In yet another proof of the world-class animation skills of Filipinos, a Nasdaq-listed US games publisher has released a new mobile game for iOS and Android, which was developed by a Philippine-based game studio.
In a statement, Makati-headquartered FunGuy Studio said its latest project, a free-to-play game titled “Spelltorn Clash Of Fates,” has just been launched as a new mobile game by California-based game company Glu Mobile.
With the milestone, FunGuy Studio executives said they are hopeful the game will push the company to the next level in the competitive world of video and mobile app creation.
Darwin Tardio, co-founder of FunGuy and deputy chairman of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), said games which perform well in this genre are capable of achieving sales that could propel small players into the big league.
?If we crack the top 100 grossing games on iTunes and Google Play, we could expect to see significant revenues which will allow us to expand our Manila team dramatically, generating jobs and economic activity in a market sector which is largely ignored,” Tardio said.
FunGuy Studio, which was co-founded in 2007 by American entrepreneur Graeme Warring, merged with a US-based company in 2011 to capitalize on the US distribution of its games.
The group spent several years designing and self-publishing a series of motorbike racing games, involving world-famous racing talents such as Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath, as well as working with major players such as Turner Entertainment.
The new game, ?Spelltorn?, is their most ambitious project yet. It is a fantasy strategy game known as an MMORPG, or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, set on the mythical continent of Masara.
The game?s backstory and lore was written by two of the original illustrators and writers for the Dungeon and Dragons series, Laura and John Lakey.
FunGuy Studio collaborated with their US team for more than a year bringing the story to life in a mobile game, which just released on the iTunes and Google Play stores in early April.
The game takes the form of a “choose your own adventure novel.” While the story beginning will be familiar to all who play it, the ending will be unique, as players make decisions, which will affect their path throughout the game, the company said.
International talent agency DDM was engaged to find a publisher for ?Spelltorn,? and after a competitive bidding process, Glu Mobile was selected for their experience in the publishing and marketing of free-to-play mobile games, in addition to their understanding of user acquisition and their ability to take a free game and generate a meaningful return.
Tardio, who headed the Manila team, said: “We are really pleased that a local Filipino business like ours, which is off the radar of the big California tech companies, could produce a game of the quality of Spelltorn and attract a leading publisher like Glu. It is a tribute to the talent and technical skills of our team and we are hopeful that all Filipino gamers will get behind our game and download it for free.”
The company employs more than 50 employees in its Makati studio and said it will be looking to hire more staff members if the game is a big seller.
