Challenges

We know there are fans that have been burned by other crowdfunding projects, and we’re really sorry you had to go through that. The Convergence team knows how to make quality games, we know how to finish them, and we have no intention of letting you down.

Game development is not without risk, though. We’re building an all-new code base that allows for integration of assets, maps, play-styles, and XR capabilities, with lofty visual and game play goals. We know that really nailing the feel of Silica neXus will take time and iteration. We’ll need new team members, too, but we’ve proven that we have a pretty damn good track record for hiring talented, dedicated people who go the extra mile.

So, the standard game development caveats apply. Some new features may take longer to make than we thought. Some piece of game play may not be as fun as it sounded on paper and we’ll need to revise it several times until it works.

But that’s part of the fun of making games.

Hit Driven Business

Entertainment is a hit-driven business. As in any hit-driven business, content is king and finding the right content, i.e. the Halo for your Xbox network or the Angry Birds for your mobile game network is a constant challenge for all companies in the game industry. Once a new platform finds that smash hit, the other content on that system experiences the network effect of all the new players flocking to the system. Tim Chang of the Mayfield Fund once said. “It’s about distribution power. If content is king, then distribution power is God Almighty.” SXVU is the distributor of XR experiences. SXVU project has several advantages to attack the finding infectious content challenge.  Convergence team member Paul Baker has worked on or directed the teams that have created over 20 of the top selling AAA consumer titles in the world, he will leverage his skill set by transferring knowledge as well as guiding a very large 3^rd Party Developer network to develop many SXVU experiences. This effort will be aided by the wealth of experience of  Kevin Bachus. As Microsoft’s first director of third-party relations for Xbox, Kevin secured support for Xbox from all major game publishers worldwide and created and managed the programs and processes that would ultimately lead to the strongest software line-up ever for the launch of a game console. The funds from a successful Crowdfunding Campaign will help to drive strong content creation for the SXVU.

3rd Party Management

The management of the 3rd party development teams will pose a large challenge to the success of the SXVU. Fortunately, Convergence team member Kevin Bachus’ experience creating the Xbox developer network will be a great asset to overcome this challenge. By leveraging the funds raised in the Crowdfunding Campaign and promoting team managers that demonstrate quality leadership skills from the developer network, Convergence has confidence we can succeed here.

Technology Issues

In any major network project of this size, you will run into severe technological challenges. The Convergence team has navigated the launch of many of the major technological advances and associated challenges that threaten success for more than 25 years for the top companies with the largest user bases in the world. Experience teaches us that smart minds with proper resources at their disposal can meet the challenges head on when they arise.  We have the fortitude to “do whatever it takes” to succeed. Convergence’s team leveraged by the combined mind share of a strong 3rd party network has the best chance of overcoming the inevitable unforeseen technological challenges the SXVU will create.

Marketing

How do you compete with 50K new digital experiences a week? This is a challenge for every new title to come to market, and exceptionally so for Independent Game Studio Startups. Convergence partnered with TVA Media Group for this reason. Machine Zone proved with Game of War: Fire Age it can be done with a herculean marketing campaign driven by deep pockets.  Jeffery Goddard was added as an advisor because the company he founded has over 30 years of proven success. More than working with top clients such as Universal, Pepsi, MasterCard, Sony, and Toyota, TVA assisted Wargaming.net achieve over 140M players. The TVA partnership multiplies Convergence’s marketing dollars 8-fold. Convergence will use some of the Crowdfunding Campaign proceeds to start a positive upward spiral of reinvesting a portion of revenue into marketing, thus allowing us to compete in the entertainment space with the larger established companies.

Universal Economy Balancing

Just like every nation’s economy and how they combine to affect the world economy, virtual game economies can rise or fall based on a multitude of variables and user perceptions. Group psychology and mob mentality played a major role in the 1920’s stock market crash that began the great depression. Emmerson Galfo will hire a strong team of economists and social psychologists to ensure the SXVU universal economy is constantly strong and thriving.

Community Management / User Expectations

A large thriving engaged user community is the lifeblood of modern businesses, and exponentially so for entertainment networks. It’s critical that the users in our VU become engaged and entertained. As with the economy, both individual and group psychology play a major role. Convergence is fortunate to have Ron Meiners, who mastered the art with some of the largest entertainment online communities to date.

Content Quality Assurance

QA will be a Tom Roe concern with all aspects of the project. The SXVU should be synonymous with quality entertainment. QA is a challenge for every product and company. Convergence is not only concerned with its development, but the assets of the entire 3rd party developer network. At the end of the day it all reflects back on Convergence. In the above Silica neXus Development Array Cycle, QA is ingrained into the design, development and submission of all assets in the project. Paul Baker will design and oversee the process, but it will be executed by external professional QA companies with tight guidelines and high standards. No asset will be accepted until it meets those standards. Throughout the entire process, the developer network will act as an added layer of QA testing the system every step of the way.