We continue to summarize the results of 2020 together with top managers and experts of the gaming industry (and related ones). Next up is an interview with Andrey Yanchenko, co-founder and general producer of Deus Craft.
Andrey Yanchenko
How was 2020 for the company?
This year we have increased our own marketing competencies. A department of one person has turned into a division of more than 10.
Our Grand Hotel Mania project has been released worldwide, which has been prepared for a long time and carefully.
Google has nominated it in 5 countries as Users Choice Awards (in the USA, Canada, France, Germany and India).
Our Mania was also among the top 5 highest-grossing mobile adventure games in a number of countries. The game was particularly successful in the USA — in September, this market accounted for more than 50% of the total revenue of the product.
Dynamics of Grand Hotel Mania in the top of the highest-grossing Google Play Adventure games in August and September (AppMagic)
We have almost doubled our staff and launched several new projects at once.
You probably know about our recent consolidation with MY.GAMES.
At this stage, the company is in the process of conscious scaling: the staff will continue to grow. Now the number of employees is approaching a hundred.
What new trends in your niche do you consider worth paying attention to?
I'll mark two:
- developers began to follow marketing trends more closely (this year, the focus was also on the mislids);
- a lot of customization (as a rule, this is very much desired by the players, but such desires should be treated with caution, there is always a risk that the implementation of such functionality will not be financially repulsed).
What new market trends would you note in general?
It seems to me that the market has stagnated, significant changes will occur next year.
What will be the stake in the development of the company in 2021?
Let's make a bet on securing a niche where we have already shown ourselves perfectly.
Grand Hotel Mania — Studio blockbuster
We are currently preparing several new mobile projects in the genre of time manager and match-3.
Which third-party game releases are you interested in? Which ones did you pay attention to as a gamer?
There have been many games this year that have improved the existing standards. I liked Hades. I also can't help but mention Genshin Impact.
Hades incredibly presents the myths of Ancient Greece. She herself is "wrapped" in wonderful art, she has great music, a variety of action. The game as a whole is very addictive.
Genshin Impact is a very cool Chinese project that has shot up on the global market. Monetization is perfectly configured in the game: you pay not because it hurts you, but because it brings extra pleasure.