Thumb Candy professionals are ready on very short notice to go beyond traditional arm’s-length consulting and augment your management bandwidth by getting involved on a day-to-basis with your current project. Our consultants have years of experience of stepping into projects mid-stream in order to turn around productivity and bring teams back on schedule.
topFor UK videogame publisher Oxygen Interactive Software, Ltd., Thumb Candy performed a long-term service contract to establish and manage it publishing operations in North America. Services ranged from securing first-party publishing license agreements for the territory with Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA); developing, presenting and winning firat-party approvals for product concept proposals; managing the packaging and code approval process; designing and implementing customer service processes; and participating in publicity tours.
Thumb Candy professionals have spent years managing both videogame and web development process, including developing asset pipelines, planning and implementing online infrastructure, server/bandwidth cost modeling, vetting and hiring technical staff, and developing quality and performance measurement tools. We are well qualified both to help you develop our internal processes and plans or to “sanity check” your existing systems.
topOur consultants have years of experience in game design, visual design, screenwriting and production. We can put our expertise to use for your project, whether in the early concept phases, or on a very task-specific level.
topWhen the need arose for developing story concepts and quest designs for its upcoming action sports MMO for kids, Spin Master Studios retained Thumb Candy to supply the game’s narrative content. Work included everything from collaborating with design staff on story elements in levels, to quest conception and writing, to dialog writing.
We have decades of experience in managing IP and licenses, both a licensee and licensor, and can help you in identifying, negotiating and securing potential licenses for your project.
topThumb Candy consultants have developed long-standing licensing relationships with such partners as The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, New Line Cinema, Mattel, General Motors, Warner Music Group and Signatures/Live Nation.
Thumb Candy consultants have conducted a thorough market analysis of the kids’ MMO/virtual world space, both existing and announced, in order to better understand the “free-to-play” MMO market and to maximize revenues and tailor the design of its project to be feature-competitive with the best of new and upcoming online games. The result of this effort was a decision both to explore alternative revenue streams beyond simple monthly subscriptions fees, and to redesign and reschedule the roll-out of key game features in order to drive paid conversions.
topAs successful publishing executives, Thumb Candy consultants have proven track records at developing coherent, proactive product release strategies that blend low-risk development of original IP, a practical approach to acquiring licenses and working extensive contacts in the development community worldwide. Thumb Candy can perform a product-by-product assessment of your current or contemplated product line-up in order to quantify risks, project potential revenues and place each product within the context of a multi-year release strategy.
topThumb Candy professionals have years of experience in all phases of marketing and promotions for products ranging from videogames to motion pictures. We are adept at identifying what is unique, cool, and promotable about your project and developing strategies to connect your product with a mass audience.
topMGA Entertainment, Inc. launched one of the first 3D MMO games for kids, Miuchiz, as part of a hybrid online/handheld product strategy. Thumb Candy was retained in order to develop consumer messaging, in-game documentation and in-box user guides that simplified gameplay rules and technical requirements for the target audience (boys and girls 6-10) and their parents.
We are continually asked by individual investors, fund managers and investment bankers to evaluate technology and videogame ventures at all phases of development. If you are contemplating the commitment of significant early financing to a start-up in this area, we are well qualified to help you assess its technical, schedule and market risks.
topThumb Candy was retained by Sterling Atlantic Partners to perform a market and technical feasibility analysis for a start-up with patentable IP relating to artificial intelligence and human/software interface as applied to videogames and virtual worlds. After a thorough review of all documentation and development versions of the technology, including exhaustive questioning of the lead engineer, we recommended against making a strategic investment in the company.
For Quantum Merchant Bankers, LLC, Thumb Candy was retained to evaluate the market and technical feasibility of a young trans-Pacific high-tech firm with a number of unique technologies relating to animated chat avatars on the web and mobile devices. Thumb Candy vetted the company's technology and executives, and recommended a number of ways the technology could be monetized in both the near and long terms.
Thumb Candy consultants can put their years of experience in videogames and entertainment software to assist your client in litigation or arbitration proceedings.
topFor a confidential client, Thumb Candy was retained to provide expert witness analysis and testimony in a matter relating to alleged appropriation of creative intellectual property. Our analysis included a review of the defendant publisher’s income statements for the subject property in order to project the plaintiff’s potential economic damages.