Key insights

• ⭐ High-rise is a social-first design MMO prioritizing community, user-generated content, and social features such as messenger, news feed, guilds, and profiles
• 📱 The game focuses on long-term user attention by emphasizing social features, creating a platform for players to connect and engage like Snapchat and Instagram
• 📱 Product architecture balances app and game elements, utilizing Swift, Kotlin, and C++, seamlessly integrated components between iOS and Android
• 🔄 The architecture enables creating different games with the same avatar world system, with a focus on social experiences as a whole
• 🌐 Highrise is a social-first game combining chat and game elements, built on a unique architecture for smooth UX and real game engine power, with Pocket Worlds hiring for remote positions

Q&A

• Is Pocket Worlds hiring?

  Yes, Pocket Worlds is hiring for remote positions, seeking talented individuals to contribute to their social-first game development and world-building projects.

• How is Pocket Worlds expanding its social-first approach?

  Pocket Worlds is expanding its social-first approach by building games with a 50% chat and 50% game element ratio, offering smooth UX and real game engine power. The company is entirely remote, ahead of the curve, and has recently closed Series A funding for further game and world development.

• What is Pocket Worlds' vision for leveraging the High-rise architecture?

  Pocket Worlds intends to leverage the architecture of High-rise for more social-first games experiences and worlds, focusing on creating different game experiences while prioritizing the social aspect.

• What is the architecture of High-rise?

  The architecture of High-rise is a blend of app and game, utilizing Swift, Kotlin, and C++ for seamless integration between iOS and Android. It enables the creation of different games with the same avatar world system, focusing on social experiences as a whole.

• How does High-rise focus on social engagement?

  High-rise places heavy emphasis on social features to retain user engagement by creating a platform similar to Snapchat and Instagram for players to connect and engage with friends. The game aims to keep users through the social experiences it provides.

• What sets High-rise apart from other games?

  High-rise prioritizes social features such as messenger, news feed, community, guilds, profiles, and economy, making it a unique social-first design MMO that emphasizes user-generated content and vibrant community interactions over traditional game design elements.

• What is High-rise?

  High-rise is a social-first design MMO game available on iOS and Android, where players create avatars, build apartments, engage in challenges, and focus on community, guilds, profiles, and economy before traditional game elements.

• 00:02 Jimmy, co-founder and CTO of Pocket Worlds, discusses the design and architecture of the high-rise app, an MMO game available on iOS and Android with over 5 million downloads and a monthly revenue of over a million. He highlights the importance of creating a game that feels like an app and shares Pocket Worlds' vision to leverage the high-rise architecture for more social first games.
• 00:50 High-rise is a social-first design MMO where players create avatars, build apartments, and engage in challenges. Its unique social-first design philosophy prioritizes community, guilds, profiles, economy, and a vibrant world over traditional game design elements.
• 01:51 Social-first mobile game focuses on long-term user attention by emphasizing social features and creating a platform similar to Snapchat and Instagram for players to connect and engage with friends.
• 02:46 Unity's capabilities can't compete with Apple's expertise in fonts and UI animation. The architecture of the product is a blend of app and game, utilizing Swift, Kotlin, and C++. Components are seamlessly integrated via bridges and shared as sub-modules between iOS and Android.
• 03:47 The architecture enables creating different games with the same avatar world system, focusing on social experiences as a whole. Possibilities are endless for different game experiences.
• 04:42 Highrise is a social first game combining 50% chat and 50% game, built on a unique architecture for smooth UX and real game engine power. Pocket Worlds is expanding its social first approach and is hiring for remote positions.