Just Windows Phone: Why Seepia Games loves Lumia best
As kids we all heard those wise words, “Good things come to those that wait.” Well, happily when it comes to some apps, us Lumia lovers don’t have to wait at all.
Why? Because there are a number of developers that dedicate their work solely to Windows Phone. In our latest series, Just Windows Phone, we’ll be hooking up with some of the developers in question to learn more about their Windows Phone exclusive apps, their ways of working and what the future holds.
Seepia Games is one of those dedicated developers that bring us (and only us) the goods. Based in Lappeenranta, Finland, Seepia Games is the publisher of the popular games Permia Duels and Pet Shows, two games which have recently taken the Windows Phone Store by storm. Our inquiring minds just needed to know a little more about Seepia Games and their enthusiasm for all thing Windows Phone, so we got in touch with the developers themselves to see what they had to say. Read on to discover how they decided to develop games that are exclusive to Windows Phone and where the company is heading in the future.
Could you please tell us the short history of Seepia Games?
Seepia was founded in 2012, but the actual story behind the company goes back to 2002, when Jani Tietäväinen (CEO) and Jani Rönkkönen (designer) briefly shared an office at the Lappeenranta University of Technology. We were both teaching programming at the university and quickly discovered our mutual love for games and our passion to create games of our own. We planned a role playing game, but never got far with the project.
Jani T. left to work for an outsourcing company while Jani R. stayed in the university to become a Doctor of Technology before also moving to same outsourcing company. In 2011, their employer announced the closing down of the office. The two Janis decided that instead of finding new jobs, it was time to make the dream a reality and start making games. The team started with Pasi Hirvonen (artist), Juha Hyttinen (backend architect), with Antti Villanen providing game industry experience, and Seepia Games was born.
We love the fact that you develop exclusively for Lumia devices. Why did you choose Lumia and what is the Windows Phone platform like for a games developer?
The mobile game industry is very competitive, and with hundreds of new games released every day, gaining visibility is a big challenge. Making great games is not enough alone, and strong partners are essential for a successful small company. For Seepia, AppCampus has been a great partner and played an important role in the success of our games. In addition to the financial support, which has been very important for a young company, the Appcademy we participated in in 2013 has been of great value for us in developing the company. Permia – Duels have reached over 700K downloads this far with zero marketing budget and without a publisher in the Windows Phone platform with potential for millions. Doing that on iOS or Android would have been very difficult.
Your Permia Duels fantasy card game looks awesome and keeps getting stellar reviews at the Windows Phone Store. How did the Permia world come to exist and how will it develop in the future?
The Permia world is based on the previously-mentioned role playing game design we did in 2002. We are planning on using the Permia world for several games in the future, and developing the Permia world as a separate brand beyond single games. The world has nine humanoid races as well as their cultures and a lot of background story prepared. So far we have presented only a tiny portion of the world in Permia – Duels, but we are planning on bringing more of the story to the game in the future.
We’re already hooked on your super cute Pet Shows game, released last month. What kind of audience did you have in mind when developing it?
The game is primarily targeted for families. In addition to children, we hope to appeal to the parents too.
What other Windows Phone games have inspired you in your work? Could you please recommend your five favourites to fellow Lumia lovers?
Among the the other AppCampus projects, Dark Lands has been a source of inspiration for us by demonstrating the potential of the Windows Phone platform. Similarly, Order & Chaos Duels has shown that there is still a lot of unlocked potential for Permia – Duels in the Windows Phone platform. On top of these two (and our own games, of course!) we would recommend Wood Chopper, which is a fun and friendly helicopter game and also an Appcampus project. For the ones hungry for retro action RPG, Supra RPG is the game to try. For the racing games, Hill Climb Racing is one of our favorites.
Finally, where is Seepia games going next?
As we finally have Pet Shows ready and published, we will now concentrate on developing both of the games further. At the moment we are preparing a graphical facelift for Duels, which will be released in mid-December as the starting point of our Christmas campaign. The planning for our next game has been started and we are looking for financing options to get the development going.
Big thanks to Seepia Games not only for taking the time to answer our questions, but also for creating immersive and interesting games that we love to play. If you also enjoy Permia Duels and Pet Shows, let us know about it in the comments below, and be sure to keep an eye out for their Christmas campaign in the coming days.