Rockpool launches new casual gaming company

Rockpool Games MD Paul Gouge has told GamesIndustry.biz that although casual gamers may outnumber hardcore players, there's still a way to go before revenues for both markets match up.

Speaking in an exclusive interview to be published next week, Gouge said, " In terms of overtaking numbers, [casual gaming] is a bigger marketplace, because there are a lot of people now who have the ability to get involved in playing games, and the games they want to play are available to them.

"But in terms of revenues, these people probably aren't prepared to spend the same amount as your hardcore gamer. So in terms of the actual gaming marketplace I think the hardcore market is still going to represent a large amount of revenues, certainly for the short to medium term."

However, Gouge continued, "Maybe moving forward, as the more mass market player gets involved, we might see a greater share of that revenue coming from those people."

Gouge's comments come as Rockpool announces the launch of a new company, SoGoPlay, which will offer casual games to the global online market. The games will be available to download via SoGoPlay.com and also via distribution portals such as Real Networks, MSN and Big Fish.

According to Gouge, "It's segmented into two parts, really - the downloadable PC games, which is the first part of our strategy, and then that will be followed up by more social networking-style games that we're also very excited about.

"For us, it's about exploiting some of the original IPs we've developed in the Rockpool studio, but also it's about trying to learn how that consumer segment plays games, how they like to pay for games; and we believe we've got the right skillset to make some money out of it."

Gouge went on to observe, "What we're going through now is something that a lot of us have been talking about for a long time - this idea of widening those boundaries and starting to look outside what is essentially a niche strategy to sell games, and try to educate people that often see games as a geeky pursuit.

"We're trying to say to the world, 'This is a valid form of entertainment; you don't have to be a geek to do it, and you don't have to pay fifty pounds, and you don't have to be unemployed or a student to participate.' That's really important for the industry."

Visit GamesIndustry.biz next week to read the full interview.