Inside Benjamin Gifford: The Agile Approach of TG, Inc.
Focuses on the latest Top Game Teams, Executives, and gameplay features.
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Top Games, Inc. (TGI) has been a famous indie games developer & publisher in the mobile gaming industry, thanks in large part to its highly successful game, Evony: The King’s Return. This achievement has not only garnered widespread acclaim but also fueled the growth and expansion of the TGI team. VP Benjamin Gifford, a key executive at TGI, is responsible for the company’s compliance, product design, and marketing strategies. Alongside CEO Yaoqi Guo, he has championed the use of data science as the foundation for decision-making, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Evony:A real-time war SLG
Evony:The King's Return, is a real-time war SLG that combines various strategy gameelements, such as main city development, exploration, recruiting historicallyfamous Generals, epic battles and even challenging puzzles!
Thegame features 7 unique major historical civilizations, each distinguished byspecific talents and exclusive architectural styles. Within this framework,players encounter an array of legendary heroes including Abraham Lincoln, Joanof Arc, George Washington, Wu Zetian, Charles the Great, Julius Caesar, GenghisKhan, Qin Shi Huang, Alexander, Oda Nobunaga, and others, adding a rich historicaldimension to the gameplay.
At the core of TGI’s approach lies its ability to swiftly adapt to market trends and deeply understand its community. As Benjamin Gifford explains, “Our differentiation lies in our swift adaptability to market trends, deep community understanding, and a commitment to high-quality game development.” This philosophy, driven by CEO David Guo’s vision, prioritizes user experience, innovative gameplay, and community building. The company operates on a “design, build, and break” methodology, which involves rapidly identifying and capitalizing on industry and technology trends, focusing on quick iterations to refine their products based on real-world feedback.
"we prioritize user experience, innovative gameplay and community building. We operate on a ‘design, build and break’ philosophy, rapidly identifying and capitalizing on game industry and technology trends, focusing on quick iterations to refine our offerings based on real-world feedback," Ben said.
The Importance of Agility In Gaming Dev
Benjamin Gifford elaborates on this approach, emphasizing the importance of agility over perfection. “It isn’t about spending so much time on perfection as studios who do that tend to be passed by more agile developers. Get a great product or update out as quickly as possible, gain and listen to feedback, polish and iterate. You can quickly then pivot if things aren’t working, and moonshot if things are doing well.” This mindset has allowed TGI to stay ahead of the curve, continuously enhancing their offerings and maintaining a competitive edge in the fast-paced gaming industry.
A significant aspect of TGI’s success is its focus on creating engaging and dynamic gaming experiences. According to Ben, a great game is defined by its engaging gameplay, compelling narrative, intuitive design, and high replay value. “It should challenge and reward players in a balanced manner, offer a rich and immersive story, and be accessible without cumbersome controls or mechanics.” TGI strives to imbue its games, like Evony, with these qualities, ensuring a vibrant, ever-changing world that encourages continuous engagement and interaction among players.
Ben’s role as VP involves strategic and operational management to execute this vision. He oversees daily operations and leads key departments to ensure strategic objectives are met. Both he and Guo prioritize maintaining TGI’s culture and values, fostering an innovative and user-centric environment. Their leadership focuses on nurturing great teams and creating avenues for them to innovate and contribute, valuing every idea as a potential catalyst for change. “We are here to support the entire team and see they have every chance and opportunity to succeed,” says Gifford.
In essence, TGI’s success can be attributed to its agile approach to game development, a strong focus on user experience, and a corporate culture that encourages innovation and continuous improvement. By staying attuned to market trends and leveraging data-driven decision-making, TGI has established itself as a leader in the mobile gaming industry.