Successful game release for Gigantic Duck
In early March, Borås-based computer games company Gigantic Duck launched its first game, Bombergrounds: Battle Royale. Without any paid marketing, the game gained over 600,000 users within the first 20 days.
– The result since the launch hasn’t really sunk in yet, says Jimmy Nyström, one of the founders of the company.
Childhood friends Alexander Martinovic and Jimmy Nyström have known each other since the age of 11 and have since then spent many hours playing games together. Until one day they decided to make their own game.
– It’s through games that we have built our friendship, and by making a game together we have also come close to each other. It means that we can have everything up for discussion, which has helped us in the development of making a good product, says Alexander.
A hobby at first
Gigantic Duck as a company was founded in 2019, although the game Bombergrounds: Battle Royale began to develop about two and a half years ago. Initially they worked on the game in their spare time as a hobby, but soon realized that the game was appreciated by others.
– We had a small community that mainly consisted of loved ones in the beginning, who then began to grow with players outside our network when we ran some public tests of the game. A Twitter account of indie games, Alpha Beta Gamer, also wrote about the game which caused more people to test it. It validated that people thought it was fun, says Alexander.
Alexander Martinovic is delighted to be able to realize the dream of releasing his own game with his childhood friend.
Knowledge about the industry
Soon Alexander and Jimmy realized that they wanted to work on the game full time. During an investor event, they were told about Science Park Skövde’s startup program, The Game Incubator, which they have been a part of since last year.
– It’s been good to have discussions with our business coach and we have learned a lot about the industry. It’s also been a great help to get support with trips to various events through Sweden Game Arena, says Jimmy.
Jimmy Nyström sees the support of the business coaches at The Game Incubator as a big part of the success.
Viral spread
On March 6, it was time for Gigantic Duck to launch Bombergrounds: Battle Royale. It’s an online game for 25 players at the same time, which is compatible on both mobile, PC and console, something Jimmy calls "super-crossplay". Without spending any money at all on marketing, the game has grown organically through Youtubers to a large number of users who neither Alexander nor Jimmy could have dreamed of.
– In 20 days, 600,000 accounts were created, which is more than we ever imagined. We have received viral spread of major YouTubers around the world who have tested the game, which has put the game in the top of certain categories on Steam, Google Play and Apple Appstore. We are very happy to be able to realize the dream we’ve had for over two years, and now it is up to us to meet the demand for the game, says Alexander.
Seeking investors
In the future, the team hopes to be able to expand. In order to do so, they are currently seeking investors.
– It’s been important that we have been able to go our own way so far. We have taken a big risk by being both investors and publishers ourselves, but now we are looking for investors to be able to expand at a faster rate and thus invest in the future, Jimmy concludes.
Text: Jennifer Granath
Photo: Gigantic Duck