1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: More good news from our video game sector, grinding Gear Games. 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 1: They reported one hundred and five million dollars worth of 3 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: revenue for the their year ending September. Are they're the 4 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,120 Speaker 1: ones behind Path of Exile if you don't play games? 5 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 1: Jonathan Rodgers as the managing director and is with us, 6 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: Jonathan morning to you. 7 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 2: Hey, good morning. 8 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,119 Speaker 1: Now you're the one with ten Cent involved, don't you. 9 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: They came in crowdfunded, then ten Cent came to town. 10 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, so they're ten cents bought the company when would 11 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,319 Speaker 2: have been now, probably twenty eighteen something like that. 12 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: Are things booming? Is life good? 13 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,160 Speaker 2: Absolutely so. I mean we just released part of Excel 14 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 2: two into early access in December, and you know, it 15 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 2: was a great, great launch. We got to number one 16 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 2: on Steam, which is, you know, the largest sort of 17 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 2: video game sales platform, and we you know, more than 18 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 2: double the number of players who are online in any 19 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 2: one time compared to what we had for part of 20 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 2: Exil on before it. 21 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: I was thinking about this this morning that often we 22 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 1: talk about the New Zealand story and the New zealandness 23 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: of whatever the success is. Is that applying to game 24 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: or well, basically as you can be anywhere kun't. It 25 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: doesn't sort of matter. 26 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, you absolutely can be anywhere. And that's honestly, one 27 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: of the great things about is effectively what we are 28 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 2: is we're an export industry. That's, you know, effectively exporting 29 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 2: a bunch of things overseas, except we don't actually have 30 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 2: to shift anything. So, you know, New Zealand actually a 31 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 2: great place to be for that reason. 32 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: Is your growth path the same as the industry's growth 33 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,559 Speaker 1: past in this country. Is everybody doing wellish? 34 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,119 Speaker 2: Everyone's doing pretty well, I would say honestly at the moment, 35 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 2: we're probably doing better than average. Actually, why, well, it 36 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 2: really comes down to just I think that we've really 37 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 2: sort of managed to nail the formula we have. You know, 38 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 2: we've so we release what's called a games as a 39 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 2: service game. This means that we don't just have one 40 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 2: big release like a movie or something where you you know, 41 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 2: you come out and then you know, people pay money 42 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 2: and then they never do again. You know, we have 43 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 2: updates every four months. You know. That means we've got 44 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 2: kind of reoccurring revenue. And this is just kind of 45 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 2: a formula that you know, we've been able to do 46 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 2: really well. You know, we've been we we started selling 47 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 2: in twenty twelve, so and we've been going along since then. 48 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 2: So effectively, I just think we've managed to just develop 49 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 2: a good formula and make a good product. 50 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: And the people hooked in that sense they once you've 51 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: got them, you've got them. 52 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 2: Well, I mean, the people who play a game like ours, 53 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 2: they don't necessarily play all the time. So our sort 54 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 2: of idea is that you know, someone will will make 55 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 2: a release, people will play for two three weeks, that 56 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: kind of thing. Then you know they'll have their fill, 57 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 2: have their fun, then they'll go on, they'll do something else, 58 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 2: and then you know, we'll do a new release and 59 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 2: they'll come back again. 60 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: Is there a common analogy in successful games, whether technologically 61 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: or marketing or concept wise. 62 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 2: I mean, I guess fundamentally with games, you're looking to 63 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 2: deliver some kind of fantasy, you know, something that people 64 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 2: really enjoy, you know, like so that there's a lot 65 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:44,799 Speaker 2: of that kind of going on going on with it. Obviously, 66 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 2: you do have to be technically locked in, you know, 67 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 2: the game needs to work well and that kind of stuff, 68 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 2: but it really just comes down to the design and 69 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 2: you know, are you delivering on you know, on the 70 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 2: fantasy that people want, and. 71 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: What do you reckon the path is if I bring 72 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,399 Speaker 1: you in a year, we're still growing, We're still booming. 73 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 2: Well, i'd like to think so, so yeah, part excel too. 74 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 2: As I said, as an early access at the moment, 75 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 2: it's not technically you know, out fully yet. The way 76 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 2: that it works in the game industry a lot of 77 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 2: the time these days is that you know, you can 78 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 2: start selling your products, and you know a lot of 79 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,359 Speaker 2: players who want to come in early will start playing it. 80 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 2: And so we were already incredibly successful just with that, 81 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 2: and so you know, when we actually go into full release, 82 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 2: when we've actually finished the game, I'm sure we'll even 83 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 2: be a lot more successful. Again. 84 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: Fantastic, We'll stay in touch. Appreciate and congratulations. Jonathan Rodgers, 85 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: managing director of grinding Gear Games. For more from the 86 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks. It'd be 87 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.