For football fans and fervent video gamers of America’s favorite gridiron sport, it’s either Madden or bust. Such is the culture in 2016 for the preeminent football title that outlasted the likes of Tecmo Bowl, NFL Blitz and the 2K-produced football games of the early 2000’s.
But not all games have to be best enjoyed on a console or become the next best eSports phenomenon. That’s where bite-sized mobile experiences like Football Heroes Pro 2017 come in. The arcade-simulation game, an NFL Players Association-backed project, plan on bringing fans back to the glory days of gaming.
But instead of Bo Jackson running circles around the competition as if it were a car race, gamers can still enjoy a throwback experience with the contemporary likes of every current active player in the league thanks to the NFLPA licensed edition.
Michael A. Marzola, president and creative director at independent developer Run Games, joined [a]listdaily to explain how he plans to run his arcade-style football game straight into the chests of the competition.
What kind of a game and experience can we expect with Football Heroes Pro 2017?
The game features NFL Players and is very much inspired by classic arcade styled games such as Tecmo Bowl and NFL Blitz. We wanted to bring that fast-paced, over-the-top action from old school football games to mobile devices, although we wanted to make the controls simple enough so you could play the entire game with one finger. We created something that has depth but something any football fan can just pick up and play. And we did not stop there. We added lots of cool super moves like ‘rocket shoes,’ which sends your player rocketing down the field, and ‘flaming pass,’ where the ball catches on fire and increases the speed of the pass and accuracy, as well as ‘fumble tackle,’ where a certain hard, if landed, guarantees a fumble. These moves along with 50 others allow players to perform incredible acts to increase the excitement and allow players to turn their favorite NFL players into super heroes.
Many mobile games are designed for short experiences. Does Football Heroes Pro 2017 follow that trend?
We have definitely shortened our game length through iteration. At first we resisted, we wanted to bring a console-like gaming experience to mobile, but as we played the game and integrated the game into our real lives, we realized that shorter game sessions were better for the game. Sure, it’s less simulation, but it makes the game more fun—and fun should always win.
What kind of feedback have you been getting throughout the early stages of the launch?
The feedback has been incredible. We have had over nine million games played in the first week. I mean, those numbers are just staggering for a small developer like us. We have addressed a lot of issues that players have had with the previous games, so mostly its small notes about player stats, or ‘why this player is better than this other player.’ So those are good problems to have. I’m just really proud of the response Football Heroes Pro 2017 is truly the best game we have released as a studio.
How did you work with the NFL Player’s Association to secure the deal? What is the hardest part about procuring a partner of their magnitude?
We entered into the NFLPA Mobile Madness Challenge and won the competition. We had to fight pretty hard to win that contest as we were competing with some biggest names in the sports game space. Fundamentally, we won because the NFLPA liked our previous game: Football Heroes 2015. I have no issues saying there are only two simulation football worth playing: Football Heroes Pro 2017 or Madden Mobile. We’re proud to outperform publicly traded companies in the sports genre both in quality, and revenues. And we feel incredibly grateful that the NFLPA decided to go with a smaller independent developer like us and it has paid off handsomely for both the NFLPA and Run Games.
The NFL has a plethora of marketable players. How did you choose your core group of perennial Pro Bowlers? How does the rights work?
As major football fans, it was too hard to choose—so we just put every player in the game! We have over 2,300 NFL players in Football Heroes Pro 2017. So, if they suit up on Sunday, they are in our game.
How do you plan on growing your core consumer base?
We have a very active and vocal community and we are constantly interacting with them and iterating based on their feedback. We believe that retaining and keeping your player engaged is the number one thing you should be doing if you’re making a game that is a live service. We have cut major features from the game that we liked and even some features that were monetizing well because it upset our players. Players who spend money and players who do not spend money should have a good time playing your game. And our players are key to growing our business so we will do everything we can to keep them happy. We also do some light Chartboost and Facebook user acquisition via interstitial ads and use Chartboost to cross-promote our apps.
How are you standing out from an increasingly crowded mobile market?
We just focus on quality and building games that we want to play. I previously worked for Activision and EA, and I started my own studio in Run Games to build games and experiences that I was passionate about. For us to stand out, it’s about having a clear voice and executing. If enough other people want something, you can carve out a space that is not overcrowded and you should be successful and slowly build an audience. To date, we have nearly five million players in the Run Games platform based mostly on viral, word-of-mouth and being featured by the platform holders.
Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan
