A short and sweet glimpse into a studio that decided to NOT use the freemium model.
I’m currently in the process of writing the next installment of our Freemium Manifesto series, but I decided I would release this interview on it’s own rather than snippets of it in the upcoming freemium article. Aron Beierschmitt, CEO of Foundation Games, had originally approached us to offer himself up for a brief interview concerning their first foray into the iOS world: Lumi. We love iOS developers, and we love polished platforming games, so I reached out and sat down with Aron for a brief chat about the process of bringing Lumi to light. (That’s a pun. I’m so clever!)
We haven’t reviewed Lumi yet, but so far it’s got a great Metacritic score, and I’ve really enjoyed my own time with the game.
Interview
How big of a company is Foundation Games? How long have you guys been around? Any previous work?
We are currently just over 20 people. The company itself was founded in 2010. Lumi is our first full-production title and we have several more waiting in the wings to be released in the next 3-4 months.
Lumi is quite a polished game, how long was production from start until release on the App Store?
Thank you for the compliment. It’s always good to hear others re-affirm of our belief in the quality of the title. Production on Lumi took roughly 8 months. As Lumi production progressed, the company grew greatly, increasing our production capacity.
Speaking of the App Store, I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the experience of submitting an app to Apple. It seems that many times various apps can get “stuck” in the approval process. How was this process for Lumi?
We have always had a very good experience with the App Store approval process. Lumi was no exception.
If you don’t mind me being frank, how much money did Lumi cost to make? Did you need independent capital investments to start the project? Was any personal money spent on the project?
While I don’t mind you being frank, this is not something we are disclosing at this time. 
Foundation Games has raised capital investments, but they were not specific to Lumi.
Was it difficult to balance being cost efficient with work while still trying to maintain quality as you developed Lumi? How so?
This is always a challenge; however, we are what would be considered a lean-startup. Everyone here has a mission of quality built into their roots. We all work our asses off to create something awesome. In the end, we set quality goals and as a team strived to meet them.
A pet peeve of most game critics is receiving an unfinished/buggy game. What was your QA process for Lumi like? Did you hire an independent QA service, or was it done in-house? Family members? Friends?
We did all QA in-house with friends, family, and acquaintances. Throughout development, we were especially rigorous in getting Lumi in the hands of as many people as possible. People who find joy in breaking things are the best at QA. We try and find those kinds of people and let them loose.
Considering that Apple takes 30% of the profits, and the low price of most iOS apps, how is it possible to profit from a game/app such as this?
The sheer amount of iOS devices makes it possible to generate a profit. Of course, the catch is the app has to get the exposure necessary to drive downloads.
What considerations went into pricing Lumi? Currently it’s $1.99 (ed: $.99 as of posting this) in America. Why go with this price instead of $.99 or $4.99?
We simply wanted to get Lumi in the hands of as many people as possible; putting it at a lower price allows us to do that.
If you’re willing to share sales statistics, how has the game done in terms of downloads since its December 20th release?
Not at this time. I will say we are happy with the statistics and growth we are witnessing.
What actions have you taken to market Lumi? What has worked and what hasn’t? What kind of effect, if any, has marketing had on the sales of Lumi?
We have tried to get Lumi into the hands of as many reviewers and press members as possible. Exposure is everything. Quality applications can be lost in the noise. The ultimate goal is to get a high enough ranking in the store to drive natural downloads. Reviews can help drive this exposure.
Based on your experiences developing Lumi, what would you do differently (if anything) with the next game you develop?
I think we would try to iterate faster. In the beginning, we failed to develop quickly and test what worked and what didn’t. We have adopted a far more rigorous iteration process. It lets us know what is working and what isn’t far quicker.
We’re always happy to interview developers about their respective projects! Lumi is currently available on the App Store for $.99. Check it out.
