I am excited to announce that Department of Play has once again begun accepting new and existing clients for our product review service (read more), starting in March. However, this will be on a reduced capacity of one project per month. Our product review is an expert-led two week process that identifies the key problems…
As a central concept to crypto gaming, tokenomics is a fast emerging field in game design. But it is also complex and oftentimes confusing. This article was written as a complete introduction and reference guide for developers, publishers and investors. We will cover crypto technologies, their applications and the underlying motivations at play. ContentsToken MechanicsCoins…
Maths is the fundamental language of games: Strip away the audio, the visuals and the story and you’re left with only numbers. This is true of every game, big or small. The numerical exchanges in Yahtzee or poker may be well surfaced, but the maths at play in a game like Fortnite is far less…
Here at Department of Play, we’re often approached by teams aspiring to improve a game’s revenue. More often than not, these games contain several monetisation features with the potential to earn a profit. However, in many cases, players are spending irregularly or not at all. This is often due to a lack of pressing reasons…
Launch Date: October 2018Developer: Sky MavisPublisher: Sky MavisStatus: WorldwidePlatforms: Android (side loading), iOS (closed TestFlight Beta), Windows, Mac OS.Genre: TCG / team battler.Similar to: Hearthstone, Pokémon, CryptoKitties. What is it? Axie Infinity is a NFT-based collectible battler developed by Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis, who are an alumni of Ubisoft’s Enterprise Labs. The developer is also…
Launch Date: 5th October 2020Developer: Electronic ArtsPublisher: Electronic ArtsStatus: WorldwidePlatforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, Microsoft WindowsGenre: SportSimilar to: eFootball (formerly Pro Evolution Soccer) What is it? For the unfamiliar, Ultimate Team is a stealth free-to-play CCG (Collectible Card Game) nested within the FIFA franchise’s…
Here is a question game developers often find themselves concerned with: how do I evaluate the viability of a game idea that I’m about to start working on? Having invested many months and a ton of other resources in development, you’d quite like to end up with a game that is not just fun to…
The idea that developers and publishers of contemporary games can take meaningful, monetising lessons from the heritage of arcade gaming might sound counterintuitive. Arcade gaming today is often thought of as a dwindling niche where a handful of players remain devotedly committed to punishingly difficult games that ostracise larger audiences.That model appears to have very…
The process of deconstruction can be fundamental in defining the success and quality of your next game project. As such, understanding the process of ‘deconstruction’ could be considered a key skill within game design, yet it is so often misunderstood or given passing attention. Viewing a game through a deconstructive lens lets you build a…
Launch Date: 6th April 2021Status: Soft Launch (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland).Genre: Strategy.Similar to: Spooky Pop, Legend of Solgard, and Puzzle and Dragons. What is it? Clash Quest is a tactical puzzle RPG with clear influences from King’s Legend of Solgard and Supercell’s own discontinued Spooky Pop. Clash Quest is one of three recently…