Diceworks

Tampere, Finland, August 18th 2009 - Newly founded Dicework Games will release their first game, the self-titled Diceworks, in 28th of August. The company founders Arto Koistinen and Peter Finnberg, both of whom have former experience in the game industry, believe that strong vision and solid design are the key elements in a highly competitive marketplace such as Apple's App Store.

"While I find it a bit naive to say that all you need for high sales is a good game, I strongly believe that a strong portfolio is something that will ensure the longevity of a development studio", says company CEO Koistinen. "We are aiming to make Dicework Games a brand in which our customers can trust. As a small studio, we have the possibility to take risks and try new things, or go for less popular genres."

Diceworks, while being in the popular genre of puzzle games, brings this thinking to practice in its visual design. The steampunk inspired art direction dodges the usual candy-like visual style of the genre and maintains a coherent tactile feel for the game. "We wanted the game to feel like a physical object", the artist Finnberg explains.

"The user interface is designed so that everything feels like a part of a clockwork puzzle box, I think it really brings a unique atmosphere for the game."

Everyone who is not yet convinced of the game's puzzle-y goodness can also try it on the company's website, where a web-browser version of the game will be available.

The developers also see their choice of engine, the Unity 3D, as a definite strength. For a small startup company, a tool that enables the developers to concentrate on game-specific development instead of having to build a software framework from scratch, at the same time giving the possibility for multi-platform release, is a valuable opportunity.

As is usual for the game industry, only few things in the horizon look clear. For now, the games will continue to be published on the iPhone and they will be self-funded as with Diceworks. "Concentrating on our own portfolio is currently the most viable option. Of course, we are open to publishing deals and sub-contracting, should a viable opportunity present itself. To be honest, I'd still love to work on some great license", Koistinen, who has previously worked with mobile license games, confesses.

Dicework Games

http://www.dicework.com/

company@dicework.com

NOTE FOR REVIEWERS:

We can send you either a iTunes promo code (US-based press) or an ad hoc build (others) if you are interested in writing a review. We'd kindly ask of you to release the review on the game's release date (28th of August).