Interview with Pascal Zuta, CEO of Aeria Games Europe

May 17, 2013 14:11 ( Interviews ) 1

 

Lately we had the chance to interview Pascal Zuta, CEO of Aeria Games Europe, about the company and their future. Let's give a look at his answers!

QUESTION: Thanks for giving us the possibility to interview you about the evolution of Aeria Games. First of all, could you introduce yourself to our readers?

Answer: My name is Pascal Zuta, and I’ve been the CEO of Aeria Games Europe for over four years now.

QUESTION: Can you give us an overview of the beginnings of the company. How did it start?

Answer: Aeria Games was started in the States as a publisher of free to play online games in 2006. We specialize in localizing games and adapting them to Western markets, and manage the games, providing customer service in the players’ language. Two years after the launch the company had grown a lot and it was decided to open an office in Berlin – this was in 2008. We started in Berlin with just one game and about five employees, and have grown quickly in the last few years to have a portfolio of 7 PC games and 3 mobile games in six different languages.

QUESTION: Would you say that growth was progressive? Do you remember any turning point?

Answer: The European operations have grown fairly steadily since the opening of the Berlin office. The industry went through a bit of a slump in 2012 but we pulled through and have come out really strong, especially since our merger with Gamepot of Japan we have refocused our mobile efforts which has also resulted in renewed growth for us.

QUESTION: Of which of your titles you feel most proud or feel a special affection?

Answer: Well, Shaiya is an old favourite here in the Berlin office as the game’s been with us from the very beginning and is still going strong with regular updates and a large and loyal fanbase. But of course we are very excited about new titles which we are sure will be just as successful and well-loved as Shaiya.

QUESTION: What can you tell us about your recently announced games, BigHead Bash, Scarlet Blade and Boomsky?

Answer: (Note: Aeria Games Europe does not currently have any plans to release BigHead Bash or BoomSky in Europe so we will concentrate on Scarlet Blade)

We are very excited about Scarlet Blade! It’s our biggest launch this year and has already been a big success in the States and been welcomed by our community. What we’re really trying to communicate with our own launches of Scarlet Blade in German and French is the special features, such as mech-transformation, and the intense PvP modes. The game has phenomenal depth and, of course, really good graphics. We’re very excited to launch Scarlet Blade in German this summer, and in French in autumn.

QUESTION: In what future projects are you working now?

Answer: Other than working on the releases of Scarlet Blade in German and French, we are also working a lot on expanding our mobile portfolio, and will be releasing our hugely popular Immortalis, which we already have in German and French, in Russian, as well as strategy games for the iPad and many other new titles. We are also working on an exciting new PC game for launch towards the end of the year in Germany, but we can’t reveal any details on that yet, as it’s still in development.

QUESTION: Where do you think Aeria Games is heading?

Answer: Onwards and upwards! I’m very excited about the future of the company, especially because we always keep an eye on new technologies so that we can stay ahead of the curve. In fact, a lot of the tools we have created to support our games isn’t dependent on platform or gameplay – meaning that we’re well placed to react quickly to changes in the industry. Mobile is the future for the moment, but of course these things change and we’re ready to change along with them. We will continue to grow our Berlin office, and particularly the mobile team, through 2013.

QUESTION: Send a message to the fans of your games.

Answer: Thanks for all your support, and stay on the look-out for many exciting new developments at Aeria Games as we continue to bring you the best free to play MMOs and mobile games, always free to download and play.

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