Interviews

Bight's Duncan: iPhone games are our Trojan Horse into traditional carriers

Puzzlings was Verizon's #2 best mobile game of 2009

Bight's Duncan: iPhone games are our Trojan Horse into traditional carriers
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| Bight Games news

With many developers looking to balance their iPhone work with other mobile platforms, we're talking to studios who are capitalising on opportunities in these other areas.

One such example is Canadian outfit Bight Games, which is continuing to support traditional mobile channels, alongside iPhone, gaining particular success with Verizon.

Incidentally its Puzzlings game, cost $2.99 on iPhone, is priced at $7.99 on Verizon.

We caught up with CEO Stuart Duncan to find out more.

Pocket Gamer: How are you finding the ever increasing competition on the App Store?

Stuart Duncan: The iPhone market is definitely a challenge. It's true there are just way too many games for consumers to sift through. Bight is able to stand on our quality and experience to get our games through the noise, and so far Apple has taken notice of our titles.

We have high hopes for Fleeced! our newest game. It's safe to say there's nothing like it on the App Store, so hopefully its originality will set it apart, not to mention that it's a great game.

Why are you making mobile versions of your iPhone games?

We've always done mobile versions of our games. Mobile games are our core expertise. Right from the design stage, our games must translate across different platforms and control schemes to get a green-light for production.

How successful have you been?

Very. As I said, It's not an accident. Our games are built for mobile from day one.

Will mobile market be more important for you in 2010?

Absolutely. The App Store has reinvigorated interest in mobile games and Bight sees a lot of opportunity in the feature phone and smartphone market.

Is this limited to the North American market?

No. This is a global opportunity. We have international distribution for Puzzlings for example, and it should be available in the UK this summer.

Why is it worth still bothering with iPhone games if there's such an opportunity elsewhere?

That's a good question, but the answer is simple. The iPhone is an excellent proving ground for original IP. It allows developers to demonstrate to traditional carrier channels that there is a real interest by consumers in playing high quality original games.

For a long time carriers were shy about promoting original games on their decks. That's changing. Puzzlings was featured in the number 2 spot in Verizon's best games of 2009 sandwiched between Guitar Hero 5 and Assassin's Creed II 3D. Not bad!

What about other platforms such as PSP Minis and DSiWare?

We are exploring these, as well as other platforms. Look for some announcements later this year.

Thanks to Stu for his time.

You can keep up-to-date with Bight via web, Facebook and Twitter.

Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.