Ingenious Studios

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work as a Senior Product Manager at Blue Orange, a board game publisher with games for children, teenagers, families, and adults. We are focused on making the games out of sustainable materials, such as wood, tin, resin, and other recycled/recyclable materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ingenious Studios?

We first hired Ingenious Studios to work on illustrations for our board game called Kameloot. Our goal was to have a consistent look and feel for card illustrations, and to align it with the game box cover, card design, tokens & icons.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

While researching potential partners, we found their portfolio on Artstation and were impressed with what we saw. Examples of their game art projects, and their style perfectly aligned with what we envisioned for Kameloot.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The project was split into three phases to ensure that all illustrations for the game are created in line with our expectations. The first phase was doing the illustrations as linear art. Upon confirming them at this point, their team would in the second phase deliver illustrations with flat colors, and eventually in the third phase all the illustrations were given the final paint job.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Three people from the Ingenious Studios team worked with us. Two 2D artists and their Lead Game Artist who also served as the Project Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They delivered great illustrations that were aligned with our vision for the game, and that received positive feedback from the board game community.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used Trello to keep track of all the tasks, and Skype for day-to-day communication. When needed, and this was very rare, we organized online meetings to go over things. The whole project was split into three phases for which we created the timeline together, and everything was done within set deadlines.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are very creative and efficient.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Nothing really. We were so happy with how we worked together that we hired them for two more projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and owner of Beanstalk Games, a young game publishing company working on our first ever game called Ancient Allies Tower Defense.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Ingenious Studios?

We first hired Ingenious Studios to work on designing the original game assets. We wanted to have something unique, aligned with the game’s story happening in different eras in the world’s history & future. After seeing that we work well together, and upon learning that their team also includes Unity developers, we expanded the cooperation in that direction. The whole team is now working towards preparing the MVP version.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I selected Ingenious Studios from looking at 5 different game art / game dev companies. They had fair pricing, an impressive portfolio, and they were very good and fast in their responses to communication. They also did a great job on the game art "test".

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Their art team has designed all the assets for the game - characters, environments, animations, icons, UI, splash art... At the same time, their Unity developer has been working on adding new features to the game. Their coordinated efforts are all in the name of delivering the MVP of the game to the market.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

The team working with us included 3 people; 2 game artists (including their game art team lead), as well as 1 Unity developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We are very close to launching the MVP version of the game. Their work has been exemplary from the very beginning. Besides delivering on all the necessary tasks, they have provided valuable guidance in line with their game art and Unity development expertise.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We are defining all the tasks for their designers and developers, and their project manager makes sure everything is done on time and keeps us informed about the progress and any obstacles that come up. To track progress and exchange information we have weekly meetings and use Trello.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Besides doing great work, I was pleasantly surprised by their willingness to provide valuable feedback and guidance. This is the first game we are working on, we didn’t have any prior experience with this industry, and the insights the Ingenious Studios team shared were very useful.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

There are none. We worked great together, and they delivered what was expected, and beyond.