Many people would not consider gaming a spectator sport, but with more online free-to-play games and the ability to view and stream gaming, it’s fast becoming just as much of a competitive pastime as any other sport. Founded in 2005 by co-founders Todd Harris, Stew Chisam, and Erez Goren as a passion project to “create exceptional online interactive entertainment,” Hi-Rez Studios is located in Alpharetta, Georgia with more than 170 employees. It is an independent game publisher backed by sole angel investor, Erez Goren.
High-Rez designs and publishes online free-to-play games that players can download at no initial cost. Money is made later from optional in-game purchases. The majority of the revenue for High-Rez comes from “players purchasing virtual items that are cosmetic for their in-game character,” explains Harris. The studio has released three games to date:
- Their debut title, Global Agenda, was released in February of 2010 as an award-winning game earning “Most Anticipated Game,” “Best Gameplay,” and “Game of Show” at the Game Developers Conference and E3 Expo.
- Tribes Ascend debuted in April of 2012 as a free to play game for PCs, earning over 1 million plays.
- Their newest game, Smite, released in March of 2014, has been played by more than 8 million people worldwide; a number that is expected to grow.
While the company’s first two titles were well-received, they weren’t successful financially generating only a combined $10 million according to 2013 article in an industry publication. Goren’s investment of $30 million not only got the company started but also kept it running through the publishing of its first two titles which together generated just $10 million. Financial success only came with Smite which generated the bulk of the $25 million in its most recent fiscal year.
So what has been the key to its current success? Two things: devotion to quality game development, and focus on game development designed for spectators as well as players. Described as a “phenomenon” by Harris, the online gaming world has become somewhat of a spectator sport where the games are not only popular to play but also to watch. In this way, Hi-Rez is capitalizing on this shift in the gaming world by making their games both functional and competitive.
Industry insiders like Andrew Greenberg, president of the Georgia Game Developers’ Association, who also served as a consultant for Hi-Rez’s first game, agree. Greenberg was quoted in a recent article in Atlanta Business Chronicle as giving the studio credit for taking time to “learn from their past games and grow effectively,” by making their games enjoyable and uniquely competitive so that people enjoy both playing and watching.
Smite’s player base continues to grow. According to Harris, “We are taking that game to new geographical markets as well as platforms, including Xbox One this summer. ”
Image credit: © Altostratus under CC BY-SA 3.0)
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