Paul Gouge
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Paul Gouge is a games industry entrepreneur and investor, the founder of BattleMail, Rockpool Games, Ironstone Partners, Ideas Pad and Playdemic.
Career
[edit]BattleMail
[edit]After receiving a degree in economics, Gouge spent two years in investment banking before leaving in 1999 to found his first games company, BattleMail, with Alex Rigby.[1] Their game, BattleMail Kung Fu, was a virally distributed casual massively multiplayer online game that was nominated, unsuccessfully, for a BAFTA award[2] and was later sold to (M)Forma.
Rockpool Games/Ironstone Partners
[edit]In late 2002, Gouge and Rigby founded Rockpool Games, a mobile phone games studio, as well as Ironstone Partners, a video game licensing business. Over the following five years, Rockpool developed mobile games based on major video game licenses and won several major awards.[3] Both businesses were acquired by Eidos Interactive in early 2007[4] for $15m,[citation needed] with Gouge as head of Eidos Play, the firm's casual division, until February 2009.
Playdemic
[edit]In late 2010, Gouge and Rigby founded Playdemic,[citation needed] a European independent social games company that develops and operates game services for social networks and mobile devices. The company’s first release, Gourmet Ranch,[5] was launched in August 2010 and, by early 2012, had registered over 10 million users and generated over $10m in virtual goods revenue.[citation needed]
Playdemic's second release was Crossword Buddies,[6] which was launched on Facebook in February 2012 and became available on iPhone and iPad in May 2012. On 8 March 2012, Playdemic signed a distribution deal with Zynga[7] to help increase its audience.
Appatyze
[edit]Gouge was a seed investor in and board advisor to Appatyze, an in-app advertising company.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ "Battlemail to push games via email". Campaign. 24 May 2000. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards Search". BAFTA. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ "Total Mobile Magazine Awards Three-In-A-Row Maximum Scores For Games Developed By Rockpool". Games Industry (Press release). Rockpool Games Ltd. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ David Jenkins (26 February 2007). "Eidos Acquires Rockpool Games, Ironstone, SoGoPlay". GamaSutra. Archived from the original on 21 March 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ "Gourmet Ranch". Playdemic. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ^ "Crossword Buddies". Playdemic. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ^ "Playdemic sign distribution deal with Zynga" (Press release). Playdemic. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
External links
[edit]- Playdemic website
- "Game on for great ideas". Manchester Evening News. 17 April 2007. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- "BBC North West Tonight". 14 February 2012 – via YouTube.