Huzutech

Strange New Worlds - Virtual Worlds For Kids

The explosive growth in the social gaming market has left brand and license owners for kids with an interesting dilemma.

On the one hand the vast number of new users, new revenue streams and new types of experience all present fantastic opportunities for kids properties. At the same time, the privacy, security and safety issues presented by the leading social networks make them inappropriate for children's brands.

However, the opportunity for brand owners is difficult to ignore. Social gaming is revolutionizing the whole entertainment market. The ubiquity of social networks and the critical mass of users are creating whole new audiences, while the increasingly sophisticated capabilities of the networks are allowing new forms of gaming, interaction and experience to be created.

Social networks are providing brand owners with a new way to interact with their fans, players and consumers. As growing numbers of people use their preferred social network as their entry point to their entire online experience, having a presence on that network becomes ever more significant.

Growing acceptance of social gaming meanwhile, is producing entirely new revenue streams for brand owners, with the sale of virtual goods, consumer subscriptions and access to exclusive content all pushing business models in new directions and bringing greater opportunities for intellectual property of all kinds, from games and interactive entertainment, through to music, film, television and 'other'.

All of which makes social gaming an ideal platform for children's brands. The existing stand-alone networks such as Club Penguin, Moshi Monsters, and Animal Jam show the popularity of giving kids a safe and secure space in which to interact, compete, collaborate and play.

Yet creating an independent social network focused on kids is beyond the remit of all but the biggest brand owners, while creating a stand-alone game removes the social aspects almost entirely. While the possibilities of a social network specifically for kids, or a more child-friendly aspect being added to one of the existing networks remain an intriguing possibility, this is of little practical value to the brand and license owners currently working with properties for children.

Many kids brands are currently confined to their own isolated websites, or micro sites, offering one or more stand-alone games and some element of 'community'. This effectively isolates the brands and reduces their impact in terms of content and potential audience.

There are a number of reasons that simply having a website is no longer sufficient for brands to engage with players.

Single-player online games are losing ground to the more social titles on the market, thanks to the ability to play and share with friends and contacts. Social elements like sharing high scores and content and challenging other players to compete all help social games to 'spread the word', draw in new users, create repeat players and generate opportunities to apply revenue.

The online and persistent nature of social games also allows the introduction of far more narrative into the user's ongoing experience. Players can advance within the larger game, exploring the world, gaining experience, completing adventures, unlocking achievements and creating a far more compelling long-term engagement with the world.

The community element is one of the most difficult aspects to integrate into a property aimed at children. For many brands, 'community' has come to mean a forum, or message board which requires registration and restricts members to exchanging messages. This is an approach with little appeal for younger children and is already vanishing from a growing number of adult focused websites, as more and more users create their own 'distributed' communities across the existing social networks.

The increasing use of social networks as an entry-point or 'hub' of a user's digital life also has a major impact on stand-alone websites as destinations. Typing in a URL as a means of visiting a website is becoming rarer, as more and more users increasingly click through links which appear on their timeline.

All of which are combining to leave kids brands increasingly isolated. Even those which are tied into television and other media channels are finding it harder to draw users to their online destinations.

In a world of ever expanding social networks, how can kid friendly properties compete?

Huzutech has created a platform which brings together the best elements of virtual worlds, massively multiplayer games, social networks and online communities.

The technology allows wholly-branded virtual worlds to be created in which participants and players can collaborate, compete and play together. Running within a web browser and using ubiquitous web technologies such as Flash and HTML5 Huzutech's platform gives brand owners the means to create their own unique environment – rapidly, simply and securely.

Each world can contain multiple activities encompassing everything from exploration and education through to competitions, games and entertainment. Every aspect of the game can be created and customised to reflect and embrace the key brand values and give users an experience like no other.

Huzutech virtual worlds are inherently social and allow the creation, exchange and sale of virtual goods – creating new revenue streams and providing opportunities to provide narrative, new content and new experiences on an ongoing basis. This extends the life-cycle of the world and allowing new characters, activities and areas to be added and inserted, offering players far more variety and value than individual stand-alone games.

Every Huzutech world has the option for integration into chosen social networks, allowing the requests, achievements and success to be shared with friends and family through trusted channels.

This provides brand owners with the ability to create and control their own rich and compelling environment, giving users the content and experience they want to associate with their properties.

It gives users a safe and secure world in which they can participate and play. Tied into the main social networks, yet not reliant upon any one of them, Huzutech is giving brand owners the opportunity to be the architects of the next generation of online entertainment.

Data Driven Design

The IPO of San Francisco social games giant Zynga at the end of 2011 highlighted just how polarised opinion is when it comes to this new area of gaming.

The social games scene exploded in last year.  The number of games on the market increased beyond all expectations, as did the variety of games - from simple word and puzzle titles, through to massively multiplayer adventures.

This expansion drew in huge numbers of players and led to massive growth in revenues, from subscriptions, the sale of virtual goods and advertising.

It culminated in late 2011, with Zynga's initial public offering which valued the company at over one billion dollars.  Not too bad for a company which is not yet five years old. 

Despite all of the success however, there remains a lot of cynicism over the future of the social games sector and the long-term value of the games themselves.

Many developers and publishers working within the existing games industry have expressed doubt over many aspects of social gaming.

The fact social games are free-to-play is seen as unsustainable and damaging the value of the game itself.  If a player does not have to pay for a game, the argument states, then they simply don't value it.

The reliance of social games on the various social platforms (such as Facebook) ties their future into the ongoing success of that platform.  If the network runs into problems (over issues such as privacy), starts to lose large numbers of users, or makes major changes to its support for games, then titles using that network can run into problems.

Then there are the actual games.  Perhaps not surprisingly for a creative industry, this is one of the most fiercely held contentions regarding the social market.  Social games, it is claimed, lack any sort of artistic merit.  They are cynical marketing tools, which use psychological tricks to keep players coming back for more, in order to get them paying.  In short they're not creative, fun or 'designed' in the same way as console, pc or even mobile games, but designed and driven entirely by numbers.

Are any of these claims valid, or even fair?  In part, yes.  However, some of these issues are being viewed in the worst possible light, possibly thanks to the sweeping changes and huge differences social gaming has introduced into the wider games industry. 

The social gaming market is something entirely new.  Less than five years ago, it did not exist.  The fact it does now is down to Facebook opening it's Application Programme Interface (API), which allowed developers worldwide to go and create their own content for the rapidly growing social network.

On any new device, technology or platform which supports consumer facing software, games have very quickly become the most popular type of content.  From the iPhone and Apple App Store, to digital interactive television to social networks, gaming it seems that users are discovering the joys of simple, short and low cost ways to play. 

However, the market for these new forms of gaming operate very differently from the existing console and PC sectors.  The most successful games in new social, casual and mobile markets are free.  At least initially.  Users who are looking for smaller, simpler forms of gaming are certainly not going to pay £30/$40 up front for a game they don't know they'll enjoy.  While much lower price points ($0.99) have appeared on some markets, the most successful games are those which allow users to download and play them for free.

This business model requires an entirely different approach to creating and marketing a game.  In the 'traditional' games market, once the player has bought the game, whether they enjoy it or finish it is almost irrelevant (until you come to release the sequel).  The free-to-play (F2P) model, has to encourage players to return, to play the game again and again, so that new content, new virtual goods and new abilities can be unlocked or 'sold' from within the game itself.

Many companies are pushing ahead with this model to great effect.  New levels, new items, character customisation and rare/exclusive items can be sold to enthusiastic players and generate as much, if not more than simple up-front game sales.  Other companies have found success with an up-front payment and then in-game purchases.  Others still have made their entire game free-to-play but have included advertising links within the game.

All of these models are still in their early days, but indications so far are that with care and attention to when and how players are approached, they are willing to buy new content on an ongoing basis.

These points of payment however, have become contentious within the wider games industry, thanks to the data which social games companies can gather from players.  Unlike the PC and console market, where a player's contact and interaction with the developer/publisher is limited, social games run and interact on a server, so the player is in almost constant contact with the company behind the game. 

This gives the social games company far, far more information on how their players act within the game – down to individual mouse clicks, progress through the game and items used.

Many social games companies are using this data to refine and hone their titles, to make them more appealing, more compelling and dare we say – addictive.  This allows them to look for revenue on an ongoing basis, keep users engaged and make sure their players are still their players in the months to come.

This focus has lead to some criticism from the wider games industry that the social market, rather than being creative or driven by design, is actually being driven by data analysis and marketing.  Many developers are looking upon this as a negative thing, taking away much of the creativity and 'art' of other forms of gaming.

None of which is strictly fair.  A game which relies upon more 'casual' players has to be accessible, simple to pick up and easily understood.  A game which relies upon players returning many times, so that in-game purchases can be made, has to be compelling and addictive – though oddly enough it does NOT have to be 'fun.

The data on when and how players take part in games, gives social developers the opportunity to really focus on getting players into the game, keeping them playing and encouraging paid transactions.  In turn, this understanding gives social games companies certain rules and mechanisms which can be used in new games and built into experiences which should keep players even more engaged and offer more opportunities for revenue. 

There is a case to be made that the console and PC games companies, given access to the same data, would be adopting broadly similar approaches to development and design.  Major console games cost tens of millions and increasingly, hundreds of millions of dollars to create.  The publishers behind those games are not gambling with those sums of money.  They're focusing just as much on what worked, what was popular and what players will pay for as the companies working on social games.

Does this mean that data analysis can replace the human element and creativity in game design?  Clearly not.  Data analysis can only take you so far.  Since the social games market is still so young, there's simply no data on long-term use or user response.  Nor can data analysis reveal what isn't yet on the market.  While many of the leading social games have pulled in millions of players, many more have yet to give games a try.  What is it going to take to address these potential gamers of the future?

Data analysis is a useful tool.  It can help make identify problems in games and allows developers to refine and polish their titles, but it won't necessarily help create exciting, innovative and unique new experiences which don't yet exist

As for the new business models being explored by social games companies, again there's no real long-term data.  However, there are other platforms and indications that virtual good and in-app purchases are being accepted by users worldwide as interesting and valuable.

The mobile markets from Apple and Android feature a variety of apps, not just games, which feature in-app purchases, subscriptions, advertising funded titles and virtual goods.  If the platform is trusted, the revenue model convenient and the content perceived as having value, then consumers seem willing to pay for it.  Even 'rental' models for online movies, music and publications are beginning to make an appearance.  Its up to the creators to ensure that their content is seen to have that value.

Online, existing virtual communities such as Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin have also shown that new revenue models can work – even for audiences of a much younger age. 

In short, it seems that the opportunities to move away from the traditional retail model is being explored – successfully – by a large number of companies across the online, mobile, social and casual markets.  Which has to be good news for the brand owners, media companies and intellectual properties now looking seriously at these new areas of entertainment for new revenue streams and opportunities to interact with consumers in a new and more interactive ways.

Finally, the concern about relying on a single platform – such as Facebook – is a valid one.  While social networks are still a new phenomenon, there is already substantial evidence that all networks are transient.  Previously booming communities such as Bebo and MySpace have shrunk to a shadow of their former selves.  Yet, Facebook has in many ways rewritten the rules for social spaces.  The open API and critical mass of users suggests this network will be around for a significant time to come.

Which does not, however, make it the only platform in town.  Users are increasingly choosing their own entry point to the Internet.  Some people are Twitter fans and never touch, Facebook.  Others have migrated to Google+.  In many countries around the world, Facebook is not the leading social network by a large margin.

There are opportunities outwith the world's biggest social network and new channels, communities, networks and routes to market are appearing on an almost daily basis.  So while Facebook may currently by the '800lb gorilla' in social gaming, developers, media companies and brand owners need to take a step back and ensure they're addressing the broadest possible audience. 

The bottom line in this new 'mainstream' gaming market is that the consumer is king.  You need to be active in the channels they're using.  You need to be creating games they want to play.  You need to find revenue models that they trust and are comfortable using.

Consumers are increasingly technology agnostic.  They want their favourite content on all of their devices and the artificial barriers created by different devices will start to disappear even more quickly, allowing Facebook users to compete against iPhone owners, Android users, Google+ members and even the new generation of Internet connected televisions.

Far from being a bubble, a fad or a niche, the rise of the social games market is revealing a future for interactive entertainment which is more open, challenging and exciting than it's ever been before.

Regardless of the platforms, the design methodology, the business models and the routes to market, the future promises to be all about games.  Who knows, there may even be room for fun!

Huzutech Hits The High End

Huzutech was fortunate enough to be invited to the first Club e-Luxe breakfast seminar of 2012.

The Club e-Luxe seminars focus on how digital media and interactivity can impact and work with the high end 'luxury' market, with the world's most exclusive brands and properties. 

Huzutech CEO Graeme Harvey spoke at the event, alongside representatives from companies including Myndplay, Arsenique, Jaubalet and Hootsuite, introducing the audience to a wide range of advanced technologies which could change the consumer experience of luxury brands forever.

Graeme's presentation focused on the creation of virtual worlds and explored how luxury brands can create a wholly branded digital environment in which their buyers can be introduced to the brand's 'narrative' and key values.

This can all be done within a virtual environment which can be tailored to a brand's most exacting details and specifications, creating a unique online destination which moves far beyond the capabilities of a standard web site, to incorporate elements of a community, social network, forum, massively multiplayer game and social game.

With access to digital content becoming ever more ubiquitous and accessible on devices such as smartphones, tablets, netbooks, laptops and home computers, brands – especially those in the luxury market – will have to ensure that their online presence is as carefully controlled and designed as their retail experience. 

While the luxury market is not generally considered cutting edge when it comes to digital media, the response from the Club e-Luxe attendees was enthusiastic and positive.

Even better, Graeme's presentation was voted the best of the day by the audience and Huzutech has already had several enquiries from participants looking for more information on how virtual environments could benefit their brands and products.

You can read a full review of the Club e-Luxe event here.

http://www.luxuryonlinebook.blogspot.com/

 

Social networking is here to stay! The BBC interview with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

As the number of Facebook users grows ever larger, the BBC interviewed Facebook founder CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently to find out more about the company which has, for a huge number of people, changed the way they use and view the Internet.

 Mr Zuckerberg is renowned as a hands-on sort of guy when it comes to Facebook.  With strong opinions on what users want to do.  While the company – and Zuckerberg himself – have attracted considerable criticism in the recent past for Facebook's supposed encroachment into user's data, there's no denying that the social network has continued to thrive. 

Mass defections of users to competing services, or large numbers of users leaving the service have not yet manifested in way which significantly impacts Facebook's still growing popularity.

So what is it about Facebook that keeps users coming back?

In the interview with the BBC, Zuckerberg highlighted a number of key features that sets Facebook apart from the other – and in some cases older – social networks.

It's all about sharing.  Not just data, but experiences.  Photos, comments, replies, tags and events.  Facebook is becoming the location where users post updates on everything.  From that morning's breakfast, to life changing events like weddings and births, you can share it with the people important to you. 

This then feeds into the second and more important aspect of Facebook's domination of the social networking space: the open API (or application programme interface).  This is the access into Facebook code which allows third parties to create games and 'apps' for Facebook.

The company's decision to open its API was viewed with skepticism back when Facebook announced that developers would be able to build new bits of the site and make them available to users.

For many in the media, it seemed like a move by a company which was unsure of what its users should be doing once they had posted an update on their breakfast, or uploaded a photo.  It was, however, a stroke of genius, which immediately set Facebook apart from – and above – the other social networks.

By opening up the API, Facebook allowed creative organisations all around the world to being their expertise to bear and build some genuinely new, innovative, imaginative and insanely popular new additions to the core Facebook capabilities.

Initial efforts were, to be fair, a little crude.  There were apps which allowed users to 'buy and sell' their friends.  Vampire and monster hunting 'games' in which you 'attacked' friends and family to increase your evil army and win points.

Yet these were just early explorations of the new social 'platform'.  They were supplanted in time by more sophisticated and in-depth apps, games and experiences in which huge numbers of players could compete, collaborate and play.  These new apps and games which reached out into the wider network - drawing in other players, sharing resources, competing for high scores or bragging about successes.

It turns out that the sharing which Zuckerberg highlights as a key component of Facebook's popularity, extends to sharing achievements, resources and success in the virtual realm too.

In a little under three years, Facebook has gone from a US-centric social network to one of the world's most popular gaming platforms, outstripping the home and handheld consoles by quite a margin.

Games like Farmville, Cityville and Empire & Allies have all built up incredible, loyal followings worldwide.  From a standing start 'social gaming' has become the key topic for the games industry in 2012.

While the 'mainstream' games industry may still be debating the value of social games and indeed, whether they're 'real' games at all, the response from users has been phenomenal.  Players all over the world, who would never buy a games console, are now trying games – and returning.

All of which points to a very bright and successful future for the sector.  However, while Facebook in many ways pioneered the migration of gaming to a social platform and has enjoyed considerable success thanks to it, it's important to remember that Facebook – even with it's half a billion users per month – is not the only network out there.

The new up-and-coming competitors and regional specific networks all have significant audiences.  Many of whom may never, ever touch Facebook.  There are still people (unbelievably) who have yet to join any social network.

All of which offers a challenge for developers, creators and indeed brand owners, as the evolution and growth of social networking continues.  Facebook has pointed the way for social networks in the years to come.  Users now expect to be able to play and compete and share their favourite games – no matter which network(s) they use.

To the consumer, the boundaries and differences between Facebook and Google+ and Orkut and LinkedIn are irrelevant.  They want their Angry Birds, their Farmville and their Bejewelled Blitz.

Despite its incredible success, its huge number of users and status as a pioneer in the social world, Facebook may not be the world leader forever.  We've already seen several social networks rise and fall.  When was the last time you checked Bebo, or found new music on MySpace...?

All of which leaves fantastic opportunities for developers.  Social networking is here to stay.  For a growing number of people, it's the lens through which they see the entire Internet.  Facebook deserves a huge round of applause for taking the chance, opening up their API and introducing the world to a whole new way of enjoying social networks.  But this is just the beginning.  The first few steps in a revolution which is going to change the online world ever more significantly in the years to come.

We can't wait!

 

Brand new worlds - the value of virtual worlds to brand and IP owners.

The value of virtual worlds to brand and IP owners.

The opportunities for brand owners in the interactive market have changed and evolved hugely over the last two decades. The latest evolution of technology however, changes everything - and puts the brand owner in the driving seat.

The early days of videogaming offered brand owners little. Simplistic graphics, limited single-player experiences and a diverse range of platforms, from arcade machines to home computers, meant that the opportunities for licensing and introducing intellectual property into games were few and far between.

Even games based upon well-known Hollywood movies or TV series were hit and miss affairs. For many players, licensed games meant a less than enjoyable experience.

As technology progressed it became simpler for brands to find access points to the interactive market. Home computing and the introduction of games consoles from companies such as Nintendo, Sega and Sony meant that the gaming market itself grew.

However, the advancing technology actually created more problems for brands, with games requiring ever larger development budgets. This meant that opportunities for games based around, and commissioned by, specific brand owners were hugely expensive - and still viewed with suspicion by the still largely male, teenage audience.

Which left brand owners in something of a bind. Games were becoming increasingly realistic and set in the real world, yet brands were in many ways confined to ‘set dressing’ or simply appearing within the developer’s concept and vision.

Thankfully, the ongoing evolution of technology and the growing ubiquity of games is changing this dynamic in an entirely fundamental way and game creators and brand owners alike will have to change the way they think about interactivity.

One of the most exciting new developments in the interactive world was the growth of the ‘casual’ gaming market. Casual titles were not at the cutting edge of technology, did not demand the latest hardware and were often smaller, simpler titles, played on a variety of technologies from web browsers to handheld games console such as the Gameboy. Plus they were either free, or had a far lower price point than console titles. Hello ‘mass market’.

This created entirely new opportunities for brand owners, licensors and media companies alike. Games could be created around specific brands. Rather than sponsorship, in-game advertising or simply using brands within a game, licensors could work with a developer to create specific experiences.

And this was just the tip of the iceberg. Apple’s iPhone put simple, accessible games into the hands of millions of people, all over the world, who’d never considered themselves ‘gamers’ before.

Alongside came the rise of the social network. All of a sudden games became ubiquitous. No longer confined to expensive, dedicated devices. No longer being played solely by teenage males and - more importantly - they are no longer isolated, stand alone experiences.

Brand owners, media companies and licensors can now create something far more than a few minutes of branded play time. The opportunity is there to build entire new worlds, which can be accessed and used by thousands or millions of users, across every possible device - and all based around specific intellectual property.

Interactive entertainment can now combine the best elements of an online community, social networks and massively multi player games - all within a persistent virtual world. This world can be branded, sculpted, designed and created to give users the experience the brand owner wants them to have - and it can be part of their daily digital lives - complete with friends, family and trusted contacts.

Look at online games like Moshi Monsters, Habbo Hotel or even Huzutech’s first virtual world, based on Scholastic’s Horrible Histories brand. Thousands of players, spanning diverse audiences and demographics are now using these online worlds as trusted, virtual communities to meet and interact with their friends and as a focus for much of their online lives.

All of which is happening right now. The old barriers, definitions and conceptions of what is a ‘game’, what is a ‘community’ and what is a ‘virtual world’ are all breaking down and becoming antiquated. The future of gaming is already here. It’s online, participatory and social. And it’s being played by very nearly everyone.

The Changing Face(book) Of Gaming

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook is never one to mince his words.  So when he stood up in front of the crowd at the prestigious eG8 forum in Paris in late May and claimed that social networks have ‘completely transformed’ the games industry, you’d be forgiven for taking it with a pinch of salt.

However, a moments reflection would reveal that for all of the hype and hyperbole, Mr Zuckerberg is not far from the truth.  The games industry has changed - fundamentally - and social networks have been a major element in that change.

Not the only element of course, but a fairly significant one, nonetheless.

So, how have things changed?  Well, if you look at how games used to be defined (or developed - or even played) everything has evolved, moved on and become more interesting.  All of it.

Originally, games were single player experiences, which required dedicated hardware, serious up front cash and a desire to actually spend time playing.  It was the domain of young males, dedicated to their hobby and willing to devote large chunks of their lives to doing so.

As technology advanced, games became more sophisticated, more complex and more competitive.  Multiplayer games gave way to massively multiplayer games.  Console titles became more and more cinematic and movie-like.

Yet, the really important changes,  the ones which have changed gaming forever, were less obvious, less driven by the shiny and whizzing side of technology and didn’t even happen inside the actual games industry.

Unexpectedly and fairly suddenly, gaming moved off the expensive, dedicated machines and started to appear on smaller, simpler, cheaper platforms, which did other things too.  Web browsers, smartphones and - of course - social networks all started supporting simple little games.

Which combined to put these games right in front of a startled mass market audience, the vast majority of whom had never, ever considered using something as trivial as a game.

Yet now, these poor grown-ups were being sent invitations to join mafia families, or look after chickens.  Their nice new mobile phones could play ‘Apps’ and you could catapault annoyed birds at cartoon pigs.  That wasn’t gaming - not REAL gaming, which needed joypads and involved explosions and space marines.

It filled five minutes.  It was fast, convenient and - whisper it - FUN.  You could fit it into other, proper, grown up activities and it was either free or cost about as much as a surreptitious lunchtime doughnut.

All of which has moved the gaming market forward, faster and in more new directions than at any point in history.

Gaming is now open to all.  Forget the expensive hardware, gaming will come to you - on whatever device(s) you use.  Forget the solitary experience, you can compete, collaborate and play with friends, family and contacts, check out their high scores, donate points or items to help them out and generally play with people you know in a way which was only ever possible with board games.

So, yes, arguably, Facebook has changed gaming.  Entirely.  Forever.  It will certainly not be the last change or evolution in gaming.  It also has to share the spotlight with cheeky upstarts like the iPhone, iPad and mobile devices galore, but it has fundamentally altered the way consumers think about games.

Regardless of how social networks, grow, adapt, thrive, fail, fall or become omnipresaent, sentient and oppressive, Facebook was there first.  They opened up their API and developers quickly realised that users like things that were fun.

Its going to be a fascinating few years, watching how consumers, developers and brands all adapt to the new market, the new opportunities and the incredible variety of platforms, games and ways to play.

So, yes, Mr Zuckerberg.  Hats off to Facebook, but now things are about to get really exciting.

Huzutech Working With Gaming Pioneer Dave Jones To Explore Virtual Worlds

Social media software company Huzutech has announced that it is working with videogames pioneer Dave Jones, the man behind the best-selling Lemmings, Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown games, as well as the ambitious online title APB.

Jones is working with Huzutech as an advisor, to explore the new opportunities, possibilities and markets being created by the growth in online, social and massively-multiplayer gaming, across all new platforms, devices and technologies.

A legend within the games industry, Jones founded the infamous DMA Design studio, in Dundee, Scotland in the 1980s.  The company was responsible for the creation of Lemmings, one of the world's first global hits, reaching dozens of different home computer systems, consoles and games platforms.  He followed this success with the creation of the now notorious Grand Theft Auto series which to date, has sold over 100,000,000 copies worldwide. After DMA Design was acquired by Take Two Interactive, the serial entertainment entrepreneur founded Realtime Worlds, which went on to create the BAFTA-winning Crackdown title for Microsoft's Xbox 360 as well as APB, the ambitious new multiplayer online game.

Huzutech is the creator of the virtual world platform, HuzuVirtual.  The platform enables companies, brand owners and agencies to create wholly customised online social environments and virtual worlds in which multiple users can interact, communicate, socialise - and play.

Graeme Harvey, the managing director of Huzutech, welcomed Jones on board: "Dave's reputation as a pioneer and guru within the games world is unparalleled.  His background contains so many highly regarded, critically acclaimed and best-selling games, all of which have achieved worldwide success.  Now, as the concept of online gaming and virtual worlds continues to evolve and reach ever wider audiences, his insight, experience and creativity will provide HuzuTech with a very valuable - and unique - resource.  

"The boundaries between the diverse areas of social networks, virtual environments, online games and community are blurring as technology advances and as ever more people start interacting online in new ways.  Working with Dave will ensure Huzutech's insight into the online and gaming aspects of the market remain at the cutting edge, as the market continues to grow ever more diverse.  We're delighted to have him on board and look forward to working with him at a very exciting point in the ongoing evolution of online and virtual worlds."

Dave Jones added: "The incredible growth in gaming over the last several years, across platforms as diverse as smartphones, social networks, web browsers and tablets, combined with the evolution of online communities and massively multiplayer games, is creating entirely new forms of interaction and participation.  The opportunities for a company like Huzutech - which understands the community and social networking aspects, which has created a virtual world technology and the tools to integrate it and bring it to a global audience - are vast.  I am looking forward to working with the team and exploring these new possibilities in the near future."

About Huzutech

Online communities, social networks and virtual worlds are changing the way in which people all over the world communicate, participate, collaborate and play.  Stand alone communities are increasingly rare, as users share more information and cross-pollinate over a wide range of digital services across multiple devices, platforms and channels.

Huzutech understands how these new environments are evolving, growing and being used.  The company has created a comprehensive technology - HuzuVirtual- which allows the creation of wholly-branded, white label online virtual worlds, which integrate seamlessly with all leading social networks.

HuzuVirtual enables brand owners, media companies and organisations to build an effective, branded online presence, tailored to their individual requirements, which encourages user participation across all new platforms, social networks and digital channels.

Founded in 2009 Huzutech is headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, one of the world's leading regions for the development of original new interactive entertainment and digital media.  The company was founded by [a team] of online veterans, who had worked with a number of pioneering companies, including WeeWorld, Pixel, and HarperCollins publishers.

Huzutech is backed by MLC 50.  In 2010 the company was fast-tracked by Scottish Enterprise as one of the country's most innovative new digital media companies, with truly global potential. 

 

The rise and rise of social games

 

This year, the social gaming market is set to reach a massive $1bn. The market has changed beyond all recognition in the last four years, when Zynga launched, bringing with it the craze for social games such as Farmville, Cityville and others. The gaming audience has changed. This is no longer the domain of adults. Sites like Club Penguin, Moshi Monsters and the soon-to-launch Horrible Histories (which we’re developing for Scholastic) show how popular social games are becoming with a younger audience, too.

Consumer behaviour is changing: give any child a computer these days and they’ll be navigating their way round Club Penguin like an old hand. The technology makes games incredibly simple to use, and sophisticated graphics make the sites visually appealing and engaging. But most important is the ability to inject social networking within virtual environments, to make games interactive and community-based, rather than a solitary experience.

The barrier to doing this effectively until now has been cost. Games developers can get a number of different games or environments off the same platform; develop it once, and re-use the base technology for different games. But brands who’ve had to build a virtual environment from the bottom up have had to invest millions to do it well.

That’s all changing. HuzuTech was built to provide a platform that brands can license to create their own virtual environments of social games (HuzuVirtual). That makes it a fraction of the cost of building something from scratch. Why re-invent the wheel every time? We’ve also built a social networking capability (HuzuSocial) that means those environments can be social, and this is the thing that companies are really excited about. Add in a payment facility, so brands can monetise the environment, either by selling game credits or merchandise, and suddenly social games become a real option for brands.The early adopters in social games within virtual worlds are those who already have character-based assets, such as publishers or movie-makers, where the opportunity is arguably the greatest.  Scholastic is currently developing its Horrible Histories brand into a virtual world and social game (using the HuzuVirtual platform); Disney launched World of Cars Online in 2010, based on the Disney Pixar film Cars; and Universal is launching Universal Monsters with SEE Virtual Worlds in Entropia in 2011. I’m amazed that there’s no official Harry Potter virtual environment, nor one for the massively popular Twilight Saga – but perhaps they’ll come. 

If you’re interested, we’ve written a short guide to branded social games, including advice for brands considering getting involved, which you can read or download direct from the HuzuTech website.