CMO Pete Arden Talks Disruptor Beam’s Future

Community-centric game company Disruptor Beam made a few waves this week by hiring new chief marketing officer Pete Arden to the group. Pete brings many years of experience to the mobile company, having worked on titles like Guild Wars 2, Aion and EVE: Valkyrie.

But what can people expect with Arden joining the team We recently had a chance to sit down and speak with him about jumping into the mobile market with Disruptor Beam, as well as what to expect from the future — including Disruptor Beam’s forthcoming mobile game Star Trek: Timelines.

What is it about the company — or the games that it produces — that drew you in?

It was both. The prospect of returning to the startup world after spending the past several years at a number of large MMO publishers was frankly very attractive. And Disruptor Beam has everything I look for in a startup: great products, a super smart, energetic team, a dedication to serving its players and their passions, and a culture that both supports and challenges its employees. As for the games, I’ve been a dedicated Star Trek fan since childhood, and in the fantasy genre, it really doesn’t get better than Game of Thrones. It’s a joy to be able to work on two of my favorite It’s every single day.

What do you feel is the most challenging part about successfully marketing a good mobile game?

Success in the mobile space depends so much on breaking through the clutter and simply getting noticed. By developing titles using well-known, much-loved properties like Star Trek and Game of Thrones, Disruptor Beam has a natural advantage in that we don’t have to work nearly as hard to establish a baseline of brand awareness.

What sort of plans does Disruptor Beam have in place for marketing Star Trek Timelines?

Well, one part of our plan that’s very exciting to me is working with veteran actor John de Lancie, better known as “Q” from Star Trek: The Next Generation. In addition to providing voiceover narration in the game, John has actually been involved in guiding the game’s storyline, and has also agreed to help us promote Star Trek Timelines in a number of interesting and novel ways. He’ll be appearing with us on stage at this year’s Star Trek Las Vegas convention in August, for instance, where we will have a major presence demoing the game to the thousands of hardcore fans gathered there. Having an ally and spokesman like John really demonstrates Disruptor Beam’s understanding of its audience and what they’re looking for in their entertainment.

What do you think about the state of mobile games in general?

I’m fairly new to this part of the industry, so unlike some veterans, I’m still a bit wide-eyed and optimistic about mobile and its potential. Seeing how Disruptor Beam is really pushing the envelope of what’s possible in a mobile game like Star Trek Timelines —  from the quality of the storytelling and game design to the immersive, almost cinematic 3D starship battles — it feels like there’s still a huge opportunity for high-quality titles to succeed and bring even more players into the space.

In addition, Jon Radoff, CEO of Disruptor Beam, jumped in to answer a quick question . . .

How is Disruptor Beam planning to change the landscape?

Since our founding, our goal has been to disrupt the industry through our products, but also how we do business day-to-day. On one hand, we’ve tried to steer away from strict paid customer acquisition to grow our games. We’ve instead focused heavily on community and have strived for a more grassroots and organic growth around our games. It is the IP we are working with, and the existing huge fan bases around those properties, which has allowed us to reach that goal. In addition, we’re self-publishing Star Trek Timelines. We see the traditional publishing model as somewhat broken, where studios are basically just outsourced R&D shops. Although we’re one of a small number of mobile game startups that is taking the self-publishing route, we’re the only one that has made community and fan-engagement the core of this strategy.

Star Trek Timelines should release later this year for mobile devices. The trailer is below.