Game Insight is getting ready to take the endless runner genre to the next shadowy level with The Running Shadow: a game about quick and fluid running, and gorgeously spooky Gothic environments. Hey, the "Shadow" in the game's title isn't for nothing, after all!What's unique about this one is that The Running Shadow is said to combine the now-traditional fast-paced action of an endless runner game with the deep and engrossing upgrade system of a classic RPG; not to mention an invigorating 3D combat system! In the game, players will get to explore the dark fantasy world of Adrion, as they interact with more than 20 different characters, and help to rid the realm from all kinds of cruelty and injustice."Featuring a deep and expansive storyline (especially for an endless runner game!), players will take control of various members of the "Brotherhood of Shadows," a secret organization that has its own incentives for taking to the rooftops and shallow pits of Adrion: namely, for looting valuable treasure!The Running Shadow will be debuting first exclusively on Android in the near future, with other mobile platform support to follow shortly after, which I think is pretty safe to assume will include iPhone and iPad.
It's a tale everyone has heard before: woman plays a lot of MMOs, joins a gaming start-up with some of the members of her guild, and eventually leaves to head up her own multinational mobile/social gaming company.Actually, maybe the story of Alisa Chumachenko isn't a very common one. But while the CEO and founder of Game Insight may not have taken the usual route to the executive level of the industry, that doesn't mean she has any less insight (no pun intended) into where mobile and social games are headed.In fact she might have more than most people because of the way Game Insight has had to shift focus in its three years of existence. Though its original aim was to create casual titles like city builders and hidden object games online, the state of social gaming during the company's infancy forced it to switch gears quickly to tackle the mobile market.
Hidden object games are the old mainstay of casual games. Free-to-play social is the new mainstay. So how do you find a way to make these two magical formulas work together? If you're Game Insight, you release an insanely popular hidden object hunt like Mystery Manor. Following on that game's success, Game Insight recently published their second free-to-play hidden object game, Join Games' Mirrors of Albion.
Finding and conquering new markets is key to growth for any game developer nowadays. We've touched on the importance of looking outside of the US recently, but to put a finer point on it, the Chinese market in particular seems to be one that's rife with potential. It's something we've heard a lot about recent months, and a fair bit at Casual Connect Kiev this week -- but is the assessment of China's potential really accurate?
A recent update to Mystery Manor, a hidden object title for iPad, Android and Facebook, has left iPad users up in arms. The update in question removed and dramatically altered certain aspects of the game, leaving many feeling as though they're now forced to pay real money if they want to complete the game -- a scenario that was not at all present in the original version. It's a tangled situation, and many have taken to the game's Facebook page and unofficial forums to express their grievances. With the hopes of assuaging concerns and gaining a better understanding of the matter, we spoke with Inga Shkurina, Marketing Manager and Community Lead of Game Insight's Moscow headquarters.
It's always nice to report on success stories. That's why we're very happy to hear that Game Insight shot past the $50 million mark in 2011. The primary drivers of the company's success come from social hits such as Paradise Island and My Country. Game insight has stated that Paradise Island is pulling in over $1 million a month, and My Country generated $150,000 a week while it sat atop the iPad charts.
Game Insight may not be a household name just yet, but with 17 social games released across 25 social networks all over the world, it soon will be. The company has its sites set on North America, and has already had several hits on Facebook with games like Mystery Manor and Big Business, with the promising Crime Story soon to follow. It's also a company that's run entirely by women, making it unique in the gaming world.We caught up with Darya Trushkina, Game Insight's VP of Business Development, to learn more about the company and what we can expect in the future.