With mobile gaming revenue set to overtake the console market as of this year, growing by around 20 percent to clock in at around $30 billion, according to analysts at gaming-focused global market research and predictive analytics firm Newzoo, the market is now ripe for retro gaming on the mobile. Especially after a banner 2014 for mobile, which saw more than 2.4 billion tablets and smartphones shipped, according to analysis by IT research and advisory firm Gartner. Whether it is stuff that was just coded last week and compiled for the latest Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone – or it is classic content, delivered to PC and set-top streaming devices via services like Steam – the gameplay is what gets people, and content is king.
That is why WRIT Media Group (OTC: WRIT) wholly-owned subsidiary, Retro Infinity, has been working with Amiga Games, Inc. (AGI) to bring a treasure trove of classic content from the late 80s and early 90s to the modern market. These are not titles that require considerable development expenses to produce, or will be hit-or-miss in terms of an ability to appeal to end-markets; they are tried-and-tested gaming experiences from Amiga, Atari and other platforms of that era. By licensing proven and existing game libraries, mastering them for a more connected era of content distribution choices, and allowing publishers to generate revenue off previously dormant titles, Retro Infinity provides a conduiting solution for elegantly launching old content to new devices.
The Amgia and Atari brand conjure up fond memories to a lot of gamers who grew up in that era. From top-down squad based shooters like Cannon Fodder, which was praised for its numerous levels, reflex-based puzzle solving and high skill requirement, to paradigm-defining gameplay experiences like Lemmings, the Amiga had a sizeable library of really good games. Titles like Super Cars 2, Kick Off 2, Eye of the Beholder, F29 Retaliator, and The Settlers show the range, as well as depth of gameplay experiences which can reside in the publisher’s library, and yet they go untapped by mobile and other potential markets. Any serious gamer knows that quality is more about the overall experience and feel of a game than just the graphics. This is a major driving force behind the rise of indie gaming – which in most cases now is an homage to retro games, both in terms of gameplay and aesthetics – as well as the resurgence of retro gaming itself.
Retro Infinity’s proprietary technology allows games that have already successfully connected with audiences in the past, to be seamlessly adapted and republished for the widest variety of platforms. Whether it is a new generation of gamers going back and discovering amazing content that has complexity, deep stories, exciting gameplay and fluid game mechanics through their PC, tablet, console/microconsole or set-top box, or older gamers rediscovering those same experiences through their mobile device. Retro gaming has immense appeal to a large and growing market. With major developers today heavily focused on top-tier, big budget games that must sell extremely well in order to be considered successful, the mid-tier market has been left largely vacant, opening the door to an explosion of indie development over the last few years.
This content vacuum is so powerful that it has even drawn the majors back in of late. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) wowed the sector at its E3 2015 press conference not with Mass Effect Andromeda and Star Wars Battlefront, but with a humble little physics-based puzzle platformer, Unravel, and its subsequent touting of a strategic move to do more external content in the future like this off-beat indie game. This strategy move by EA takes a page out of the playbook of French developer Ubisoft (OTC: UBSFY), which, while better known for its top-tier titles like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, has seen great responses recently from its puzzle adventure game Valiant Hearts, and the platforming RPG Child of Light.
The push by gaming sector majors back into the realm of indie and retro gaming illustrates how hot the market is for content, especially when it lends itself to being easily adapted to the burgeoning mobile and set-top spaces. WRIT Media Group has put together the technology and know-how to mine through the highly-mineralized content of the retro gaming world, and deliver that content in the best format to end-users across a spectrum of devices.
Find out more at www.writmediagroup.com
Update 9/21/15: WRIT Media Group has started a Kickstarter campaign to launch the Retro Infinity Player. For more details, visit: http://dtn.fm/writ-media-kickstarter
Let us hear your thoughts: WRIT Media Group, Inc. Message Board
