Again in August, cell sport writer Homa introduced the appointment of Henry Lowenfels as its new president and chief enterprise officer. Lowenfels has an intensive background within the cell gaming business, having held roles in corporations resembling Scopely and OneTeam Companions.
To rejoice the brand new function, we caught up with the brand new president at Homa to debate his experiences within the sport business up to now and being appointed at Homa. As well as, we talk about present cell tendencies and what to anticipate sooner or later.
Pocketgamer.biz: To begin with, congratulations in your appointment as chief enterprise officer at Homa. Inform us your story in video games up to now.
Henry Lowenfels: I’ve been a gamer my complete life, relationship again to after I begged my dad and mom for an 8-bit NES for my sixth birthday and have become obsessive about video games like Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda, and Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. When the App Retailer launched, I used to be working within the movie business, however I used to be astounded by the distribution potential of cell video games. The concept of reaching thousands and thousands of individuals on a tool they carried in all places was an unprecedented alternative.
I joined Scopely in 2012 as one of many first 25 workers, initially targeted on developer partnerships as we constructed the publishing platform. I remained at Scopely and rose to SVP of Enterprise Improvement, becoming a member of the manager workforce as we scaled to a multibillion-dollar valuation. At Scopely, I oversaw IP licensing, company growth, and world distribution, along with developer partnerships.
After eight superb years of constructing a studio ecosystem that spanned 4 continents and serving to to launch video games like The Strolling Useless: Street to Survival, Star Trek: Fleet Command, and Scrabble Go, I left Scopely to hitch an early-stage non-public equity-backed firm within the sports activities licensing house, OneTeam Companions, as Chief Product Officer.
At OneTeam, I led the video games and interactive leisure enterprise traces, structuring licensing offers on behalf {of professional} athletes with the likes of Digital Arts, Take-Two, Sorare, Dapper Labs, and plenty of extra. Throughout my two and a half years at OneTeam, we grew the enterprise dramatically, resulting in a $1.9B exit for our non-public fairness companions and creating a large income for the baseball, soccer, soccer, and basketball gamers we represented.
I’m an enormous believer that our most vital asset is our folks and the best way we empower them to succeed.
Henry Lowenfels
What does the brand new function at Homa contain day after day?
At Homa, I oversee enterprise growth, company growth, world distribution and partnerships, and authorized. My mandate is pretty broad, and I might be spending plenty of time throughout the organisation sharpening our general technique, with a selected give attention to publishing, product, and organisational construction.
I additionally contribute to recruiting all kinds of expertise for strategic positions at Homa. We’ve very bold targets, and I’m an enormous believer that our most vital asset is our folks and the best way we empower them to succeed.
And what’s it that makes Homa so particular?
Like every nice firm, it’s the people who make Homa what it’s. We’ve a tremendous roster of homegrown expertise, and we’re bringing in consultants from throughout the business to bolster our workforce. What underlies the unbelievable people who energy Homa are our core values of ambition, curiosity, and humility. These three phrases might sound easy on the floor, however they imply loads to me personally, and the individuals who excel at Homa take these values to coronary heart and embody them of their day-to-day.
Past the folks, the Homa platform differentiates us from some other firm within the house. Our proprietary tech isn’t just a game-changer; it is an business revolution that permits us to determine and scale marketable ideas even in essentially the most aggressive classes. Immediately, we assist tons of of builders globally, and we now have plans to double down on this method whereas constructing out an excellent stronger studio ecosystem with a long-lasting portfolio of video games – all powered by Homa Lab and our homegrown tech.
I personally imagine that is a tremendous time to be a part of the Homa workforce, as the corporate is present process an vital growth stage. I’m excited to contribute to it and additional place Homa as a pacesetter within the gaming house.
Do you may have a favorite Homa sport?
My favorite Homa sport is Battle for America. I’ve at all times been a sucker for an excellent tower defence sport, and I just like the distinctive twist that Homa brings to the style. I additionally want to offer a shout-out to Assault Gap, essentially the most downloaded hypercasual sport on the planet in Q1 2023*, which my youngsters, who occur to be hypercasual connoisseurs, inform me is without doubt one of the biggest cell video games of all time.
I’d argue that because the App Retailer has made nearly everybody on the planet a gamer, there’s by no means been a extra thrilling time to be making video games.
Henry Lowenfels
What tendencies are you at the moment seeing within the cell video games market? Something that notably excites you?
Because the market turns into more and more aggressive and cell advertising continues to evolve, I’m most excited by the emergence of hybridcasual video games. In my view, we’ve had video games that resemble what we now name “hybridcasual” for years. From Puzzle & Dragons incorporating match-3 gameplay to hook audiences into their RPG meta to Archero popularising the comparatively area of interest style of roguelike RPG with extra approachable artwork and simplified mechanics. Figuring out marketable sport loops to deliver audiences into deeper experiences has at all times been a recipe for achievement.
Now that it has develop into tougher to succeed in focused audiences, discovering methods to make video games which can be simple to know and thrilling for mass audiences is much more vital. Because of the Homa platform, we’re capable of constantly determine extraordinarily marketable ideas and publish them at scale. I’m excited by the chance to deliver nice depth to those sport ideas and live-operate them to even larger success.
I’ve at all times beloved informal cell video games, and whereas one might argue that the market has by no means been tougher, I’d argue that because the App Retailer has made nearly everybody on the planet a gamer, there’s by no means been a extra thrilling time to be making video games.
And eventually, are you able to inform us any plans for the way forward for Homa and something we must be looking out for?
Whereas it’s too early to name out a selected sport or challenge, what I can say with nice conviction is that that is the start of the following inflection level for Homa. I’ve been a part of profitable corporations prior to now, however the stage of ambition and grit that I see at Homa is unparalleled. As we sharpen our technique, spend money on our core strengths, and forge partnerships with world-class studios, I’m assured that our video games portfolio will develop into one of the crucial thrilling within the enterprise.
You also needs to be looking out for top-tier expertise from throughout the business to be becoming a member of us on our mission. If you happen to’re searching for the chance of a lifetime, a problem that may concurrently take a look at you and reward you, and the second in your profession the place you possibly can have an effect in creating one of the crucial important companies our business has ever seen, Homa is the place to be.
