Cyril Barrow, Rovio Entertainment

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Why a gated process allows more

freedom of creation.

Cyril Barrow

VP operations - Rovio

From Hardware...

Who isCyril Barrow ?

to... Free to Play....

20 years leading people, products and processes

Helsinki

We don’t build just a fun game!

· What is the goal of a game studio?

· What is the game plan?

· The gates: how the plan is reviewed, how games are killed

· The freedom: How to unleash the potential


ConceptMarket

research + prototype

Pre prod Production Soft launch Live OPS


The goal (of a game studio)


“Consistently

reliable delivery

of great games”

Dull, serious, bland

Cool, innovative, exciting


reliable delivery =

· a game that comes on time to the market

· a game which cost and scope are understood

· a game we can build (efficiently)

· a game that is not just a successful execution of a plan


great games =

· a game for your audience

· a game that customer want and are ready to pay for

· a game you can learn from


To sum up:

We need to put a process in place in order to maximize the

chances of delivering great games.


What’s the plan?


We need to understand:

· Strategy

· Marketing plan

· Design

· Production

Making a game is not just about designing a fun game.


· Strategy (market research)

audience

competition

goal

why is it a good game for us

· Marketing plan

User Acquisition


· Design

fun & depth

retention

monetisation

live operations

risks

· Production

lead time & cost

scope

people

process & risks


To sum up:

Planning to make a fun game is not enough.

Think:

- audience

- customers acquisition

- retention and monetization

- how you can build the game

so… how do we check the plan?


The gateshow the plan is reviewed, how games are killed


ConceptMarket



12 months8 months

3 gates:


More on…

the production gate


Quality

Scope

BudgetTime

Quality > Time

But that doesn’t mean time and dates are not important!

Q = f(S+B+T)


In a world where Quality is #1 but Time and Cost are critical,

SCOPE is the key weapon.


To sum-up:

Design clear check-points in your process.

Do you have a strategy

Do you have a marketing and design plan

Do you have a production plan

Be prepared to kill games.


The freedomUnleash the potential


ConceptMarket



- Check-points are clearly defined. No surprises.

- The management respects freedom outside the check-points.

- The product owner holds the responsibility.


No more

You are able to auto evaluate your project


Scrum

Working Software Updated Backlog Velocity-Based Reporting

Freedom doesn’t mean no visibility.


To sum up:

- Creative teams are empowered.

- Check-points are clear and allow self assessment.

- Visibility is built in the process.


Conclusion

If you don’t have a complete plan, don’t go to

production.


then RUN!

Because you have to validate all your assumptions

with real users ASAP.

But if you do…

Thank you!Cyril Barrow

VP operations – Rovio

[email protected]

Cyril Barrow, Rovio Entertainment

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