Introducing Game Assets Marketplace

 

A few weeks ago gd.ie got an email from Game Assets Marketplace, a relatively new Irish start up.

We were curious about what they do and what follows is our questions and their answers.

 

Q1- Who are the company founders and what are your backgrounds?

The founder of Game Assets Marketplace is Stoko Ltd, an Irish Software company dedicated to building successful projects in Ireland. Leo O’Brien is the manager.

The marketplace’s team has people from the gaming industry with previous experience in GameDev, entrepreneurs, marketing specialists, and customer support.

We’re familiar with every detail of the market, and the problems that many talented asset publishers have with publishing and selling game assets.

 

Q2. When were you founded?

The marketplace was founded in Dublin, Ireland, in early 2020. The core team is based in Dublin, and the other part of the team is remote. We prefer to keep a flexible work environment.

We achieved results beyond our expectations in the past eight months by attracting many talented asset creators and game devs from different countries.

 

Q3. What exactly do you do?

The marketplace is a hub that gathers talented indie game developers and asset creators. We offer the lowest possible commission per sale on the market (most stores get 20-40% commission from each sale, and it’s too much in our opinion). We only have a 10% flat commission.

Another unique feature is the approval process. It takes up to 24 hours, but in most cases, it’s about 1-2 hours. All other marketplaces make the approval within 3-4 weeks. Also, the minimum required balance to make a withdrawal is only 1 Euro. We don’t keep the users’ funds.

This combination provides the perfect conditions for an asset developer to earn more, get the earnings quickly, and easily publish all new assets.

The platform is a solution as a portfolio place because it’s free to join, free to upload any assets, and has an unlimited maximum size of all stored files.

The marketplace also includes a game asset search engine, which is something unique. Everyone can search top asset stores in the world with only one click.

 

Q4. There is a game ideas section. What are you trying to do there?

We’re using the available game assets to build a game idea. It includes assets, monetization ideas, theme, and genre (based on our experience and market research). We do our best to help all parts of the industry to be successful.

This section’s information is free to use, so there is no need for registration or order of only the selected assets. For many developers, it’s important to get inspiration from somewhere. It can be a successful game, news, articles, examples, and so on.

In this section, we’re trying to help the game devs to make a new game, and at the same time, we promote the assets of registered publishers.

We think that the success of each game depends on the scripts and the assets. All the magic happens around those two things, and with the right characters, interesting environment, good VFX, and sound effects, it’s possible to make a successful game.

 

5. Is it pay per asset, or are there other payment options available?

The marketplace only offers pay per asset, which can be a fixed price, or through a bidding system. Some of the assets are available for free, but they’re not premium, and others are free trials.

There are different promotions to sell assets with 0% commission, but we don’t have the option to offer premium assets for free, because the asset creators have to be rewarded.

 

Q6. Your website says you are a ‘hub for indies’. Why indies specifically?

The indie game developers usually are a small team or a solo developer. There are no designers in most cases, and it takes lots of time to create all the assets for a game.

The main market for assets and game scripts is indies. Also, they’re more open-minded. They can make a new game within a week or two, and a lot of innovation is coming from them.

We know that many big companies are focusing their resources on indie games, which is one reason this niche has become so competitive these days.

 

Q7. What specifically should Irish devs and students know about you?

Irish devs and students can use the marketplace to sell their work on the market’s best possible terms. Also, they can request any type of collaboration about their games. We have a lot of experience with game development, publishing, and asset creations.

Most of the big marketplaces are not so friendly when it comes to custom solutions and partnerships. In the same, we support Irish game development, and we’re ready to help such types of projects.

 

Thanks to Leo for answering our questions.

Check them out here – https://gameassetsmarketplace.com/about

 

IndieCade festival anywhere..

IndieCade is switching to online from anywhere with nine full days of 24-hour programming for the 2020 online festival celebrating independent games. It will take part this October 16-24 for #AnywhereAndEverywhere. See https://anywhere.indiecade.com/

The event will be filled with gameplay, exhibitions, discussions, connections and interactions, conference sessions, workshops, and more!

For more than 15 years, IndieCade has supported and celebrated independent gamemakers.

For IndieCade 2020, the core programming will take place online from October 16-24, across borders and timezones.

For more information, read the FAQ.

Submissions for IndieCade 2020 are now closed.

See https://anywhere.indiecade.com/

IndieCade Anywhere And Everywhere

Two game companies win European funding

 

 

Two game companies, Isometric Dreams (Spooky Doorway) and Gambrinous have received a total of €300,000 for the development of new Video Game projects in the latest round of Creative Europe MEDIA funding.

The Creative Europe Media video game development scheme is for companies who have produced at least one recently published video game and who wish to invest in the development of a new video game concept or prototype. It supports European video games companies with proven experience who want to develop up to an alpha or beta version of a narrative-led video game.

A list of previous video game winners from Storytoys in 2013 through to Simteractive in 2017 and the latest winners can be found at https://www.creativeeuropeireland.eu/media/projects/funding-recipients alongside all the other Irish film and other winners.

See https://www.creativeeuropeireland.eu/media/funding/production/development-of-video-games for more on the scheme.

These latest results bring to €12,231,201 the amount awarded to Irish audiovisual and games companies since the Creative Europe Programme commenced in 2014. The next calls for funding will be in 2021.

Well done everyone.

 

Programmer Simteractive (Dublin)

 

Simteractive is seeking a talented, experienced and enthusiastic programmer to join their team and work on their next project, Designer Life, which has already been selected for Creative Europe funding. The core team are based in Dublin but we are working remotely at the moment.

Previously we released a resort-building game called Eden Isle: Resort Paradise, which won multiple awards and has an average app store rating of 4.5 stars. We also have another game in soft launch called Tropic Cove: Match 3 Resort. This is a great opportunity looking for someone to make their mark on an up and coming studio!

**Responsibilities:**

*Implementation of new gameplay systems
*Programming tasks across all areas of the game including AI, UI, GameSparks integration, Facebook integration, saving and loading systems, in-app purchases and in-game adverts
*Implementation of character animations, effects and art assets
*Optimisation, refactoring and bug fixing of existing game systems
*Maintain a high level of code quality
*Co-operate in the overall planning of projects
*Evaluation of third-party tools

**Requirements:**

*2+ years of relevant professional experience in a programming role including at least one shipped commercial titles, ideally for mobile or tablet
*Excellent programming skills including knowledge of Unity3D and C#
*Strong prototyping skills
*Strong understanding of the challenges presented by mobile platforms
*Confidence and experience with third-party tools such as GameSparks, Facebook API, advertising, analytics and plugins
*Great communication skills and ability to work well with all disciplines
*Hard-working, focused, high degree of self-motivation and ability to solve problems independently
*A degree in computer science, game development or equivalent

**We Offer:**

*Remote working
*Opportunity to work in award-winning team
*Work on an exciting new mobile game
*Join a small, multicultural, friendly and dedicated team
*A good work-life balance
*A chance to join a company in a key role at a very exciting stage
*Salary negotiable depending on experience

**How to Apply:**

To apply, please email hello@simteractive.com with a cover letter and CV and your availability.

**More Information:**

For more information on Simteractive, see www.Simteractive.com

Posted August 2020