Fugazo is still a young company – How did it get its start?

I think to answer this question properly I need to get into my background a little bit. My first real job in the games industry was at Sandlot Games back in 2004. I started in QA but quickly became a Designer and Producer. In 2006, I was the Lead Designer on Cake Mania which went on to become the best selling casual game of 2006. I decided to take a break from casual games and joined a company called Handheld Games where I produced DS and TV Plug N Play games. I had a great time building games for kids but missed working on casual games. So in late 2007 I partnered with my computer programmer friend Jonah to start making casual games again.

What kind of games do you make?

We’ve made all sorts of games at Fugazo. Here are a few examples: Cooking Academy 1 and 2 (Cooking Simulation), Flower Paradise (3 Match), Fashion Fits, (Clothing Time Management), and World Mosaics 1 and 2 (Logic Puzzle). We’ve tried to experiment making casual games in as many genres as possible.

What kind of impact does the current economic climate make on a business like yours?

To be honest, I think casual games are mostly unaffected by the recession. I think the low price point makes them even more attractive in bad economic times. For example, it’s cheaper to buy a casual game then go out to see a movie.

Coming from an area so thick with game developers (Seattle), do you see it as a hinderance or help to your own company?

I think it’s been quite helpful. It’s nice to be able to get other developer’s feedback on our games and it also makes it easier to find new hires when we’re looking.

 
Do you have plans to move from PC games onto other platforms, like consoles?

Actually, we’ve already started working on our first console game: Frobot for WiiWare! It’s a cross between the Legend of Zelda and Wii Play’s Tanks with a funky 70s robot theme thrown in for good measure. The game should be released on WiiWare in the first half of 2010. You can learn more about the game or try the PC demo on our site. 

Fugazo seems boast several cooking games – Will they make me a better chef? 

Sadly, probably not. While the cooking games have very accurate ingredients and preparation steps they still can’t replace real cooking. However, you might get a few ideas for some recipes you’ve never tried before.

Do you have any advice for anyone looking to start their own gaming company?

 
Start small, be quick, and remain independent! I’m happy to say that Fugazo has never taken a dollar of outside funding and that has allowed us to remain independent and work on what really motivates us.
 

What can we look forward to from Fugazo?

We started working on our first Hidden Object Adventure game last October. Look for it to arrive onto major casual game portals in March 2010!

Fugazo Inc., based in Seattle, Washington, is an independent developer and publisher of casual and indie games. Fugazo’s portfolio includes popular game titles such as the Cooking Academy series, the World Mosaics series, and Kitchen Brigade. Fugazo reaches millions of game players worldwide through multiple distribution channels including Online, PC, Mac, and Retail. In 2010 Fugazo, will release its first console title Frobot for WiiWare, PC, and Mac. For more information about Fugazo visit www.fugazo.com

Fugazo Giveaway!

As I mentioned earlier, the company sent me home with a bunch of games to give away to my wonderful readers. If you’re looking to snatch one up, just play one of the many free games on their site and e-mail me a quick comment about it. Super easy! Send your submissions to zoe@gamingangels.com . Games are limited to the first few people who send me a message, so act quick!

In “M.U.D TV” (Mad, Ugly, Dirty Television) you play as a top TV Executive who has to nurture a troubled TV station in to a success story by raising the ratings and bringing in the advertising revenue.

The game also needs music to set the mood – enter 4 musicians to compose and record a soundtrack. Musicians Johannes Semm, Boris Royko, Cornelius Ulrich and Michael Pätz composed the score as well as playing the instruments themselves and recording it in a studio. This resulted in a mixture of funk, chill out and soul music. A 5 minute medley of their efforts is available for download at www.kalypsomedia.com/downloads/mudtv-medley.zip.

“M.U.D TV” is being developed by Kalypso Media’s own studio Realmforge. If you’d like to find out more, you can visit the official site www.mud-tv.com.

Studies show that more and more women are getting into gaming. From young girls to their moms, there is something for everyone to enjoy in gaming. Verizon recognizes this and has created a new online community designed for female gamers – “She’s Got Verizon Games”.

“Research shows that today there are nearly as many female gamers as there are male gamers,” said Susan Retta, vice president of consumer products and services at Verizon. “Our new casual gaming portal gives women and girls a new place online to enjoy games, interact with other players, win prizes, identify themselves by games they love to play, challenge and stretch their minds, and just have a lot of fun.”

“She’s Got Verizon Games” hosts not just puzzle games or casual games, but also action PC games. Access is based on a subscription model for unlimited for $14.99 a month or a Quick Pack of 450 games for $4.99 a month.

They will also be supporting the community with game nights, game challenges (everyone loves achievements), avatars and trophy cases.

The Free Ladies Nights start on November 24 from 7 p.m. Eastern time to 7 a.m. Nov. 25. During that night, any Verizon Broadband subscriber can access and play all the games in the Verizon Games catalog for free.

I went and check out the details on the site and it seems to be a well done games portal. I do like that they have a wide variety of games and not just puzzle games (although that is a large part of it). Guys can also join the site as well, but their ad is different with mentions of action shooters and strategy sims “that men will love”.

There is nothing like getting the newest PC gaming technology. Who can say no to an upgrade? Well that’s what the G110 is for many of us; an upgrade with all the perks. The G110, is the successor to the G11, also created by Logitech.

According to the press releases, the G110 is designed for customization. Each gamers needs will be met if they play MMORPG’s such as World of Warcraft or Conan, or some RTS games like the upcoming Starcraft II, or classics like Red Alert, or Warcraft. (Sorry pimpin the Blizard today)
The great thing about these type of keyboards is the features. I mean, what else would make you want to pay top dollar for something you can pick up for dirt cheep at the local dollar store? That being said, the G110, is not short on this features. The features of the board are as follows.

• customizable backlighting
• programmable G-keys and MR-Keys
• an on-board USB port
• an on-board audio jack
• Access to the profiler software for all the customizable features.

Now, time to go a little more indepth with the features. The customizable backlighting has red and blue LED lights behind the keys, which with the software, the user is able to choose between, red, blue or any shade of purple that the user wishes. The 12 G-Keys are programable so that the user can make 36 single keystrokes, multi-key macros, or intricate LUA scripts. Also the G-Keys have auto game detection which means, you can have different sets for different games. While the MR key, the user can configure macros instantly.  There are also two on-board ports; the audio jack and the USB. The audio jack is compataible with any 3.5mm headphone jack, while the USB 2.0 port can handle flashdrives and mouses for easy access.
For more information on the product  follow the link:
Logitech