LogInPlaystack's CEO Harvey Elliott has shared the story behind Playstack and told more about being a publisher in the game business.
Introduction
My name's Harvey Elliott, Founder and CEO at Playstack. I've been in games now for over 25 years; however, I started off my career running my own shop, building and repairing computers, selling games, etc. I managed to land my first proper role in the game industry in 1996 as European Product Development Coordinator at Acclaim Entertainment, working my way through the business and ending up as Studio Head of three UK game studios. Then, in 2003, I moved to EA as Executive Producer and latterly General Manager, where I worked on a number of great franchises, including Harry Potter and Burnout. I then joined Marmalade, a development studio and game engine provider, in 2012 as CEO. In 2016, I left Marmalade to start Playstack, and the rest is history.
The Story Behind Playstack
The concept behind Playstack was born out of a desire to curate a diverse catalog of games with an eclectic "stack" of genres, hence the name. This idea took root during my experience as a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Games, where, as a judge, I had the privilege of playing a variety of brilliant games.
As the CEO of Playstack, it was important to me that our company represented a paradigm shift in the way developers and publishers collaborate. I heard far too many disheartening tales from developers who worked with small to medium-sized publishers in the past and faced major challenges in bringing their creative visions to life. I wanted Playstack to be a small publisher so that we could focus on developers in the right way, but with the same quality of talent, you would find in a big organization. At Playstack, our commitment has always been to stand alongside developers as a trusted ally, providing the support and resources they need to truly shine and create their best work. This ethos still very much remains core to us to this day.
Our journey began with mobile projects, with notable hits like Snipers vs Thieves, and subsequently extended to our first PC and console title, Mortal Shell, in 2020, which has recently celebrated the milestone of selling over one million copies. We've branched out a fair bit since 2016, with offices now in Poland, the UK, and the USA, to name a few; but we've always retained the principles I had when we started off.
Speaking of the Portfolio
Right now, we're proud to boast an impressive collection of outstanding games in our portfolio. One of our recent notable successes is The Case of the Golden Idol, an adventure puzzle game created by a two-person studio from Latvia. This game has achieved remarkable acclaim amongst players and critics alike, receiving a coveted "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam. As well as this, Golden Idol's success was further underscored by winning an IGA Award at GDC 2023 for "Excellence in Design" and the IndieCade 2022 award for "Best Narrative", which are monumental testaments to the talent, dedication, and hard work of our developer partners.
Our PC and Console team has continued shipping fantastic titles, each with its own unique style and flavor, including the first-person puzzle game The Entropy Centre, which was released in November 2022, and the endearing action roguelite AK-xolotl, which we recently released in September 2023. On the mobile front, we launched the Cityscapes: Sim Builder this year exclusively on Apple Arcade. Cityscapes is developed by our team Magic Fuel Games – based in the US and consisting of many of my former colleagues at EA, many of whom worked on pioneering titles such as The Sims and SimCity.
We've also got some exciting titles on the horizon as well. Our upcoming Metroidvania, The Last Faith, has already grown a dedicated audience ahead of its launch, and we're sure it will be a hit with players when we release it in November this year. Following this, we have the eagerly anticipated open-world survival craft title Abiotic Factor and the fantastic deck-building roguelike Balatro, which players can get their hands on in 2024.
Our commitment to diversity extends to our earlier titles as well, including the engaging PSVR experiences in Dick Wilde 1 and Dick Wilde 2, along with the immersive Doctor Who: The Edge of Time. At Playstack, we take pride in our ability to curate, support, and publish a wide range of games that cater to the varied tastes of – and mirror – millions of diverse individuals who play games across the globe.
Picking New Projects to Support
Our commitment to nurturing and collaborating with exceptional development talent lies at the core of our mission, and we've taken aboard two key strategies to achieve this.
First and foremost, our brilliant Discovery team has been instrumental in shaping our success. Since the inception of Playstack, they've meticulously evaluated and considered over a thousand potential projects. This team serves as the backbone of our scouting efforts, scouring marketplaces like Steam and engaging in person at events and expos, always on the lookout for titles that captivate them. Our Discovery team fully understands the industry – they know exactly what they need to see at an early stage to give us confidence in it becoming a high-quality hit.
In addition to our exceptional Discovery team, we've invested in our in-house technologies, headed by our brilliant teams in Kraków. The technology teams work to develop a custom in-house platform that keeps us at the cutting edge. We incorporate bespoke data-mining technology, custom game discovery tool sets, and a suite of acquisition tools that we use to allow us to find those diamonds.
Speaking of some extraordinary games that don't have a place in our portfolio but we know it has great potential, this isn't something that really crosses our minds, because our modus operandi lies in our strategy of diversity of genre. In some cases, the more extraordinary something appears from a glance, the more it excites us to work with. If we were to look at a game and think, "this is special, but marketing this could be tricky", it would only give the team that much more motivation to partner with it.
How We Help Clients
We offer an extensive range of support to our developer partners to ensure their games achieve their full potential. This comprehensive approach includes localization, quality assurance testing, dedicated customer service to enhance player experiences, physical exposure at events and expos, community development, and strategic media outreach to garner the attention their games deserve.
While we pride ourselves on being a "hands-off development" publisher, we are always ready to lend a helping hand when needed. As industry experts, we leverage our knowledge to assist developers in enhancing their games. We're more than willing to test games and offer feedback, not with the intention of imposing drastic changes, but to empower developers to achieve their creative visions.
It's important to note that our level of involvement varies depending on when we join the development process. In some cases, it may be a straightforward publishing partnership. However, if we come on board in the early stages of development, we're fully committed to offering the needed guidance and support, ensuring that developers have the resources and expertise they need to create games that truly stand out in the industry.
Some Words on Common Mistakes Made by Devs
I think there are several. One prevalent mistake is underestimating both the budget and time required for game development, which can often lead to financial strain and project delays. Additionally, many developers fail to grasp the substantial effort necessary to gain visibility in an increasingly crowded market, especially on platforms like Steam and the App Store where hundreds of games are released daily. Standing out amid this fierce competition is indeed challenging, which emphasizes the importance of robust marketing strategies to elevate a game's presence and success. In today's landscape, effective marketing has become increasingly vital in ensuring a game's recognition and success in the market.