Bica Studios is the Portuguese startup that is launching the game “Smash IT! Adventures”. I talked with their founder Nuno Folhadela to find out more about it and the company.
How did the idea for “Smash IT! Adventures” come about?
We always had the idea of exploring the “smashing” genre with its easy to learn and fun mechanics. The concept was born as you can probably remember, on the fairs with that “whack a mole” games where we pick a hammer and smash everything that moves. Lots of adaptations have been made for computers and more recently to mobile. However we noticed that the games that are on the top of the charts on this addictive genre are miles away of what we can do, so we decided to push ourselves and start working.
With our wild imagination and by being influenced for a little of everything, the colorful world of Smash IT! Adventures was crafted and we have been introducing some funky characters such as the Blarghinis, the evilness of the game, and Agnes, a little witch that summons the Player to save her beloved cat Mr. Bica and at the same time, that can even save the world.
Or not,
It will depend on you, as the Player.
In what markets can we find the game, and what are the expansion plans?
At this right moment, only in Portugal, Spain and New Zealand. We started first with these markets to have the Players feedback, as they are everything to us. We see ourselves as slaves of the Players enjoyment.
This soft launch is running for 4 months now, and we are trying to pack every suggestion given and at the same time we are checking metrics, to assure that we have a good retention level and of course monetization. At this time, some Players love the game so much that in one hour they finish it, but with that, no money comes in… So we are tweaking the progression pace, kinda like the Arcade games from the past, and also offering more content so the Player feels engaged and will want to have more compelling experiences, either by acquiring new characters or extra spells that will allow to bring mystical creatures to his side.
The expansion plan is to go worldwide. That’s the beauty of mobile. With 2 clicks on a computer our game is one touch of distance to someone who wants to have great fun! We are trying to have the game translated to as many languages as we can to assure that. We have just finished the translation to Mandarin. Until that it was with Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, English, Spanish, French and Dutch.
Smash IT! Adventures is our first project as Bica Studios and it’s destined to be the best of its genre and at same time, one of the most compelling games on mobile. Our ambitions are big, so we expect in the future to jump from the touch screens to explore other mediums such as merchandising, cartoons, etc.
We know that we can achieve that since we see games as entertainment services and we believe that the mobile gaming is the cradle of the next BIG brands. If you present great games that are engaging and you feel that they are more than a “time killer ” then for sure People will want to connect with the world and characters through other mediums.
But one step at the time. It’s a long way to go, so we are being cautions and very strategic to achieve these goals.
The gaming industry is huge, and so is competition. How do you plan to stand out?
On the game genre that we are betting on, at the moment the competition does not scare us. The biggest challenge is the visibility. No doubt about that. There are more than 100 games released every day on the App Stores and to stand out, we are making some deals and partnerships to assure that Smash IT! Adventures will be noticed. We have a good publisher to distribute the game on the major markets with good channels among China, India, Brazil and Russia. And we have a partnership with Tango.Me, with their messaging app already integrated with the game.
We want to have great people around us, to join on this venture, and we already have and will bring more mentors with knowledge on this field to achieve the success that we are aiming for. At same time, we look for investment, to boost us up! So if someone is reading this, check us out! It will be a voyage that you will not regret!
How do you see the startup scene in Europe when compared to the US?
In Europe, specially on gaming, it’s really rocking! We can easily say that Europe is on the top of the game when we talk about mobile gaming. Almost every major studio that is on the top of the charts is European. Angry Birds and Clash of Clans are from Finland, Candy Crush is from UK and Subway Surfers from Denmark.
In Portugal, the startup scene is still taking the first steps, specially in Lisbon that it’s a sexy city as hell! We are on the Startup Lisbon incubator so we can tell you that. It’s not the center of the startup scene because only now it’s being discovered. I seriously believe that in some years, lots of the new big companies are going to start here. But to be more like US, well, we need more money. And no fears. Here there’s too much fear of risk. If you fail it’s a disappointment, a shame, bla bla. And that’s silly. What’s important is to learn and to keep on moving, don’t give up.
What other startup is on your radar and why?
Cool question! I would not say only one, but all the new gaming startups that are appearing around us such as Nerd Monkeys, Tio Atum, Immersive Douro, Artbit, etc. In one year there are more game companies in Portugal than in the last 30 years all together. No joke. Stay tuned with us, and for sure we will show something to talk about. Or better yet, to play it!
To find out more about Bica Studios and their work visit http://www.bicastudios.com
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