Kukan Studios is a South Australian based developer of mobile-ready content.

mo:life:
Can you give us a wrap on what are you currently working on?

Che Metcalfe:
We currently are focused on finishing up our latest mobile games, Miki & Joko and Dreamstealers and further commercialising our miniNAV and miniTRAN mobile applications.

mo:life:
What are your thoughts on the recently (or ‘soon to be’, depending on your region) released Sony PSP? Do you think devices like the PSP will usurp phone as the point of mobile gaming?

Che Melcalfe:
We are really looking forward to the PSP and we are already enjoying the Dual Screen. We hope to move into this area in the coming year. I don’t think the PSP will overshadow the mobile phone. I see them as different devices at the moment. I think that convergence will mean these devices become more and more alike over time. You will see major advances in phones like the 3D handsets from Sony Ericsson. Unless Sony makes the PSP a phone people will still need to buy phones. If the phones have good specs people will still play games on their phones.

mo:life:
Your games seem to have really strong narrative elements, as the following passage suggests:

“There is something up in Havoc Town…even the bullies are worse than usual. Can Miki & Joko work together to stop the Venom Corporation from their evil purpose? ”

Do you think there is room for innovative games in a market that seems to be propelling toward the re-skinning of simple game engines to suit whatever blockbuster rolls out of the sausage factory? (yes, that was a question)

Che Metcalfe:
Absolutely! We don’t make games just to make a quick buck. Although we do like to make a buck. The formula of making a quick and dirty title because you already have buy in from a license is an old one within the game industry. The truth is that few great games have come out of licenses. We prefer to make our own titles and take them to market. It gives us the creative freedom that we crave. I think the public will notice the difference between our independent titles and the licensed games. Gamers are pretty switched on people.

mo:life:
How are the location based services you produce faring? What is the revenue model with something like “mini-tran”? (for more detail on Kukan’s location based services [LBS] see: www.kukanstudio.com/kukan_studio_mobile_applications.html)

Che Metcalfe:
Our LBS applications are going great. We just launched miniTRAN in Canberra last month and I am off to China this month to meet with some potential partners there. I can’t say too much now but it is looking really promising.
We generally split the revenue from the applications with the Telco. It depends if we are using SMS, WAP or J2ME as to the split.

mo:life:
The following was written in June 2004:

“Kukan’s star lineup this month will include the release of mobile game Ted Go Home. Metcalfe describes Ted Go Home as a “multidimensional casual game that will appeal to all ages”. Ted Go Home is due for online release later this month via Kukan’s online distribution network across Asia. Online sales in the Asian market alone are expected to reach 50,000 to 60,000 downloads per month” (www.sumea.com.au/sarticle.asp?art_ID=21)

Did it work out like that? Can you give us some rough download figures on Ted go Home?

Che Metcalfe:
No it didn’t work out like that at all. We only just got Ted out there 2 months ago. Well behind schedule. Many unforeseen circumstances led to the delay. But it’s done now and things will be much smoother for future releases. We have done a lot of work with our distributors over the past 6 months.

We don’t have any solid figures in yet. The whole process takes quite a while. The distributor sends the title out to the carriers and the portals. Then they put the game through their commissioning process which can take 1 to 2 months. Then we need a month of sales to go past. Then we wait for the distributor to process the figures and pass them on to us. Then we need to collate all of the figures from the different distributors. The whole process takes about 4 months.

mo:life:
It seems everyone is being encouraged to get in to mobile content development, but is it really that easy? What are the barriers to entry? Like television, there seem to be only a few big fish in a small, small pond. Would you encourage others to jump in?

Che Metcalfe:
Yes and no. I don’t like the gold rush mentality. It’s like any other business, you need to go in with determination and have a well thought out plan. You also need competitive advantage. You can’t just wake up and go I’m going to become a mobile developer today. We are seeing this and we will see a lot more. We spent 3 years getting to where we are now and I think we are just starting. Yes the start up costs in mobile gaming are low compared to console games. However there are many facets to being a mobile developer and you are constantly running at 100 miles an hour to keep up. The potential is there but it is definitely not easy.

mo:life:
Has your success been much a case of being in the right place at the right time? Is it too late for content makers to break in to the sector?

Che Metcalfe:
No I think we made our own luck by being determined and working very very hard with little guarantees. There are not many people who can handle that sort of lifestyle. That’s why the world is not full of entrepreneur’s. It’s definitely not too late to get involved. In some ways it would be easier now because you didn’t need to survive the last 3 years.

mo:life:
Where is the money for Australian content developers?

Che Metcalfe:
Good question. I wish I knew the answer. At the moment it seems to be in wallpapers of girls in bikinis and ringtones. Branded games are doing well. I think that being an individual and retaining some creative integrity can win out in the end. Surely people will sick become sick of the junk eventually and look for content with some substance. Well at least that’s what I’m betting on.