Kwalee and Buildbox Invest in the Success of the Buildbox Community

By June 16, 2020Buildbox

We’re excited to announce that we are joining forces with Kwalee to help the Buildbox community to build and launch successful games. This new exclusive partnership will give Buildbox users the opportunity to land lucrative publishing deals and gain expert game advice to help lead them towards mobile gaming success. With our powerful no-code game maker and now access to Kwalee’s years of experience in all the different aspects of publishing from UA to monetization, developers will have an advantage that has never been available before. It’s an ‘all-in-one’ route to success that we’re thrilled to be able to offer to our entire community.

Our recent hyper casual game jam sponsored by Kwalee is just the beginning. This new partnership with Kwalee will bring more game jams and a support system for Buildbox users to succeed. Kwalee recognizes the importance of a variety of different ad formats for effective UA and has been a partner with AppOnboard Studio for some time. They’ve used our sister-software AOB studio to create playables quick and easily. Similiar to Buildbox, AppOnboard empowers anyone to design, build, and share instant apps, playable ads, prototypes, and more without writing a single line of code.

David Darling CBE, CEO of Kwalee, stated: “Having seen the games created by the Buildbox community in our recent game jam, it’s obvious that many of these ‘Boxers’ deserve to get their games played by a much wider audience and reap the rewards that come with it. We know that our skill in game design, user acquisition, marketing, monetization, and more will help these games reach their potential, and can’t wait to be talking about all the success stories that have come from this partnership.”

“Our number one goal is to empower anyone who has an idea for a video game to bring their idea to life, while building a real business around it.  While our flagship products, Buildbox and AppOnboard Studio power the creative pieces of the puzzle, we wanted to build a partnership with one of the leading global publishers, Kwalee, in order to go the next mile to help our community of nearly 1 Million Creators earn the spotlight on the app stores in order to support their businesses,” shared Jonathan Zweig, CEO and President of AppOnboard. “Kwalee and AppOnboard have been working together for a long time to bring the best possible partnership to the growing number of incredibly talented artists and creators who are bringing their ideas to life on the app stores.  This new stage of our relationship is a huge win for the game developer community.”

“Hypercasual is a genre where our platform aligns so well, with anyone able to come up with a great idea for a bite-sized game, and then execute it whether or not they have any coding experience. What we couldn’t previously give our developers though, is a direct route to a publisher we trust  can get these creations out to a mass audience and in turn, make our Boxers money! This long-term partnership with Kwalee changes that, and I’m excited to see the success it will bring our community. I know they have the games, they’ve just needed the push of a publisher to reach the players!”

Founded by gaming industry icon David Darling, Kwalee is a leading publisher and hypercasual heavyweight, achieving over 400 million downloads worldwide and countless chart-topping hits. Some of their titles include Draw It, Shootout 3D, Off the Rails 3D, Rocket Sky! and Go Fish! With our new partnership, standout Buildbox creations will be brought to Kwalee’s attention.

To ensure your game is on Kwalee’s radar, all you have to do is have your Admob or ironSource accounts linked to your Buildbox account, so we can quickly identify your Buildbox game. Below are some tutorial videos on how to link to your account and a FAQ on the submission process and what opportunities the partnership brings to you.

Kwalee + Buildbox Partnership FAQ 

  • What does this mean for me as a Creator?

As a creator, this gives you easy access to a publisher who can assist you in the development of your game. This includes insight into market trends, feedback on the direction and design of your game, and confirmation as to whether your game hits the performance metrics needed to succeed in today’s market. You’ll have access to international marketing that won’t cost you a penny.

  • How can I submit my game for a chance to get published?

You can submit your game or prototype via our official webpage here. Upon completion, Kwalee will get back to you promptly and provide an experienced point of contact who will support you in your game development and publishing journey.

  • Does Kwalee automatically receive the rights for every game I export?

No! We want to help you to get your game discovered by a publisher by giving you a direct route to Kwalee, our trusted partner. If you do not want to go ahead with Kwalee, then that is entirely up to you.

  • Can I submit a game to Kwalee for publishing even if I am using Buildbox Free (and do not have the option to export)?

Even if you can’t export your game, you can still send a short piece of gameplay footage to Kwalee. They will review the gameplay clip and provide detailed feedback based on their thoughts and observations. If the game looks promising, they may even support you in securing the required export upgrade!

  • What happens if Kwalee selects my game for testing?

If Kwalee selects your game for testing, a member of their team will be in touch to help support you through the next steps. This will include some simple Facebook SDK and Game Analytics SDK implementation so that the performance of your game can be measured. They will also provide detailed feedback on your game so you can see the potential for improvement going forward!

  • What happens if my game hits Kwalee’s KPIs?

If your game hits Kwalees’ KPIs, then they’ll be in touch. They’ll provide information and analysis on where your game did well, and where it could maybe be improved. They may also present a publishing deal for close collaboration and a chance to top the charts! This will include the support of experienced teams dedicated to the development, UA, QA, monetization, and design. Everything needed to help make your game a global success!

  • Why should I use a publisher such as Kwalee to publish my game? / Do I really need a publisher to succeed?

Even before they published external developers games, Kwalee was, and is, a successful mobile developer who understands the market while having a lot of experience in creating their own games—achieving hundreds of millions of downloads over the years, giving them a lot of familiarity as to smaller developers struggles while looking to succeed and grow. Being around since the emergence of the hypercasual market has granted them valuable experience and insight into mobile gamings evolution, allowing them to establish themselves as a key industry leader with a unique perspective from both a developer and a publisher standpoint.

The mobile market is very competitive, and having an experienced teammate such as Kwalee, who can assist in navigating common development and design mistakes, puts you in a much stronger position to stand out. Not only this, but they can take onboard large marketing costs required to get your game out there. Identifying early on what games and concepts are engaging well with audiences, or which should potentially be put on the back burner to focus on other ideas. Helping you spend your valuable development time on the right projects. 

In today’s competitive market, having a publisher drastically increases the chances of your game being given the shot it deserves amongst the large quantity of games out there. With so many developers seeking publishers in today’s market for support and backing, not securing one can leave you at a big disadvantage and inability to standout amongst the larger industry players.

  • What type of games are you looking for?

Kwalee has an interest in a variety of hyper-casual mobile games ranging from the snackable arcade, sport, and puzzle games to bright and addictive Idle games. Even if it’s an early prototype, if it’s eye-catchy with an easy to understand mechanic, Kwalee are happy to get involved!

  • Will Kwalee provide any (creative) feedback and help me to improve my game?

Upon receiving a submission, Kwalee will always provide analytical and design feedback where applicable to help you improve. Not only for your current game but for future games too. They have the aim of sharing their industry knowledge with developers so that even if you’re new to the mobile market, you can learn best practices with each prototype!

 Stay tuned for more information to come!

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Tiana Crump

About Tiana Crump

Tiana Crump is a journalist and social media manager at Buildbox with a passion for inspiring others and driving brand awareness. As a gamer and creator, she enjoys sharing game development insights, tips, and success stories from the Buildbox community.

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