Back in the 1980s and the golden era of Saturday-morning cartoons, toy companies would develop new characters like He-Man simultaneously for action figures, television, and more. Three decades later, the people making mobile games are adopting a similar strategy.
Yet another new studio in Finland is releasing a new mobile game with a big focus on characters. The developer, Seriously, is launching Best Fiends, a puzzle game for iOS devices that has players matching up different kinds of flora. Once you get three like items together, they will disappear and fuel the attacks for your team of bugs in a role-playing-style adventure. The free-to-play game is out today on the Apple App Store, and Seriously is hoping that the effort it spent designing appealing characters will help this game stand out in the crowded game markets on mobile.
Take a look at the game in action:
Former Rovio executives Andrew Stalbow and Petri Järvilehto founded Seriously. The two wanted to gather a team that has the talent to create Disney-quality characters and experiences.
“The tried and true Hollywood model is to develop, produce, and market a movie or television property, but the scale of mobile engagement is changing this formula,” said Stalbow, who is chief executive officer of Seriously. “We believe that given the seismic audience shift to tablets and smartphones, the next generation of entertainment brands will be built on the power of touch.”
The company is coming off a soft launch for Best Fiends in limited territories, and it is feeling confident about the game’s chances. In fact, this game is already only the first part of a planned trilogy.
The company’s chief creative officer, Järvilehto, explained that confidence by pointing to his creative team.
“At Seriously, our goal was to work with the world’s best creative talent,” he said. “Together, we have developed a game that is very unique and special.”