Starloop Studios

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Kukouri Mobile Entertainment, a Finnish entertainment studio specializing in mobile games.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Starloop Studios?

I needed help with video game development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They ported our games for different platforms, mainly Microsoft Phones, PC, and PlayStation. Unity 3D has been the main technology. They also ported a game on the Samsung Smart TV, which was a nightmarish project but they pulled through and were really professional. They went above and beyond to make sure we got the game ported in time.

We’re currently having discussions about doing new projects this year.

What is the team composition?

I’ve been mainly in contact with their CEO.

How did you come to work with Starloop Studios?

They had ported one of our mobile games to a consul platform back when they weren’t directly working with us—they were hired by an outside publisher. Since we liked what they did, we decided to work directly with them.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s always been a collaboration. We’ve done our work and they’ve done theirs, and we’ve agreed to split the costs and the profits. They haven’t done a hired process for us, per se.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2014 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They’ve done a lot of work to port the games from some of the trickiest platforms out there like Samsung Smart TV. They published a game on the Windows Phone platform and got a lot of featuring for it because they have direct contact with Microsoft, which is valuable.

How did Starloop Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

I don’t have insight into how they operate their own teams. The people I’m in contact with are always on the ball and have kept the schedules and deadlines even though there have been some technical difficulties that have taken more time or resources than expected.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have good connections in the field and do what is needed and expected of them even if there are unforeseen difficulties or demands. It was also a pleasant surprise to find that they have a really good relationship with Microsoft.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to provide a solid design and guidelines at the start of the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of HR Games, Hoplite Research. We’re a mid-sized developer, publisher, and distributor of video games globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Starloop Studios?

We’ve been working with them on console platforms: PlayStation 4, Android, iOS and Xbox.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve worked on a variety of different technologies. We provide them with the source code and technology, which they adapt to different platforms in a divisional port. They’re very good at implementing new ideas and concepts to existing products—we’ve had a great experience with that.

What is the team composition?

Their director of technology oversees the engineers, while their director of production oversees the designers and producers. They are pretty solid. We might have anywhere from one person to five or six—or even more—depending on what the project would require. They’re very scalable.

How did you come to work with Starloop Studios?

We work with developers all over the world. We met them at a show and were impressed with their demeanor, experience, and willingness to work on new platforms. They’re experienced with mobile devices and are willing to be open-minded to work on any and all technology.

One of the things we encounter when we work with different groups is that they usually have their own way of doing business, which can cause problems or delays when trying to implement technology . Starloop impressed us with their ability to find the right approach, or if we tell them what the right approach is, they will follow it.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since 2015, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve already released several projects with them, such as Space Hulk, Space Hulk Ascension, and Broadsword. All the projects they worked on have all been released on multiple platforms, whether it’s PlayStation, Android, or PC.

How did Starloop Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate very effectively and we have never had a problem with delays. It’s been a very positive experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We really like their stability. It's really important to have the same people on a project throughout. I’ve been making video games for over 30 years and when you are working with independent developers, a lot of people tend to come and go, such as new artists, programmers, designers, producers and it doesn’t give the best results.

When working with any group, it’s comforting to know that the people who begin the project will be the people who finish it. Their team always stays on the project and gives us nothing to complain about. They are able to take ownership of the product and complete it successfully.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve expanded their capacity to include more art assets than art technology. In the past, I only used them for programming services with limited art, but now they have expanded that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Their stability, reliability, and the trustworthiness of the upper management is excellent. It is really important for us to have a good read of people, to trust the CEO and management, as well as see their professionalism. If you like who you work with, you’re more likely to do more business with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Space Inch, a mobile game developer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Starloop Studios?

We originally reached out to them to augment our in-house development team. One of our games had a rapidly growing user base, so we needed two coders who understood our product and could produce content quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They understood the challenges of our games, so we’ve worked with them on a variety of projects. Most of our games are built using Cocos2D-X, and Starloop Studios’ team assists with both frontend and backend development. They also work with Ruby on Rails.

They’ve done database work for us and we’ve also used them for AR/VR [Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality] projects.

What is the team composition?

We typically work with two developers, but I’ve worked on larger projects that required as many as seven people.

How did you come to work with Starloop Studios?

We worked with contractors all over the world as our company grew. We ultimately realized that Starloop Studios was the best, so we now work with them exclusively.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent between $500,000–$1 million. They’ve worked on every project we’ve done, so they account for roughly a third of our budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January of 2014 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve worked with at least 10 outsourcing companies over the years, but Starloop Studios is the best. Their developers are engaged enough to offer helpful suggestions and they provide quality work.

They have a wide range of expertise, which means we can assign them to all facets of a project. They’re adept at front- and backend development, as well as QA testing. I know I could trust them with an entire project, if necessary.

How did Starloop Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve relied on them as product owners, Scrum masters, and project managers, and they’ve proven themselves capable at every turn. They provide daily updates if requested and always stick to deadlines.

They’re excellent communicators, which is key when working across a language barrier. Because their team has such a keen understanding of our products, we’ve never had an issue.

Coding, in general, can be unpredictable and difficult to schedule, but they always provide a reasonable estimate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produce code to the same quality as domestic vendors—if not better—but at a significantly cheaper rate. They’re also flexible, allowing you to scale up or down as needed.

Frontend development requires a keen attention to detail. Starloop Studios’ team has an excellent sense of design and understands the process not only in terms of aesthetics, but also knows how to implement their designs successfully.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s sometimes easier to work with team members operating in the same time zone. We raised this concern, and they’ve improved their coverage dramatically by hiring developers in South America and the Philippines.