Remove Creative Constraints

Incorporating GaimTheory's Metagame Engine into the design and overall architecture of a game project reduces the computational requirements of the game code, shifting difficult processing tasks to a clustered database system that has set the world record in transactional processing speed. Coupled to an automated XML statistics collection process that lets studios and publishers define exactly what information is important to them, the end result is a complete game experience that is bounded by imagination rather than CPU cycles.

Whether limited by end-user hardware, client-server networking, or information accessibility, today's studios and publishers frequently hit limits that adversely impact the creation of the ultimate vision for the game. Online games, in particular, require flawless performance on a variety of platforms, and every complexity added to the game code can adversely affect the end-user experience. As a frequent result, many features are cut or left incomplete before launch during the process of optimization.

Reduce Time to Market

GaimTheory provides a path to significantly reduce the time to market for persistent game properties by leveraging the metagame engine which has over 3 years of development and several million dollars invested. Following our recommended implementation schedule, a sophisticated game environment can be established for new game properties in under three months from start to finish. The end result is a fully persistent, highly customized, and deeply integrated online game experience.

Development of a persistent back-end statistics collection and processing system is an arduous task. Developing a custom system from scratch to support a single game can take 3-5 engineers 12-18 months to reach Alpha stage, and an additional 6-12 months in QA to ensure both scale and data integrity. With the iterative nature of many video game development projects, feature creep and changing requirements along the way can lead to lengthy delays and costly re-writes.

Revitalize Intellectual Property

The question isn't whether a game has the best graphics, it's a question of whether the graphics are merely good enough. Chances are, that game you made 5 or 10 years ago could be perfect for revitalization. It'll download fast, run fast, and will be even more fun than the first time around thanks to quick integration of metagame features like leaderboards, awards, matchmaking, and community.

There are hundreds of millions of dollars (at least) currently sitting in dusty archives in the form of un-used or under-utilized digital assets. In a process akin to the "digitally re-mastered" craze of the late 90's, now is the time to break out the feather duster and see just exactly what you're missing out on. For those familiar with Clayton Christensen's famous work, The Innovator's Dilemma, you may recognize the pattern emerging with online gaming. Once again, the Internet has struck with disruptive technology. Bandwidth constraints still make full-blown digital distribution for the latest and greatest eye-candy cumbersome and problematic, yet behind the scenes the fact is simple: Online gamers care less about graphics and more about performance and social elements.