Jane Cruz-Walker is the Present and Chief Executive Officer for
Level Up! Games, which is the NO.1 game publisher in Philiphines. She is a charming and conversable lady, and the following interview is our reporter Shine sending from
ChinaJoy 2007.
MMOsite.com: What are your major goals for attending the fifth Chinajoy?
MS Jane:
China is fast-becoming a major player in the online game industry and global trends will soon enough emanate from this region. Level Up will continue to support ChinaJoy by sending representatives to maximize this opportunity.
Early this year we acquired our first Chinese developed game called Perfect World from Perfect World Beijing. I am amazed so far based on what I have seen during the localization and testing phase. PW is set to go open beta next week and we know it is going to be a big hit. We are currently finalizing our content line up for 2008 and I hope to see what we are looking for in Shanghai.
Korea will continue to be an important source for Level Up as Korea' s experience in this industry is unrivaled so far. Our visit to Shanghai widens our network. We' d like to see what' s new in terms of content, solutions and platforms. Cost continues to rise so we are looking for other alternatives most suited for the Philippine market. I' ve seen Grade A contents in other exhibits and conferences but the acquisition/licensing cost doesn' t make sense in a market in its early stages. We are hoping to see contents most suited for a market where infrastructure is less developed, buying behavior of players with less purchasing power and micro-payment are well studied.
MMOsite.com: What are your criteria in selecting game to distribute?
MS Jane:
Players anticipate the coming of new games and their expectations are much higher now. They want more choices, more player generated contents etc.. so it is important for the 1st criteria to be the content' s strategic role within the portfolio / product line. Our portfolio is much more diversified now – different genres catering to different needs.
Longevity of the game. The usual problem is the game developer' s ability to generate new content/features fast enough to retain avid to hard-core players. It is very important to keep these players as they are the more often the leaders of that game. What they say carries a lot of weight with the new players. For this, we are seeking at least 1-year of existing content prior to purchasing.
Choosing the right partner is crucial in both marketing and technical aspects. Without full support, a game' s success is limited. To emphasize, Philippine games benefit from offline events which not only promote the game to new markets but also gives advertising companies an easy (and understandable) entry point to the youth market. The excitement such an event brings is a win-win situation for both the game developer and the game publisher. The advertising companies are then a step closer to in-game advertising. An example is Coca-cola which appeared in both our Ragnarok and Freestyle games.
The speed in resolving game issues such as fixes in lag, bugs, item duplications, and other hacks is also an important factor. It cannot be over-emphasized that technical support here is the life and death of the game.
On the back-end side, we also look into whether the game fits the Philippine' s network infrastructure. Given our thousands of islands, overall connectivity is a problem for some game developers.
Lastly, the business model has been evolving recently. At this time, LU is looking at subscription and free-to-play hybrids that fit the Philippine market.
MMOsite.com: Most of the games distributed by Level-up Games are from Korea, like Fly for Fun, Ro, RF etc.., so have you ever considered European, American games?
MS Jane:
Level Up' s entry started with Korean contents like Oz World and of course the phenomenal Ragnarok, the game that started it all in the Philippines.
Level Up continues to monitor online games from the Western region and upon finding a game title that matches our local market plus given reasonable game developer support, we are more than open to getting the game.
MMOsite.com: Do you play games? What types of games do you like most?
MS Jane:
I was a console player during my younger years. Right now I' m too busy to play games but I do make it a point to play every now and then to see what' s new and check on the community. Sometimes I watch the guys in the office when they' re testing a new game or new version/feature or when they' re just simply having fun. If I had time, you would probably see me playing a casual sports game. I prefer games with a lot of social interaction as it' s the most interesting part of the entire experience.
MMOsite.com: Among the handful of games distributed by Level-up Games, which one is your favorite, or which one is the most successful so far?
MS Jane:
Ragnarok by far remains to be the most successful game not just in just Level Up but in the history of Online Games in the Philippines. No other game has reached the same revenue and concurrency during its peak. While the numbers have diminished with the entry of a number of games, it continues to contribute a significant share of revenue and remains to have a very loyal following even on its 4th year. Flyff or Fly for fun is another success story. It is our top volume driver as it has the biggest playing community so far. It is the first free-to-toplay MMORPG to be launched in the Philippines. RF Online has a much smaller community compared to Ragnarok and Flyff but the community is intense and the spending capacity is much more so it is one of our top value drivers.
Favorites? Well, the game I am playing right now is Perfect World. The customization features are beyond compare. Even a casual player like myself can get around and enjoy. There is something for everyone. I
m sure when you talk to a hardcore player who has tried this game, the more serious features such as the territorial battle system will be one of the many highlights of their gaming experience.
MMOsite.com: Currently, many players are eagerly awaiting the release of RO2. What are your plans to promote RO2?
MS Jane:
It is undoubtedly the most anticipated game not only in the Philippines but other regions as well. There are a lot of plans in the pipeline which I do not want to reveal at this point. You can expect the anticipation to heighten as we get closer to the launch.
MMOsite.com: How do you look upon the fifth Chinajoy? And what have you achieved from your Shanghai trip?
MS Jane:
Understanding of China' s direction with the Online game industry. Established initial contacts with game developers, publishers, and other related organizations.
MMOsite.com: How do you view the future of online gaming? In you opinion, how will it develop?
MS Jane:
There is an increasing interest in online games in the Philippines. There is an influx of contents, business models continue to evolve, other related businesses are starting to see the potential of the business so we expect awareness and penetration to continue to grow. A lot of cooperation is needed from telcos and being allied with PLDT, the biggest telecommunication company in the Philippines, gives us a big advantage in reaching more gamers outside of the traditional channels. Home penetration will be the next frontier.
This post has been modified on Jul 18 , 2007 09:07:39 PM by daimon_hunter.
Chinajoy is very cool :)
