Social game developer Scopely is using its data and experience to help new independent studios release their games.
Today, Scopely is announcing its LevelUp platform for developers. LevelUp provides the required server-side infrastructure to assist with the scaling of huge multiplayer games. LevelUp also helps developers make money with in-game ads. Scopely’s ad partners include Starbucks and VitaminWater.
“Every independent game studio we talk to is worried about distribution and unhappy with the existing menu of partners that promise to help provide a solution,” said Scopely chief executive officer Walter Driver. “We’re identifying the best teams in the world and working alongside them to develop, design, distribute, scale and monetize their mobile games. By limiting our platform to a small group of partners we can provide exponentially more value and dramatically increase the chances each game will be successful.”
The first game to use this distribution platform is Bubble Galaxy With Buddies, an iOS game that hit No. 1 on the free-app chart within its first six hours after its October release. Scopely achieved this quick adoption by luring in players from other apps with in-game notices.
This is another example of an increasing trend where mobile game developers are going with an established partner rather than chancing the unpredictable App Store all on their own. Feel Every Yummy’s Writer Rumble went with publisher GameFly. Developer Pocket Gems is doing something nearly identical to Scopely and using its knowledge base to provide publishing help to other developers.
For the developer, this provides them with an established network of players and ad-partners. It reduces the studio’s chances to hit the extremely big bucks, like Rovio with Angry Birds, but it also greatly reduces the risk.
For these developers-turned-publishers, every new game increases their player base, which means more people to advertise to.