For the games industry, the pandemic has been a mixed bag. On the one hand, interest in digital entertainment has never been higher. On the other hand, many developers and publishers have struggled to align with a large-scale shift to distributed work.
It has resulted in 2021 being a much quieter year, as noted by Gamesindustry.biz. Adjusting processes and enabling remote collaboration is often far easier said than done. And for massive AAA projects that started development prior to the pandemic, the challenges are particularly pronounced. For MY.GAMES, it was a different story. The company’s ecosystem and infrastructure for its internal game studios has provided the support they needed to continue succeeding even through the transition to WFH.
And while many developers and publishers have struggled, MY.GAMES studio IT Territory has shown it’s possible to not just shine but even to thrive. Its flagship title Rush Royale was developed entirely from home.
A first of its kind product for the studio, Rush Royale has become one of the largest and most mobile launches in MY.GAMES's history.
"Having to work from home had very little impact on us due to the choices we made early in development," explains Rush Royale Project Lead Alexey Kornev. "We assembled a very small team of people who've known each other for a very long time. It may not sound like much, but this allowed us to collaborate smoothly and easily address any problems or concerns."
A unique combination of collectible card games and mobile tower defense, Rush Royale replaces towers with characters such as wizards, assassins, and knights. Each character has its own card, and players are tasked with building a strong enough deck to fend off even the most vicious flood of enemies.
The game also features two distinct ways to play. In PvP mode, you'll have to fend off a constant wave of enemies, and any foes you defeat respawn on your opponent's side of the map. Co-op, meanwhile, sees you working together with another player to defend a common tower while using different strategies and fighting off hordes of mobs and bosses coming from both sides of the tower.
"We didn't fully realize how much conditions had changed when we were developing Rush Royale," Kornev recalls. "We wanted to release the project ahead of our competition, so we focused solely on working through and perfecting our ideas. We had regular morning calls where we shared plans for the day, stayed in constant contact, constantly playtested new versions, and iterated on gameplay almost daily."
"I think the biggest inconvenience was the inability to discuss ideas or solutions in-person," he continues. "We also miss our water cooler chats a great deal — some of our best ideas are born from casual discussions during downtime. Still, most of us agree that the transition to remote work has allowed us to work more productively than ever."
Since its global release in December 2020, Rush Royale has been installed more than 17 million times. Kornev and his team, meanwhile, have released 12 major updates since launch, adding new units, events, clans, gameplay modifiers, items, and more. As of November 2021, Rush Royale averages 1.5 million monthly installs.
According to Kornev, this is just the start.
"We have tremendous plans for the future," he exclaims. "Next year, we plan to focus on the PvE component of the game, straying away from the classic implementation. We also plan to make significant changes to clan competition, and potentially even host several major tournaments with exciting prizes!"
ITT is one of the key game studios among MY.GAMES's 14 studios, playing a part in the company since the very beginning. And although Rush Royale is the developer's most successful title, it's not ITT's only smash hit. MY.GAMES maintains a culture of innovation and experimentation — and leadership makes a point of iterating upon internal feedback.
This philosophy has served the company well over the years. It's been demonstrably proven that developers work best with freedom and flexibility. And MY.GAMES has put that into practice with a hands-off approach, allowing studios to work at their own pace.
"Looking back, working with ITT and MY.GAMES has been incredible," Kornev concludes. "If I could give my past self any advice, it would be to seek an environment like this sooner. To surround myself with people who are truly involved and see solutions rather than problems — people who are truly and deeply immersed in what they do."
Rush Royale is available on Android and iOS.
About MY.GAMES
MY.GAMES is an international gaming brand and a leading online entertainment company. MY.GAMES comprises 13 regional offices in Russia, Europe and the US, over 1,800 staff, and 14 development studios. MY.GAMES creates titles for the PC, consoles, and mobile devices.
The company operates over 80 projects, with more than 150 titles in its portfolio including War Robots, Rush Royale, Hustle Castle, Left to Survive, Skyforge, and Allods Online. MY.GAMES portfolio includes renowned titles like Warface, ArcheAge, Perfect World, Revelation Online, Conqueror's Blade, Lost Ark, and more.
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About IT Territory
IT Territory is one of the oldest studios in the MY.GAMES family, with a 250-strong team. Over 17 years in business the studio has created more than 15 projects for more than 100 million players around the world. Alongside Rush Royale, other titles the studio has released include Juggernaut Wars, HAWK: Freedom Squadron, and Evolution 2: Battle for Utopia, and World Above.
