the past they've had no access to playing the games they think they might like, and now thanks to phones, gaming-enabled televisions and set-top boxes they do.

Likewise, developers and publishers are pushing more and more content into digital channels to differentiate their titles from the big brand games - but will the likes of your downloadable Modern Combat offer enough profit to maintain and expand the market? Or do you see an aggressive post-launch DLC policy as being key to profit growth?

We feel Modern Combat: Domination is a very strong title on the PlayStation Network which will be able to stand it's ground against other digital download titles available, and also it's box-product counterparts. Utilising the PlayStation Network and releasing the game with an attractive price point (£6.29) offers our fans the accessibility they crave from video games - which is to jump in and play as soon as possible without breaking the bank.

Downloadable content post-launch is something we'll look closely at - but we think the original release will tide players over for months, if not years, so there is no immediate rush on our end.

What's on the cards for Gameloft in 2011, and where do you see the company in three to five years?
In 2011 Gameloft will be delivering more high quality games to iOS and Android - for example we recently announced a brand new Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six game for iPhone, which will be the very first Rainbow Six game on mobile platforms, and the first Rainbow Six game since 2008 - which is a very exciting project.

Gameloft are also looking at new and emerging platforms and ensuring we deliver games to them - supporting markets other video games developers might not be looking at or focusing on. Television gaming, where our games are available for purchase directly from your television (Panasonic Viera TVs) or set-top box (Free set-top box) are two examples of this innovative approach we're adopting - and again an example of how we're making gaming more accessible for the wider audience.