Behind great games, there’s game tech. AWS is How Game Tech Volume 2 AWS IS HOW GAME TECH EDITION Volume 2 2 Player profile Player Player ID: Eric Morales Classification: Reconnecting through tech Head of AWS Game Tech EMEA Player history Stockholm Joined Gamer since 59°32′N 18°06′E July 2015 1995 Over the past year, many of us have felt compelled to escape into a game, even if only for a few hours. Technology has been our salvation and our solace. When we’ve been forced to stay apart, tech has helped us to feel connected, whether by racing strangers through virtual cities or teaming up to battle awesome foes in Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem. There has, perhaps, never been a greater keep pushing forward on a bumpy road and instead of sticking to a plan that no longer Perhaps one of the key things we can need for the escape that gaming gives when to somersaulto a ne ont w one. fits. New ideas come through all the time learn from these studios is that adversity us. So I’d like to say an extra thank you to and you have to embrace them.” can spark the creativity we need to build Building on AWS gives studios the chance the studios we’re featuring in this issue. something truly spectacular. In many to experiment, innovate, and make For some of the developers we spoke Without you, lockdown would have been games, your character levels up and gets mistakes in order to keep forging ahead. to, the pandemic has been just one of just a little bit harder for so many millions stronger regardless of your own skill, which I’m 100 percent with Roberta Lucca many hurdles they’ve overcome. Just five of us gamers across the globe. can be liberating. But sometimes, as in real- from Bossa when she says: “I think years after escaping civil war in Syria, the life, games can be uncompromising. Some Like most businesses around the world, entrepreneurs are half-scientist, half-artist. founders of Wolves Interactive built Traffic games insist that you—the player—must 2020 wasn’t easy for the developers You start by failing many times. Always be Tour, which has now reached 40 million improve to progress. That can be rewarding you’re about to meet. They’ve had to cope ready to learn and experiment.” downloads. in itself. 2020 has certainly felt that way with unprecedented challenges, but they As ColdFire has discovered, AWS gives And Creative Mobile only came about for me, but Praise the Sun, I think that’s a harnessed their grit andr dthei etermination studios the chance to test, analyze, predict, after three gamers lost their jobs. Co- game worth playing. to forge new experiences for players all target and act on player feedback. Agility is founder Vladimir Funtikov told us: “I over the world. Most importantly, they crucial when you’re a developer, so took the chance to do something I loved, didn’t face these challenges with corporate the ability to pull a 180 when the odds with people I liked, and who shared an Love and unlimited continues, firepower, they created these incredible are stacked against you is as important audacious spirit.” The Estonian studio has experiences with audacity, creativity and Eric Morales for development as it is for game play. gone on to create an open, transparent the simple desire to make something fun. Head of AWS Game Tech EMEA Traplight’s Valtteri Pirttilä told us: “It’s working culture that puts people and core These studios know when to play it safe always been about seeing where we are values at the very heart of the business. and when to take calculated risks. When to and working out the best way forward, AWS IS HOW GAME TECH EDITION Volume 2 Bossa 3 Studios Player profile Player Player ID: Roberta Lucca Classification: Marketer-in-Chief and Co-founder Player history Roberta Lucca, one of the original founders of Bossa Studios, is a computer scientist turned marketing expert turned entrepreneur. An experienced keynote speaker and angel investor, Roberta’s many accolades include; the Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech, the Top 30 Women in Games and Inspiring Fifty UK. Player ID: Sylvain Cornillon Classification: Chief Technology Officer Player history Sylvain Cornillon is the Chief Technology Officer at Bossa Studios, where he’s been working closely with the founders to build highly original, off-the-wall games. With a background in programming and developing, an eye for creative and a flair for the unusual, Sylvain brings a steady hand to this successful indie studio. Studio London Founded Employees 51°52′N 0°08′E 2010 78 AWS IS HOW GAME TECH EDITION Volume 2 Bossa 4 Studios Surgery shenanigans. Bread and fish. Game creativity redefined. It started with the birth of social media. These platforms thrived as they enticed and enthralled millions and, as they evolved, they also introduced tech savvy users to the world of gaming. These early games populated throughout social media channels used gambling mechanics to keep people hooked, but lacked the depth of true gaming experiences. When Bossa Studios entered the fray, this creatively-driven indie studio saw an opportunity to make games that offered something different. Founded in 2010 by Roberta Lucca, Bread, a game that follows a slice of bread’s Henrique Olifiers, Imre Jele and Ric Moore, journey to become toast, Bossa Studios this British video game developer set out has stuck to its vision of offering gamers to redefine the genre. And they succeeded, unique and unusual experiences. And those releasing innovative and hugely enjoyable games can now be enjoyed across a range titles that have not only won awards, but of platforms, from Android and iOS to cult followings. Xbox, PlayStation and PC. Today, the studio runs exclusively off AWS, having recently From Monstermind—which earned Bossa migrated the last of its technology stack Studios a BAFTA in 2012—to Surgeon to the AWS Cloud for increased stability Simulator, a surprise hit that evolved out and flexibility. of a 48-hour Global Game Jam session and went on to sell millions of copies, to I Am AWS IS HOW GAME TECH EDITION Volume 2 Bossa 5 Studios Roberta: “The name Bossa was rules around game creation and genre and feedback, so we can evolve our games inspired by the Bossa Nova” allocation. Our work is genre-defining. One to match what players want. of our biggest titles is I Am Bread, where We believe community is incredibly I’m from Brazil originally, and the word you undertake this slice of bread’s mission important. We have a strong community of ‘bossa’ in Portuguese refers to something to become toast—it has to avoid the jam, superfans who play all our games because that has a special flair or charm. That’s the water and other obstacles to get to the they’re different and fun. We’ve become “One of our biggest titles what defines our culture at Bossa toaster and win. Studios—a quirkiness and charm that we a company that embraces weirdness and is I Am Bread, where embed into all our games. We don’t come up with ideas from the humor, and brings new experiences to you undertake this slice top down, with the founders defining the gamers. Today, we have thousands of Bossa was created ten years ago when of bread’s mission to games that are made. Instead, we do game YouTubers and influencers playing our my co-founders and I saw an opportunity jams; we stop the company for a few days, games because they love the experiences become toast.” – to make games that were different from everybody goes into different teams and they get and because we value their role Roberta what people were playing at the time. We over two days they come up with a new in our community. It’s a really positive started with social games on Facebook game. Often we’d get anything from five to relationship, as they always get new games and have since launched more than 30 ten games out of a session. This creativity to play for their audiences and we have titles across mobile, VR, PC and console. has become part of our culture, and has them on side to share these experiences. As we’ve evolved, our games have evolved also shaped the way we engage with our This is what happened with Surgeon as well, but we’ve stayed true to our ethos community. We send these ideas on to Simulator seven years ago. of humor and not following the traditional influencers and their audiences for input AWS IS HOW GAME TECH EDITION Volume 2 Bossa 6 Studios Sylvain: “Everything comes from with influencers, streamers and YouTubers. improve on our processes and how we creativity” People would stream themselves playing build our games. Creativity defines the the game on platforms like Twitch, and core of our business, our games and our We held a game jam and out came the idea others would enjoy watching it, so they overall strategy. of Surgeon Simulator. A game that puts would then go and buy it. It’s still one of Surgeon Simulator really defined our patients into the operating room from a our most popular titles and it came as a brand and underscored the value we find first-person perspective and asks them complete surprise. The entire premise was in being creative. It’s driven us forward to figure out how to save the life of the still a prototype when it became a success.