Results of 2021: Alexey Meleshkevich from Total Games about the main thing for the year

We continue to summarize the results of 2021 together with top managers and experts of the gaming industry (and related ones). Next up is an interview with Alexey Meleshkevich, the founder of the Belarusian studio Total Games.

How did 2021 go for the company?

For Total Games, 2021 was the year of the worldwide release of Goodville.

The concept of a mix of a mobile farm and an application to achieve emotional well-being resonated with players during a period of general uncertainty and the fight against coronavirus. We see a lot of positive feedback about how additional mechanics help people improve their psychological state and monitor mental health. This completely coincides with the company’s mission and our vision of further product development. Today, Goodville has excellent prospects for further active growth.

We have attracted another round of investments. The company has grown one and a half times since the beginning of the year and we continue to actively expand.

The idea of making a game on Unreal Engine continues to justify itself. We actively use the engine, among other things, to create advertising creatives.

Also this year we have opened the direction of gaming outsourcing. This allows you, without increasing your business risks, to diversify production, try new ideas, and give employees the opportunity to “rest” from the main project. We do projects on Unity and Unreal Engine, we do everything from concept to promotion.

What event or trend of 2021 do you consider central within your niche?

The central event for the industry, apart from the global recession in connection with COVID-19, can be called the cancellation of IDFA for attribution of advertising traffic on Apple mobile devices. This has created some uncertainty and obvious difficulties, about which much has already been said. Was violated (or even destroyed) the mechanism of performance marketing. But, as you know, the holy place is never empty, the role of other platforms has grown.

It is also worth noting the renewed interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain, the emergence of NFT, Play-2-Earn games. All this crypto history goes in waves, but it is worth noting that each next wave is higher than the previous one.

The interest in games in the financial sector of the economy has grown very much. We have finally ceased to be something “childish and frivolous.” This year there was a boom in investment in games. Whoever didn’t start making them that year will probably start doing them next year. Investments are more accessible than ever.

What will be the stake in the development of the company in 2022?

2022 will be a year of diversification and experimentation for Total Game. We are the most innovative company. There are many ideas that I would like to try: neural networks, genetic algorithms, blockchain, business models related to games and medicine, integration of fundamental research in psychology and psychiatry.

At the same time, Goodville will remain our main project. I am sure it will continue to actively grow and develop, both in terms of content and audience size.

We will also continue to develop our outsourcing business and will enter into new partnerships.

The hybrid directions of game/med and game/fin are very interesting for me personally. We are already taking steps in the direction of medicine, and then we will only deepen our expertise and increase our potential.

Goodville is already conducting research that will help us understand ourselves even better and make our lives more fulfilling. We are happy to share the results on the project website. Next year I hope to highlight the results of our research as widely as possible.

I wish all my colleagues success in the outgoing year and good luck in the coming one!