The OzU GameTech and Entrepreneurs Meeting took place

The OzU Game Sector and Entrepreneurs Meeting took place on September 15 with the contributions of significant participants from the game sector.

The event started with the opening address by Dr. İsmail Arı, Director of the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and the Center for Entrepreneurship at Özyeğin University, and continued with the valuable exchanges of information and views by investors, entrepreneurs, and professionals in the game industry. The meeting program featured a series of panel discussion which offered clear and informative insights to participants who have game development ideas but are unsure about where or how to begin. 

We are investing up to 1 million TL!

Bora Koçyiğit, Managing Partner, and Burak Yılmaz,  Investment Director at WePlay Ventures, one of the newest funds of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, remarked that they are interested in not just “Hyper Casual” games but all startups in game technology. Aside from other major factors affecting their investment decisions, Koçyiğit and Yılmaz said that they would like to invest in the right early-stage teams. 

Speed is Paramount in HyperCasual! We Launch Three Games A Week!

Alper Şişman, “UX Designer” at Babil Studios, and Murat Özçelik, “Game Developer” at Peak, talked about how they entered the game sector.  The panelists explained in detail the processes from ideation to product development, and from testing to launch, advising the audience to start with small projects first in order to develop themselves. “Once we finish developing a game, we put it to test, and we check its “CPR” and “Retention” data”, remarked Alper Şişman. “Then we decide whether or not to keep it. We strive to launch three games a week.”

Make small mistakes, learn from your mistakes, and never make them twice!

Taylan Hersek and Burak Eran, co-founders of Rog Studios, made a short demonstration about their new VR game “Jack Walker: Ethereal”, which will soon be released in Early Access on Stream. Emphasizing that they endeavor to recruit young talents in their teams, Burak Eran pointed out that although they have a limited number of team members, every member is involved in every field. 

Meanwhile, Taylan Hersek stated that they embrace the philosophy of “Make small mistakes, learn from your mistakes, and never make them twice” in all their actions. Hersek said this way they make more mistakes but they also learn so much more about the right way of doing things.

We Met at the Center for Entrepreneurship Center!

OzU students Deniz İskender, Can Testere and Lale Toprak, who were introduced to each other by the Center for Entrepreneurship at Özyeğin University, began their speech by talking about their personal entrepreneurship journeys and how their paths crossed. The panelists talked about how they developed their mobile game “Online Basketball Manager” within a short period of time, the metrics they follow, and how they continuously update their game with the feedback they receive.

Can Testere denoted that they first released a Beta version of their game in Play Store and brought their game to its current stage with a budget of “Zero TL”. Testere also announced that they will release the new version of their game in the App Store soon and will rev up their marketing efforts.

Game Localization Incorporates Everything from History to Culture!

Alper Küçükaslan, Leading Project Manager at Yoozoo Games, explained how he has become a project manager in the game sector despite having a Business Administration background. Küçükaslan remarked that contrary to what is believed, game studios are not engaged in game design or game programming only, with the game distribution, marketing, and localization processes constituting a big part of their operations.

Küçükaslan also provided comprehensive answers to the “Indie” developers’ question “Should I release my game through game publishers or on my own?”. Küçükaslan drew attention to both the advantages and disadvantages of this dilemma and offered guidance to Indie developers who have a hard time making a decision.

Alper Küçükaslan also explained the process from ideation to launch in detail and extended spot-on recommendations for target market strategies to follow after launching a game. 

The Only Sport Not Affected By the Pandemic: Esports!

Efe Kethüda, the co-founder of Flank Esports, began his words by talking about the development of the sports industry in Turkey and around the world. Remarking that the esports industry offers different career opportunities not just for players but also everyone in the ecosystem, Efe Kethüda went on to talk about how he brought his previous startup experience to Flank Esports. Efe Kethüda also addressed the potential of the esports sector and informed the audience about his new investment plans in esports.

 Those who do not follow the webinar we held on September 15, 2020 live can watch all panels on our MS Streams channel.