Inaugural Skillz Indie Ignite Competition Reveals Untapped Developer Talent
Skillz, the worldwide leader in mobile eSports, today announced the winner of its inaugural Indie Ignite game developer competition. First place was claimed by CodeCube Brothers, creators of Color Ring, earning the two Finnish brothers a grand prize valued at over $50,000. Hidden Pixel Games LLC, developers of Pool Payday, also received an honorable mention.
The first-place prize is comprised of a package of services and funds, including a $25,000 user acquisition campaign, $25,000 in game launch optimization services, as well as two Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 passes. The contest challenged indie game developers to create the next hit eSports game, and attracted an overwhelming response from the community.
“My brother and I have tried to design a hit mobile game since 2010, and winning this contest has been the biggest validation – if we hadn’t, we’d currently be looking for second jobs to fund our business,” says Esa Salminen, co-founder of CodeCube Brothers. “Monetizing is a big challenge for indie developers in this crowded market, but Skillz has empowered us to pursue our own aspirations while having the financial stability of a larger games studio.”
To enter the competition, mobile game developers integrated the Skillz eSports infrastructure into the title of their choice. The games were evaluated based on criteria including strong D1 and D7 retention rates, daily active users, and core gameplay loop design. Color Ring took the lead with impressive metrics, excelling across all criteria.
“Developers have always been central to our mission of democratizing eSports, and they never cease to impress us with their creativity,” says Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Skillz. “Skillz levels the playing field so even the smallest of indie developers have the tools needed to create a world-class eSport – all they have to bring is their creativity.”
Skillz is committed to supporting indie game developers, and kicked off its Indie Ignite Season 2 game developer competition this week. In support of this, Skillz is also hosting its first Game Jam next month. This event features hands-on tutorials from world-class experts on how to design and build successful mobile eSports titles. The Skillz Game Jam is open to all game developers, but is particularly ideal for Indie Ignite entrants.
About Skillz:
Skillz, the leading mobile eSports platform, connects the world’s 2.6 billion mobile gamers through competition. In 2018, Skillz was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Brilliant Companies, Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups, and the Entrepreneur 360. Skillz has also been named the #1 fastest-growing private company in America by Inc. Magazine and a CNBC Disruptor 50. Over 18 million gamers use Skillz to compete in mobile games across 13,000+ game studios. Founded in 2012, Skillz is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by leading venture capitalists as well as the owners of the New England Patriots, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Mets and Sacramento Kings. To learn more, visit www.skillz.com.
Source: Skillz