Smashing Four – Czech game conquers the American market

The game is currently played by more than 200,000 gamers worldwide every day, and its popularity continues to grow. Monthly revenues to the tune of one million dollars make Smashing Four the most profitable mobile game created in the Czech Republic this year.

In the rankings of the most profitable mobile games sold in virtual stores, whether Apple's or Google's, Geewa's new offering is in approximately 200th place on the global scale. "We're immensely pleased by the results; it was no more than three months ago that we celebrated being in the 400th place. In the past three months, revenues have truly skyrocketed. The fact we appreciate the most is that the Smashing Four is popular among gamers in America, the U.S. in particular. That's an important shift from our last game, which was mainly received successfully in Asia," said Geewa's founder Miloš Endrle.

The market for free mobile telephone games differs considerably from the market for games for computers and gaming consoles. The mobile market is based on a permanent marketing campaign and the use of analytical data on player behavior. "At present, we're investing essentially all money we make into marketing. That's nearly one million dollars per month," added Endrle. He believes that advancing among the 50 best games is a realistic goal. Geewa is focusing on the Smashing Four, a game in which players control heroes fighting one another based on billiard physics. At the same time, the company is working on another game with the aim of enlarging its portfolio of products for the mobile gaming market. "The most successful games generate as much as one million dollars a day and stay at the top for three to five years. We expect that the lifespan of the Smashing Four will be at least that long as well. We're continually fine-tuning the game with a view to strengthening our position of a leader in the player-versus-player segment where games are based on real physics and clearly defined rules," he explained.

According to Endrle, the Czech Republic is one of the leaders in game development. "We have talented professionals educated not only in technologies, but also in other important areas, such as music, fine arts, and psychology," revealed Geewa's general manager. He regrets, however, that the Czech Republic has been unable to follow in the footsteps of artists Karel Zeman or Jiří Trnka. Games provide creative individuals with an opportunity to build on the tradition they have established, and the situation continues to improve. In this regard, developers are starting to be more and more active. This year in the spring, they founded the Association of Czech Gaming Developers with the aim of protecting and promoting the interests of local creators, cooperating with public institutions, and supporting the development of the gaming industry in the Czech Republic. Endrle considers it positive that the government is starting to pay attention to gaming. Particularly because gaming is an industry of the future, generates revenues, spurs innovation, and provides attractive employment opportunities on the global scale.

Czech developers are leading force in the worldwide context. Successful games created in the Czech Republic include Mafia and, more recently, Kingdom Come. The Czech gaming segment generates between two to three billion crowns in annual revenues.