Ruby Seven Studios, a new social and mobile game developer created by the merger of two teams, is announcing today three new multiplatform titles coming out under the company’s Tiny Pirate Casino brand, which is yet another new entrant in the crowded social casino games market.
Social casino games are hot properties now because they’re becoming more popular on Facebook, and investors are betting that the barriers will come down between the social casino games market and the online gambling market. Whether or not that happens, social casino game companies like San Francisco’s Ruby Seven Studios are getting a lot of attention.
The new games will be available on Facebook and mobile platforms. They include Slots of Plunder, a pirate-themed slot machine game with social features and multiplayer tournaments that will come out in August and debut on Facebook, iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Another is Poker 5-on-5, a strategic, asynchronous multiplayer poker game that lets someone play five hands at a time time against another player. The title will launch in August on Facebook, iPhone, and iPad.
The last is Poker Best in 60, a fast-action, multiplayer, video draw poker game, where players must post their best hands to beat before a 60-second clock runs down. It is out now on Facebook and will be available on iPhone and iPad in August.
“With our Tiny Pirate Casino launch, we have created fun and enjoyable games using familiar casino mechanics like slots and poker,” said Michael Carpenter, chief executive of Ruby Seven Studios. “But being able to play these familiar games while also competing in multiplayer tournaments and challenging your friends really adds a new dimension of engagement.”
Ruby Seven Studios was founded in 2012 through a combination of a game design team in San Francisco, headed by a former executive from PopCap Games, and ChaYoWo Games, one of the largest casual game developers in India. Other titles developed by ChaYoWo include BackYard Bounce, published by Chillingo, and Dark Hills of Cherai: The Regal Spectre, published by BigFish Games and voted Gamezebo.com’s Best Hidden Object Game of 2011.
Ruby Seven Studios believes it can take casino games to the next level with multiplayer synchronous draw poker games with an exciting one-minute tournament feature. Most Facebook games are asynchronous, where one player moves at a time.
The company already has 100 employees. That’s a huge number, but the competition is fierce. Rivals include DoubleDown Interactive, Playtika, PopCap, and Zynga — not to mention lots of other social casino game startups. The company isn’t disclosing how much money it has raised or its investors.