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11 bit studios SA11 bit studios gaming's new strategy meant as response to market changes, says CEO
The strategy that listed video games developer 11 bit studios presented on Thursday is meant to respond to the sweeping changes that have recently sewn up the gaming market, the company's CEO Przemyslaw Marszal told PAP Biznes backstage at an investor conference. In his opinion, the upcoming game 'The Alters' has gained in quality in recent months.
"Part of the market is simply being eaten up by strong IPs and it shows. However, there is still room for new IPs, and we can't just stay with old IPs, because that would be the worst thing we could do. In line with the new strategy, we want to be innovative, stable and efficient," CEO Marszal told PAP Biznes.
"In the 'New games' pillar, there is innovation and a chance for great success. Pillar B, on the other hand, is about games as platforms, its task is to stabilise, reduce risk and use known IPs," he explained.
He added that XDEV pillar on the publishing segment is intended to help diversify the company's business and allow it to benefit from the experience of developers from all over the world and give it a chance to succeed.
"In our opinion, the balance between these three pillars is to respond to the changes that are happening in the market," Marszal said.
He assessed that currently the video games market is becoming less and less like the cinema market and, all things being equal, resembles the fizzy drinks industry, where the consumers have their own favourite product and, although they often reach for another, at the end of the day they always return to it.
"If we deliver games as platforms that gamers have already come to love, such as 'Frostpunk 1886', which will build on the first instalment of the series, refreshing it and at the same time adding new elements, the support period for such a game can hit several years," Marszal said.
In its new strategy, 11 bit studios also wants to focus on single-player games with the additional intention of implementing mechanics and multiplayer and/or social aspects in them, the company said in the directions of 11 bit studios' strategic development. The aim is to develop projects in three product pillars in parallel.
Furthermore, he indicated that the company is strongly counting on the success of the game 'The Alters'.
"This game has gained a lot over the last months, both from the gameplay itself, which gives a lot of freedom to the player, as well as a lot of improvements especially in the final part, because we added new mechanics. Not to mention the core idea of 'The Alters', which is key," he said
"We are also pleased with the way the wishlists for this title are growing, and we are also approaching Gold Master [the final version of the software ready to be handed over to production - PAP ed.] in great strides," he added.
11 bit studios is slated to release 'The Alters' on June 13. Originally, the title was to debut in the fourth quarter of 2024.
'The Alters' is a survival science-fiction game. Players will take on the role of John Dolski, the sole survivor of a space expedition disaster. In order to survive, they will have to form a new crew of a mobile base, inside which they will traverse the surface of a hostile planet.
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