Over the past few years interactive book apps and plot-centric games have emerged onto the market and created a new breed of publishing. A few people have asked me whether or not I think game developers are the publishers of the future, and I think they are. As game 'developers' are working for game 'publishers', it's clear the lines between publisher and game developer are blurring, and their roles are becoming one in the same, as well as their products.
Publishers who focus on digital products such as interactive book apps, provide entertainment and a new platform for all ages to 'read' on.
First publishing in 2011, Nosy Crow (2015) have released several children's apps, their most popular being Snow White. The app allows the user to "tilt your device to rock the baby Snow White to sleep, see yourself in the Magic Mirror, help Snow White clean the dwarfs’ house, mine for jewels, and lots more" (Nosy Crow, 2015). With the story at its heart and Gamification as its USP, the publisher has taken a step towards being a game developer instead of a traditional print book publisher.
Publishers who focus on digital products such as interactive book apps, provide entertainment and a new platform for all ages to 'read' on.
First publishing in 2011, Nosy Crow (2015) have released several children's apps, their most popular being Snow White. The app allows the user to "tilt your device to rock the baby Snow White to sleep, see yourself in the Magic Mirror, help Snow White clean the dwarfs’ house, mine for jewels, and lots more" (Nosy Crow, 2015). With the story at its heart and Gamification as its USP, the publisher has taken a step towards being a game developer instead of a traditional print book publisher.
For the older reader, "Reptile Resistance" will be available to download soon, having recently been fully crowd funded on Unbound. The "story app which is somewhere between a book and a game" (Unbound, 2015) is available for both iOS and Android and has been created by both authors and software designers, who once again have blurred their products - and by extension job titles - into one. The Unbound page can be found here.
Alternatively, game developers create richer and deeper plots within their games, to make them more appealing and enticing to the player. According to The Richest (2015) The Last of Us has the most enticing plot. It sold 6 million copies in eight months from its initial release in June 2013 (Makuch, 2014) and during creation, the script author (Neil Druckmann) also acted as project lead, sharing creative director duties with game developer, Bruce Starlet (Hoggins, 2013). Creating such a rich story, and publishing it within gaming format, is not dissimilar to the process of Nosy Crow. Although gaming is the main aspect of one, and reading the main idea behind the other, it's easy to see their roles are becoming the same.
Lastly, film rights are not only licensed from paperbacks nowadays, but games too. Most popularly the Lara Croft Tomb Raider films were created from the 1990's PlayStation games. In 2016, Warcraft, will be released in cinemas, proving that the published story within a video game can provide entertainment on varying platforms too.
If you're interested in downloading some of these fantastic creations, try Device Six or check out The Guardian's top ten.
Alternatively, game developers create richer and deeper plots within their games, to make them more appealing and enticing to the player. According to The Richest (2015) The Last of Us has the most enticing plot. It sold 6 million copies in eight months from its initial release in June 2013 (Makuch, 2014) and during creation, the script author (Neil Druckmann) also acted as project lead, sharing creative director duties with game developer, Bruce Starlet (Hoggins, 2013). Creating such a rich story, and publishing it within gaming format, is not dissimilar to the process of Nosy Crow. Although gaming is the main aspect of one, and reading the main idea behind the other, it's easy to see their roles are becoming the same.
Lastly, film rights are not only licensed from paperbacks nowadays, but games too. Most popularly the Lara Croft Tomb Raider films were created from the 1990's PlayStation games. In 2016, Warcraft, will be released in cinemas, proving that the published story within a video game can provide entertainment on varying platforms too.
If you're interested in downloading some of these fantastic creations, try Device Six or check out The Guardian's top ten.