Gamevil USA In Focus: Plans For 'Zenonia S,' 'Dragon Blaze,' Square Enix Partnership And More Games In 2015 Revealed [EXCLUSIVE]

The common assumption for mobile gamers is they are usually casual gamers, tapping or swiping during commute or waiting times in lines. The idea is that they can drop their games any time. But there exists some mobile games that are meant for the long-term player, where leveling up, unlocking new gears or characters, and jumping into new content is part of a long-term relationship with the game.

For Gamevil USA, these are the kind of mobile gamers their titles cater to. And the expectations of core gamers are something the developer has seemingly mastered since its inception in 2000. While the kind of games the company develops are ones that the team behind the studio personally enjoy, Gamevil USA also now focuses on polishing and publishing games from third-party developers as well as bringing PC titles to the mobile plaform.

In an exclusive interview, Gamevil USA shared its plans with International Business Times Australia, particularly on upcoming games and partnerships for 2015. This year is no exception for rolling out new titles. According to Gamevil USA President Kyu Lee, the studio has two main objectives. The first is to find and publish titles from different developers, a goal the developer aims to fulfill every year. The second is to bring titles to a more global market, especially those that have seen success in specific target audiences.

As such, this year will see the release of "Zenonia S," the sixth installment of the series. A side story set in a parallel world from the entire series, "Zenonia S" features the same characters in previous "Zenonia" titles. It will also feature real-time multiplayer mode. Interestingly, it was previously released for Korea only as "Zenonia Online" but given the player feedback for the series, a global launch was set in motion.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of Gamevil USA's plans for 2015. Lee shared another title, which is done in partnership with Square Enix, is "Million Arthur," which will also see a global release this year. "Million Arthur" is an example of what Gamevil USA does in terms of scouting developers' games for publishing. It is a card battle game from Square Enix that already has a following in Asia. The experience, however, will no longer be limited to Asian countries, as Gamevil USA steps in to bring it to the West.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with the industry veteran to help expand their reach," said Lee. "We have over 15 years experience in localising and servicing games for a global audience, so we'll use that knowledge to let more people enjoy 'Million Arthur'."

The decade's worth of experience in mobile gaming is founded on more than just developing and publishing great games. One secret to its continuing success and growing fan base is its interaction with fans. This allows the team to find the right blend of attention-capturing gaming experience and attention-retaining practice among its fans.

"Our audience is definitely more core than casual, so we try to provide a lot of content through the number of stages, characters and modes in our games," said Lee. "It's easy for mobile gamers to pick up a new game and quickly move on to the next one, so we want to publish games that not only capture their attention but also make their time and effort worthwhile with content updates and an active community."

This also means Gamevil USA maintains quite the presence in the social media sphere. Engagement with fans through social media and online community and forums allows the developer to keep in touch with its fan base, which also sets the tone for games as long-running and "long-loved" by fans.

"We do this by sticking to the philosophy of 'games as a service,' which means our work with a game does not end with its launch," Lee said. "After a game is launched, we are constantly creating new content, characters and events to keep our players entertained for an extended period of time."

Its titles, such as "Kritika" and "Darkness Reborn," have fans continuing to play if only for the game updates. Lee said the updates are based on fan feedback, similar to how console and PC games are tweaked according to the community's concerns. But apart from fan feedback, Gamevil USA also prides itself for being up-to-date with its ways, which means updates are also influenced by what's new in the mobile gaming scene.

"At the end of the day, our ultimate mission is to publish and service quality games that all of our players, regardless of what country they are in, can enjoy and love, which we can't do fully without the help of our fans," said Lee. "The reason we've been able to release five, soon six, installments of 'Zenonia' and the reason some of our games have been played for over two years is because of fan feedback and support."

Fans can expect the same treatment for "Dragon Blaze," which has just recently seen a pre-launch after being released in Korea last February. It will be available worldwide on May 11. This month also saw the release of "Dungeon Link" on the iOS and Android platforms. It was developed by Kong Studios, a studio hailing from San Jose, California, and published by Gamevil USA. "Dungeon Link" features RPG elements, battles and block-connecting puzzles, a combination that makes it into an original puzzle RPG.

"Dragon Blaze" trailer (Credit: YouTube/Gamevil Inc)

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