2020 results: Olga Makushenko from 101XP and the "Mentor Dialogue" about the main thing for the year

We continue to summarize the results of 2020 together with market experts. Next up is an interview with Olga Makushenko, Managing Director of 101XP premium games and co-founder of Mentor Dialogue.

How did 2020 go for 101XP and the Mentoring Dialogue?

The gaming industry is one of the rare areas that has been least affected by the pandemic. For 101XP, as for many other companies, this year has become a year of new opportunities and ways of development. We keep doing what we're good at. And we are expanding beyond new horizons. As it often happens, there is simply no way to say more before the official announcements.

For me personally, 2020 is marked by the birth of the "Mentor Dialogue", a new event created to support and educate everyone who works or plans to work in the gaming industry in Eastern Europe. All participants of the event get the opportunity to communicate with mentors, experts in their field. This is a very valuable experience, which is often impossible to replace with anything else. Two "Mentoring Dialogues" have already taken place, in which several hundred people took part in total. When organizing the event, I did not expect such a positive response and involvement. It is very significant how many experts in our industry are not just experts, but also those who are ready to share their knowledge and teach others. In my opinion, this is what moves the industry forward.

What new trends in your niche do you consider worth paying attention to?

Having been closely involved in PC and console games over the past few years, I can't help but note several major trends.

Firstly, an increasing number of games being developed and released on Steam creates difficulties with promotion on the site. As a result, developers are finding more and more creative ways to market their games. For example, in 2020, many released free demos of their games before release in order to collect traffic in this way. This allowed at least a little increase in audience coverage.

Another important trend is cross-platforming. Genshin Impact has become an excellent example of such a high-quality game. You can comfortably play on your phone, then continue on your PC, so that in the evening, sitting on the couch, you can finish completing the quest on your tablet.

The third trend is the increasingly deep integration of games with Twitch. There are many effective tools for interacting with and engaging the audience. For example, Twitch Drops is actively used by developers and streamers to maintain interest in broadcasting.

What new market trends would you note in general?

Probably, it is impossible not to note the trend towards globalization and consolidation. Every year we see more and more purchases of some companies by others. Even the pandemic could not have much effect on this: in 2020, many large transactions took place. The industry is consolidating around key studios, platform holders, and major content producers. It's hard to say whether it's good or bad, time will tell. In any case, it is important to keep this in mind when developing your gaming business.

A separate point worth noting this year is the increasing emphasis on inclusivity. Over the past few years, issues of life-work balance, crunches, and fair remuneration for work have been critical for developers. Now, the interior kitchen of the studio is no less important. How many women, representatives of different races and minorities are in the company? What values does the game promote, how does it relate to the mission that created its studio? These are topical issues that have become of concern not only to industry colleagues, but also to end users. Of course, this is an indicator of the development of society. We have reached a stage where we already have the opportunity to worry not only about ourselves and our loved ones, but also about people in general.

Another global trend that I would like to mention relates to online education and online events. Similar things, of course, existed before. However, it took a pandemic to teach people how to fully use the available tools. For a reason, the "Mentor Dialogue" was born in 2020. It is a joy to see how many learning opportunities have appeared for everyone. Now it doesn't matter where you live: you almost always have the opportunity to get the necessary knowledge. I am very pleased to be part of a global movement that creates such paths for colleagues.

What will be the stake in the development of the company in 2021?

Businesses that are good at bringing value to other people are thriving. We have been doing this for many years, delivering entertainment in the form of games to the Russian-speaking and global market. Globally, the plans do not change. As I said above, we will continue to do what we are good at. It may be different games, different platforms, or different monetization models, but the point remains. We bring high-quality gaming content to people who enjoy it.

Which third-party game releases are you interested in this year? Which ones did you pay attention to as a gamer?

Just above, I wrote about Genshin Impact. I would like to mention it once again not only as an example of a cross-platform game, but also as a game that fascinated me. It should be mentioned that this is a very high-budget AAA game, which it was decided to distribute for free. Of course, the bet was placed on the mobile audience, where this type of monetization is common, but this is a very significant example. I think that more and more studios will follow the same path, giving a larger audience the opportunity to try their product.

I also played Among Us for a while, despite the fact that the game was released in 2018. It became a hit in 2020. I wanted to understand why she had hooked everyone so much. I'm not sure I can give a definite answer, but it seems to me that it's a pandemic.

In the USA, where I am now, some states have been quarantined since March. Many people take the situation seriously: they do not meet with relatives and friends.

This is a very difficult situation of not having the usual level of socialization, and we are, as you know, very social beings. People, especially children and teenagers, have found a way out in games as a tool for unification and communication. For us gamers, the topic is not new. But for millions of users who previously did not consider themselves to be a gaming audience, and then found themselves locked at home, the game has truly become an outlet. Hence the flourishing of such games, which do not require special skills, but provide an ideal opportunity to communicate with others, cooperate, achieve something together.