iXie Gaming

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the COO of an application simulation company providing simulations to medium and large-sized businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with iXie Gaming?

We needed a really good testing group that knew both about enterprise applications and game applications.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first thing we needed was test-driven development, which meant that we had our QA team write tests for the code before we even started building the project. From there, they worked on the gamification of the application, everywhere from the character personas to a scoring system for individuals, and they needed to write and execute another series of tests for all of those elements as well.

What is the team composition?

We had anywhere from 1–4 people working with us from their team over the years.

How did you come to work with iXie Gaming?

Our team interviewed a number of QA teams before we started the project, and they were by far the most experienced in that area of test-driven development. That, combined with their price point and attitude in our early meetings, convinced us to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent around $10,000–$50,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from around April 2017–January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work really turned out to be critical to our product. Without them, we would not have had the amount of testing that we needed, and without the testing, we wouldn’t have been able to develop the level of code that we have now. It really made a difference in terms of how fast we could code and how we're able to set expectations there with our client.

How did iXie Gaming perform from a project management standpoint?

We were always on Skype, Asana, and Trello with them, so we were always on top of the different milestones we were working towards. We established an entire overview of the project in Asana tasks and then went into more detail in Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team was able to step in and without a lot of instruction, they understood exactly what we needed and wrote tests that met all the requirements. Not only that, but they were able to communicate those tests effectively to our developers and work alongside them to help any time the code wasn’t immediately passing the tests.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly no, I was really pleased with everything they did for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would really advise spending time getting to know their teammates so that you can understand where to assign each person and make sure you get the team that will best fit your needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Games Officer of a gaming company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Community games for streamers on Twitch

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire iXie Gaming to accomplish?

• QA support ahead of Closed Alpha and Open Beta for a game

SOLUTION

How did you find iXie Gaming?

Inbound from iXie

Why did you select iXie Gaming over others?

Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from iXie Gaming were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Crossplatform QA support

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Daily reports on the game's stability

What was your primary form of communication with iXie Gaming?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They were incredibly communicative and available

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

Regular communication and reporting templates

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

Our experience with iXie Gaming was great overall. That said, the team members allocated to us performed at a very junior level which required more hands-on guidance that we could afford with a very small team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the QA Manager. We make Simulation games. Mainly the Train Simulator and Bassmaster games.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire iXie Gaming?

We did need additional help on your Train Simulator product. We have frequent smaller releases that occasional requires someone to take care of the overflow.

SOLUTION

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

A combination of factors. They contacted me on Linkedin but I also had worked with one of their Lead Testers before.

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

There were multiple smaller rounds of testing on our train products. We started with simpler visual checks while the last rounds included full checks on all locomotives.

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

Steam size varied from 1 to 5

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All content was released on time and with no issues. I would call that a success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communications and workflow were great. We provided the test cases, and they executed them without issues.

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

Quick to provide resources on short notice.

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

Nothing comes to mind.