Deconstructing Supercell’s Match-3: Hay Day Pop

What Is It? Launch Date: 16 March 2020.Status: Soft Launch (New Zealand, Australia and Finland).Genre: Puzzle / City Builder.Similar to: Gardenscapes, Toy Blast, Hay Day and Candy Crush Saga. Supercell, the studio behind Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, are revisiting their first breakout hit, Hay Day. However, where Hay Day was a farming sim…

It’s Our First Birthday!

18 months ago I started thinking about lots of big questions: How will we work in the future? What are the problems facing games companies? How can I help? As these questions bounced around my head, I began to realise the answer was incredibly interconnected. I believed there was a demand for some kind consultancy…

How We Make Remote Working Work

Our CEO Will Luton talks about why we chose not to have an office, the great things it did for Department of Play and the great things it can do for you too. When I founded Department of Play, I was used to working in huge companies, with huge buildings jam-packed with facilities that seemed…

Lessons from Warframe: The Silent F2P Hit

Warframe is a silent success that has defines what a free-to-play PC and console hit can look like: High production values, slick gameplay, hardcore mechanics and monetision that keeps players happy. Launched by Unreal co-creators Digital Extremes in 2013 – as the studio’s last ditch attempt to save itself – the title was met with…