Playground Antics

We found two private investors - with one the contract was ready to be signed, but the other just bailed out because of the financial conditions. But the other guy decided to go on, so that was good for us.

It was good - because what we saw, we did something innovative in terms of technology. We built a platform, going for fully browser-based, and because we just about raised the money before the crash we were able to continue with the research and make the pipeline from 3D, to 2D, to 2.5D - and now we have an advantage, because our product has now launched quietly, and you'll see there's no one out there with the same quality.

That's because at that time, nobody invested in new products - they just said they were going to consolidate their existing portfolio, so that was actually a big benefit.

It's true - everybody stopped investing in new properties, but for us it was good because our competitors were silent as well. Because we'd raised money we could build on the company.

Now, people are starting to knock on the door with some ideas, asking what we think. Most of it is hard, but we just signed a deal last month with a big sports license, and this one isn't really for kids. But it proves that the path we've taken in trying to find licenses, and a triple-A quality experience in a browser - without trying to do what console games are doing, but making it more social - that's working.

Some of these traditional publishers - THQ, Activision, EA - have fantastic properties that are for kids. They know now that in terms of the business model they need to make some changes - what's happening with Zoo Tycoon, or The Sims? Why not try to find a cool browser-based angle for those products or IP you already have. We've been really surprised they're to silent on that front.

You talk to Disney - they're the only one with the right approach. We talked to them for a long time on a very European property, to develop it in co-operation for them. But it's quite hard to work, as an outside company, with them so in the end we decided not to do it.

But two years ago they had the vision about where the market is going - they bought Club Penguin - and they knew that if they could do it the right way you could turn your customers over to new properties. That's what's good - if you get a gamer in and you have a quality product, and after 12 months they've finished with that... but then you have a new one you can present, or a different angle.

Well, on the parental side, that's one of the reasons we thought that working with existing IP was a good idea. For many of them the concept of a virtual world or online environment is alien, so at least we can bring a known entity to the table - something that was on TV, on the Disney Channel. Parents will be more inclined to let their kids play that type of game.">