HandyGames: China 'the place to be' for western mobile devs
Understand the market, then dominate it
The main motivation for any western mobile developer looking to take on the Chinese market is obvious: there are a hell of a lot of mobile consumers out there.
There's little point, however, in simply pushing out titles aimed at western gamers with little thought given as to how they might translate in the Chinese market. That's exactly why German publisher HandyGames has partnered with Yodo1.
As part of the deal, Yodo1 has set out adapting HandyGames' releases for Chinese gamers, with five titles -Clouds & Sheep, Guns 'n Glory, Guns 'n Glory WW2, Happy Vikings and Infecct - launching in the first wave.
We caught up with HandyGames CEO Christopher Kassulke for his take on why reaching out to a third party is a move worth making if it leads to success in this most lucrative of markets.
Pocket Gamer: Why did you choose Yodo1 to partner with for your Chinese operations?
Christopher Kassulke: HandyGames signed several blockbuster titles of our huge portfolio with Yodo1. Henry Fong the CEO of Yodo1 is a great person and his team is doing a great job.
Our business is still a business driven by individuals. Henry has the same vision and passion for games as we have. That is the main reason to work with them.
It’s important to understand HandyGames and our products to do business with us.
What changes has Yodo1 made to your games to adapt them for the Chinese market?Translating the game is a simple task for developers like us but real adapting something else.
Guns 'n Glory WW2
You need to adapt the games not only on the gameplay site but also to local social networks, integrating local advertisers, integrate local billing, etc. Is it possible for western publishers to make such changes off their own back, or is it always a necessity to reach out to firms such as Yodo1 when making a move on alien markets?
Of course every developer and publisher can do it on their own back. But time to market is important!
HandyGames is working with several local partners in other territories like Japan, Korea, etc.
China is a complex market but without a strong local partner it’s hard to dominate it. Our aim is to be a top developer known by the consumers in China. Together with Yodo1 we believe this will happen much faster than doing it on our own.
What opportunities and differences does the Chinese market present for western developers?What opportunities? 200 million mobile gamers in this year alone!
Clouds & Sheep
Of course it’s a different market, but China is a great market to be in. Those who already visit the country understand that China is a place to be.
Will you be working on original titles specifically for the Chinese market in the future, or will you continue to bring across western IP?We will for sure see also Chinese driven updates and features within our portfolio of games. HandyGames will always produce great products for the mass market.
Thanks to Christopher for his time.