Airborne Entertainment, a provider and publisher of mobile entertainment content and applications including games, has a heavily brand based portfolio, with recently published titles including Family Guy and Robotech titles. We talk to Billy Pamier, Head of Games and Applications about the company and the place of brands in the mobile gaming space.
Billy Pamier has worked in game development since 1988, working on titles including Aliens vs. Predator, No One Lives Forever, Judge Dredd and The Simpsons: Hit & Run, working with development studios such as Eurocom Entertainment Software, Rebellion Software, Monolith Productions and Radical Entertainment. In 1999, he moved into the publishing industry, holding positions with Fox Interactive, Vivendi Universal Games, and mDisney Studios.
Games On Deck: You've worked in the PC and console games industry for quite a while, working games that are considered by many to be classics, such as No One Lives Forever. Why did you make the move into mobile?
Billy Pamier: I moved into the mobile space because I'm a big lover of retro-gaming. I grew up in the 8-bit industry, and when mobile came around I viewed it as a great way to relive my youth a little bit.
GOD: How did you enter the mobile industry?
BP: I started at mDisney, and they offered me the role of a QA Manager, building their department. We started out with three employees and by the time I left they had 41 people.
The timing worked out well, it was a great opportunity and a great time to get into mobile. I spent a few years there and learned quite a bit and then the opportunity at Airborne presented itself to me. They'd gained quite a reputation in mobile publishing in general, and I decided that a move to Canada would be a good thing.
GOD: Things are changing in the mobile industry, and it's not so heavily led by retro games anymore. What's your opinion of the industry as it is now?
BP: I'm very fond of casual games and the current trend to them too, so it's really been the perfect industry to jump into! I like change - I like the fact that in mobile there's something different every day. It's the challenge of an emerging industry and being a pioneer.
GOD: You worked on FPS titles as a console/PC developer. What do you think of the trend towards them in mobile?
BP: I've not really played too many of them on mobile, I've dabbled a bit, and I'm fond of them but I think that FPS titles really require keyboards and mice, or at least dedicated game controllers. I'm really not sure how well they translate to mobile. It's certainly not a strategy that I intend to go with on mobile.
GOD: It does seem like a problem that the industry continues to face - the continued unsuitability of the controls.
BP: In my opinion, at the current state of the hardware on mobile I'd like to see the games remain more casual. I think there is definitely a future for more in-depth games on mobile which require deeper controls, maybe featuring RPG elements, that sort of thing, but for now, Airborne is looking to create engaging games more for the casual gamer.
Something that people can play for 5 minutes, or get lost in and play for an hour. Something that people can just jump in and play.
