Kongregate Developers Blog (Page 3)

Game Development Jun 25, 2019

MVP Like Nintendo in 1980

If you work in or around some kind of software development, you’ve probably heard “MVP” sputtered in passing conversation, or seen it scribbled in a comment of a Google Doc. “MVP” is an acronym for “Minimum Viable Product.” The definition of an MVP is a loaded one, and changes slightly from Product Person™ to Product Person™. One popular definition is, “What can we build that will give us the most validation?” The school of thought I personally subscribe to (and will be using for the duration of this article) describes an MVP as “the smallest solution you build that will bring the most value to your customers.” At first, all of this probably sounds straightforward enough, but there’s deceivingly a lot to unpack here; in my experience it’s never just “what’s the smallest solution.” In one of my favorite articles about MVPs, they say, “Starting with a solution is like building a key without a door” (9). It’s easy to fall into a cycle of Build/Measure/Learn (as the first definition I mentioned often

Kongregate News Jun 20, 2019

'The Powerpuff Girls: Monkey Mania' Breaks Through on Android and iOS Devices This Year

Kongregate has partnered with Cartoon Network, the #1 animated series network in the U.S., and game developer Juicy Beast to announce The Powerpuff Girls: Monkey Mania, a spectacular launcher game by the renowned indie devs behind Burrito Bison: Launcha Libre. Set to launch later this year, the game combines the polish and style one associates with Juicy Beast’s games with the incredible charm of Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls. Mojo Jojo is up to no good again, this time harnessing his wicked Chemical-Xtractor to steal the Powerpuff Girls’ powers and use them to generate a massive army of evil gummy monkeys. Despite losing their powers, the Powerpuff Girls must fight back against this new gummy menace in addition to the villains that are now wreaking havoc in Townsville. "The Powerpuff Girls: Monkey Mania is such an incredible pairing of characters, gameplay, and developer," said Kongregate's Director of Publishing Peter Eykemans. "Juicy Beast has a way with creating whimsical and funny worlds that pairs incredibly well with the Powerpuff Girls universe. Giving them the keys

Web Jun 13, 2019

May 2019 Contest Winners

Each month, developers win cash prizes for having the highest-rated new games! Click here for official rules. Check out the official contest page here. TOP WINNERS 1st Place: $1,750 5 Step Steve by EPGstudios 2nd Place: $1,250 Magirune by Fluffy_Lotus 3rd Place: $1,000 ANOVA by MontiGames 4th Place: $750 When he jump, he go up like this by Gun_Safety 5th Place: $500 FireBlob by NoaDev We reached out to the top 5 winners to ask about their inspirations and experiences developing last month's top games on Kongregate! First-Place Winner EPGstudios, developer of 5 Step Steve: Hello, everyone! I'm Ethan Clark, a high schooler/game developer. 5 Step Steve started out life as a game jam entry made in 2 days. After the positive feedback I received, I decided to turn it into a full game. This game was pretty challenging, from both a design and technical standpoint (this was my first big project using C++ and WebAssembly). Overall, I'm happy with the way it turned out. Due to popular demand, I'm going to make a

Developer Spotlight May 28, 2019

Developer Spotlight: 'Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville'

Since 2002, pop culture has been swarmed with waves of undead ghouls, gnawing their way into our hearts and leaving us jumping at every shadow, expecting a slowly clawing limb or a chomping, hangry monster to bust out of a forgotten doorway. The gaming world has had its fair share of zombie games, from Dead Space and The Last of Us in the shooter/adventure world to Plants vs. Zombies and State of Decay in strategy. Starting in 2011, the Rebuild series has been a cornerstone of Kongregate. Both the original game and its sequel find many enthusiastic zombie-killing players eager to take back civilization from the dead. With a combined total of 13 million plays, Rebuild & Rebuild 2 have gained many fans over the years. We cleared out neighborhoods, rebuilt towns and signed constitutions while fighting off swarms of ravenous chompy enemies with the aid of repurposed tools, good good dogs and human determination and grit. With Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville available on Kartridge, we were pleased to have a chance to chat about infectious bites, electric

Kongregate News May 16, 2019

April 2019 Contest Winners

Each month, developers win cash prizes for having the highest-rated new games! Click here for official rules. Check out the official contest page here. TOP WINNERS 1st Place: $1,750 Medieval Chronicles 4 by VasantJ 2nd Place: $1,250 Labyrneath II by 44Magdalene 3rd Place: $1,000 Split Or Steal by Rootpew 4th Place: $750 Idle Hamlet by Vectorinox 5th Place: $500 World explore by TadasGloom We reached out to the top 5 winners to ask about their inspirations and experiences developing last month's top games on Kongregate! First-Place Winner VasantJ, developer of Medieval Chronicles 4: Hey everyone. Thanks for the amazing support this episode got. It was beyond my expectations, and it is currently the highest rated game of all the ones I made so far. I know everyone was waiting for Song & Silence but... come on. Endgame got released last month. :D This episode was based on a simple concept: "Can you forgive someone who unintentionally wronged you?" The concept was a bit heavy I admit, but it is something that has always been on

Kongregate News May 02, 2019

Emily Greer, Kongregate CEO & Co-Founder, Stepping Down to Pursue New Gaming Venture

Stop by the Kongregate forums to read a personal message from Emily Greer. Kongregate today announced that CEO and co-founder Emily Greer is leaving the company to pursue a new gaming venture with the potential backing of current Kongregate parent company MTG. Emily co-founded Kongregate with her brother Jim Greer in 2006, working initially as COO, until she assumed the CEO position in 2014. Pany Haritatos, Kongregate’s current COO, will serve as interim CEO. “Jim and I founded the company with the goal of helping small and independent game developers become successful, to help them find an audience, and compete in a crowded and complex gaming marketplace,” said Emily. “I could not be more proud of our accomplishments, the Kongregate team, and the culture we've built. Kongregate is smart, caring, resilient, and committed to respecting our players, developers and each other. I am also grateful to MTG for their investment in Kongregate, which has helped fuel our new initiatives and growth since our acquisition.” “We would like to thank Emily for all she has done for Kongregate, and we

Kongregate News Apr 18, 2019

'Hell is Other Demons' Now Available on Switch and Kartridge

Kartridge, the new PC gaming platform from game publisher and developer Kongregate, has partnered with Cuddle Monster Games to launch Hell is Other Demons, the lightning-fast bullet hell platformer! Hell is Other Demons is now available on PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch. This arcade shooter is driven by quick, creative gameplay that rewards fast decision making and faster reflexes. Jump into the hooves of a demon out to kill a bunch of other demons as you progress through an extensive campaign and dominate wonderfully over-the-top bosses. In addition to the pulse-pounding maximalism of the campaign, fans of classic, high score-based arcade games will find a cozy home in Arcade Mode, which offers unlimited, procedurally generated action and endless replayability. Hell is Other Demons’ bold colors and chunky pixels are backed up by a heavy synthwave soundtrack composed by Rémi Gallego, of The Algorithm, and retro sound effects by Magnus Pålsson, composer of the VVVVVV OST. “Hell is Other Demons started out as a GBJam entry where you are limited to using four colors. Most other entries stuck to green hues,

Kongregate News Apr 11, 2019

March 2019 Contest Winners

Each month, developers win cash prizes for having the highest-rated new games! Click here for official rules. Check out the official contest page here. TOP WINNERS 1st Place: $1,750 Tales of Nebezem: Elemental Link Part 2 by Beranek 2nd Place: $1,250 The Dark One by Tenfor 3rd Place: $1,000 Temple of the Four Serpents by Ferociter 4th Place: $750 Idle Harvest by Tetronomics 5th Place: $500 Life in the Static by TadasGloom We reached out to the top 5 winners to ask about their inspirations and experiences developing last month's top games on Kongregate! First-Place Winner Beranek, developer of Tales of Nebezem: Elemental Link Part 2: I would like to thank Kongregate, especially Greg, and of course all my players. If anyone likes the lore in the Nebezem games, there's a wiki site –- not fully completed, but it already contains a lot of information about the games, characters, nations, etc.: https://nebezem.fandom.com Second-Place Winner Tenfor, developer of The Dark One: Hey there Kongregaters! Firstly I'd like to thank everyone who played and special thanks

Developer Spotlight Apr 02, 2019

Developer Spotlight: 'Mutilate-a-Doll 2'

One of the games with the highest number of plays on Kongregate.com is Mutilate-a-Doll 2: a sandbox game where -- you guessed it -- players can take control of a ragdoll and expose it to everything their imagination can come up with. Boasting 36 million plays, 1,700+ items, and a ton of user-generated content, MaD2’s premium edition has finally come to Kartridge. We got to chat with 0rava (Dash-rava) about his experience with MaD2 and its journey from online project to downloadable sandbox sensation. Are you an independent developer? How long have you been developing games? I’m a solo developer who’s been making games for a decade or so now, since 2008...ish. I’m primarily self-taught when it comes to programming, so the exact “How long have you been developing games?” timeframe is a bit fuzzy for me. A lot of my early stuff was simply me learning how to make games in the first place, so there were lots of tutorial clones and experimental prototypes (not so much actual games) in the beginning.