Goodgame Studios celebrates 300 million registered players
Hamburg,
Strong and constant growth at a remarkable pace
Goodgame Studios, Germany’s leading developer and provider of gaming software, has shot past the next million mark and now brings together more than 300 million registered users worldwide. The number of active and paying players has also increased.
In 2015, Goodgame Studios added approximately 50 million new players to its existing titles alone. That’s almost 90 new players per minute, and with new titles set for release this year, it looks like this growth will continue to skyrocket!
Goodgame Studios games are played in every country around the globe, with the biggest markets according to registration numbers being Brazil, Germany, the United States, Poland, and Russia. Nonetheless, even nations like Vatican City and Nauru have Goodgame fans. Tremendous was particularly visible in notable countries like the United States, China, India, and Russia.
With over 80 million registrations, Goodgame Empire has the most players of all the games. The mobile version of the game, Empire: Four Kingdoms, has more than 60 million users, while Goodgame Big Farm stands its ground with over 40 million players.
“We’re pleased that our existing titles stand out from the crowd with their especially long lifespans and continue to display such strong growth in new registrations. The expansion of our portfolio over the upcoming year will boost our user numbers even higher,” said Dr. Christian Wawrzinek, COO and founder of Goodgame Studios.
Read the complete press release: Download
Goodgame Studios unveils the “4th Floor” – its PC client initiative
Hamburg,
4th Floor studio will launch an online action RPG using Unreal Engine
Goodgame Studios’ new initiative, the 4th Floor studio, is currently developing their first ever action-RPG title, using Unreal Engine 4. The gaming community will get their first opportunity to evaluate the game when it’s revealed next month, so stay tuned!
The 4th Floor studio is home to more than 70 highly talented professionals from over 22 nations working on the first PC client title from Goodgame Studios, Germany’s leading developer and publisher of gaming software. The team brings together an astounding pool of experience in developing AAA titles from their past roles at renowned game development studios, such as Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, and Riot Games, thus making the studio a powerhouse of gaming talent.
The 4th Floor studio is led by William Corey Barnard, an industry veteran with 20 years of experience in interactive entertainment. Barnard has held several leadership positions at a variety of AAA studios, including Warner Bros. and Electronic Arts, working on titles such as Lord of the Rings Online and Need for Speed: ProStreet.
Commenting on the studio unveiling, William Corey Barnard, Head of 4th Floor studio at Goodgame Studios, said, “The 4th Floor has a unique environment with widespread creative freedom. I empower my team to take calculated risks and push the boundaries of the action-RPG genre to create a unique gameplay experience for our community of players. Our first PC client game combines unique asymmetric, competitive, and cooperative gameplay in a way never seen before. We have made amazing progress due to the team’s incredible dedication and passion.”
The 4th Floor also inaugurated its very own sound studio that will serve as the epicenter of all music and sound design. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, the sound studio allows for top quality music production, voiceovers, and audio post-production. The composition and creation of AAA quality sound design will be delivered by our distinguished sound design team, led by Charlie Atanasyan, who contributed to the audio production of Assassin’s Creed Unity.
“We are excited to enter the core games market with 4th Floor studio. Entering this segment is vastly important in our pursuit of becoming one of the world’s leading game developers. I have complete confidence in this team of experienced and highly talented professionals and their ability to launch an exciting new title for the gaming community,” said Kai Wawrzinek, Chief Executive Officer at Goodgame Studios.
Read the complete press release: Download
Additional information and visual material: Download
William Corey Barnard Joins Goodgame Studios as Head of Studio
Hamburg,
Goodgame Studios, Germany’s leading game software developer and publisher, is pleased to announce that William Corey Barnard has been appointed as Head of Studio for the company’s first core game venture.
Corey will be taking over this role from Michael Böni who will be leaving Goodgame Studios to pursue other opportunities in the industry. In his role Corey will be providing vision, strategy and leadership to this autonomous, dedicated core-gaming development team.
Corey joins GGS with over 20 years of experience in the digital entertainment industry. His prior roles include Development Director for Warner Bros. and Electronic Arts, where he was instrumental in the development and launch of AAA titles such as Lord of the Rings Online, Infinite Crisis, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Need for Speed: ProStreet.
“With Corey coming aboard, this is the start of an exciting time for Goodgame Studios,” commented Dr. Kai Wawrzinek, CEO Goodgame Studios. “His guidance of our studio is a key part of our current strategy that is geared towards establishing Goodgame as a leading gaming company. I am confident that with Corey as Head of Studio, our first PC client title is destined for success.”
Corey also embodies the innovative spirit of Goodgame Studios that draws inspiration and experience from diverse industries outside of gaming. His illustrious career before venturing into the gaming industry included stints in the animation industry working on well known projects like Spiderman and Hot Wheels.
Corey is no stranger to leading game development teams, having already successfully pioneered the role of Senior Hansoft Coach for Customer Success in the United States, where he was evangelizing advanced agile project management software which is now at the heart of his studio.
Speaking about his new role, Corey said “This is a unique opportunity to use Goodgame’s world-class technologies and skilled developers to make a truly outstanding product for the core-gamer market. The team is fantastic, and we are already starting to see some very exciting new developments. Stay tuned for more exciting news from us!”
Read the complete press release: Download
Goodgame Studios: Employees decide against election of works council
Hamburg,
At today’s all-employees meeting of Goodgame Studios, one of Germany’s leading developers of gaming software, the clear majority of 62.8 percent of 1035 employees present voted against a works council. The electoral board that was to be appointed thus did not achieve a majority vote. It would have been responsible for preparing and conducting the election of a works council over the next weeks. The electoral procedures for the election of a works council has therefore been stopped at this point.
Goodgame Studios will now go on to develop an alternative system of employee representation in order to allow for more employee engagement within the company. Employees of Goodgame Studios will be in charge of establishing the new committee.
“We are happy that the majority of our employees are of the opinion that representation which is tailored specifically to the company is the most appropriate solution for Goodgame Studios. The committee when elected will have extensive rights enshrined by contractual obligation on behalf of the company, enabling it to act in the best interest of all employees. We express our sincere thanks for the work that was already done on this model and for the trust of our employees in this approach”, said Kai Wawrzinek, CEO of Goodgame Studios.
Based on the clear results of the vote, we assume that everyone who is involved will respect the will of the employees and give the alternative model a fair chance to prove itself. Ver.di announced during the assembly that they will accept the result of the vote and will not take further steps.
Read the complete press release: Download
Goodgame Studios Enters the Casual Games Genre
Hamburg,
New Casual Studio will launch first puzzle game this year
Goodgame Studios, Germany’s leading developer and provider of gaming software, will launch its first puzzle game later this year. The game is being developed by the new Casual Studio, which was founded in the beginning of 2015. The new studio has more exciting projects in the pipeline.
By releasing their first puzzle game later this year, top-selling German games company Goodgame Studios is breaking new ground. The casual segment, which includes puzzle games, is currently gaining popularity worldwide. Goodgame Studios is therefore developing more projects in this segment and are looking at expanding their team by hiring the best talent from across the globe.
The construction of a new Casual Studio and the development of a first puzzle game are part of Goodgame Studios’ plans to diversify their product range in order to expand their reach to a different gaming community. In addition to new game genres, the expert of MMO strategy games will also enter new platforms which go beyond the existing options of playing on mobile and in the browser.
The Casual Studio is one of several development units that Goodgame Studios had established as a part of their new product strategy in beginning of the year. All studios have their own resources and creative freedom, which enables them to work independently. The aim is to make game development more efficient and to maximise the employees’ creative potential. The fast development of the new puzzler game reflects the company’s plans to have faster production processes in the future.
“We are pleased to see that the restructuring of our game development units is proving fruitful and that we will be able to launch our first casual game this year. Expanding our product portfolio is our top priority. We are investing in the best talent and world class technology in order to achieve this goal” said Kai Wawrzinek, co-founder and CEO of Goodgame Studios.
The Casual Studios is run by Daniel Persson, who joined Goodgame Studios in October 2014. Persson has worked in the computer games industry for over 15 years and is a veteran in the casual games genre. Prior to his current role Daniel worked as Head of Studio at King, where he built the Malmö studio and successfully developed and launched the game “Pet Rescue Saga”.
“I am pleased that the new studio structure has enabled my team to maximize its creative potential and to dynamically progress the development of our first project. In order to sustain our growth momentum, we are looking at expanding our studio by hiring experts from varied fields who can add value to our studio. We want to break new ground in the field of casual games and develop innovative and entertaining products” elaborated Daniel Persson, Head of Studio – Casual at Goodgame Studios.
The puzzle game combines popular elements of the casual game genre in an unprecedented way and the game will be available as an app for smartphones and tablets as well as on Facebook.
Read the complete press release: Download
