The Pocket Gamer Podcast Episode 94 - Developer interview: Reigns, swiping right, and the duality of life

How long do you think you can survive as a new ruler of your own kingdom? Would real life be easier if there were only two choices in every decision? We ponder the hilarious duality of life in this week's (New and Improved!) Pocket Gamer Podcast, where it's all about Reigns and its 10th anniversary!

François Alliot, creative director and co-founder of Nerial, and Senior Narrative Designer Oscar Harrington-Shaw sit down with us this week to talk about Reigns' beginnings, how they pitched it as "Game of Thrones meets Tinder", and how mobile was always the plan for the narrative Choose Your Own Adventure-like sim. It's an interesting tale of how the concept came to be, and at which point they realised that the franchise had the potential to be the massive hit it is today.

They also share stories about how the mobile landscape has changed over the years in terms of premium price tags, analytics, and different monetisation models, which brings to light a lot of thoughtful points on the evolution of the series across a decade.

That said, with all the different IPs that the Reigns series now has - Game of Thrones and The Witcher included - they both share their dream franchise they'd love to maybe Reigns-ify one day, as well as their personal favourites, advice for indie devs, and subtle hints on what they might be working on next!

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