Indie Dev Interview: Tony Pearce, Reality Gaming Group

This week we caught up with Tony Pearce, one of the main men behind Reality Gaming Group. Tony took time out of some really exciting projects to tell us a little about what he’s currently working on and share some of his experience in indie games. Enjoy our Indie Dev Interview Tony Pearce, Reality Gaming Group and stay tuned for more indie game developer interviews. 

Please introduce yourself, your game and your studio?

I’m Tony Pearce, a Co-Founder of Reality Gaming Group. I’ve spent most of my career in the games industry preoccupied with mobile, from the earliest days of Java with Digital Bridges/I-Play, through carrier distribution with Player X and content discovery with GRABR, to where I am today.

Reality Gaming Group is based across offices in London and Denmark and focuses on the development of games and technology that utilise augmented reality, geo-location services and blockchain – specifically digital collectibles (NFTs). Our flagship title, AR mobile combat game Reality Clash, was released last year for iOS and Android devices.

We’re currently in the process of making our Digital Asset Trading (DAT) Platform available to third party developers who want to make games  that use a digital collectibles mechanic for in-game items such as weapons – especially those that are rare and limited-edition.

Indie Game Developer Interview with Tony Pearce

Can you tell me about your game and platform, what makes it awesome?

When we released Reality Clash in April 2019 our goal was to push the boundaries of what’s possible when AR, geo-location and blockchain technology are combined on a mobile device. The game itself is set in an underground world of cryptocurrencies and hackers, enabling players to compete in real-time FPS battles in unique virtual environments powered by  ARKit & ARCore to claim real-world territory.

In addition, the trading platform’s primary currency: Reality Clash Coins (RCC)  allows players to become virtual arms dealers, buying and selling blockchain-based digital assets (such as in-game weapons) that they truly own and control.

These rare, limited edition digital assets (otherwise known technically as Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs) can be bought, collected and securely traded in an absolutely clear and transparent way, with no risk of copyright infringement and no quibbles about ownership. To date 10,000+ tokenised digital weapons have been sold and over 2 million Reality Clash Coins have been spent in our online store.

The DAT Platform takes care of the heavy lifting required for developers to break into this digital collectibles market, encompassing the creation of the rare assets by ‘tokenising’ them on the blockchain; the provision of a dedicated online store where the collectibles can be bought; a trading platform for fans to sell items peer-to-peer; and finally, even the creation of a game with which the digital assets can be used.

Once a range of collectible digital assets has been created using the DAT Platform, developers can generate revenue both from the initial sale of each item and recurring revenue for every subsequent trade, forever. In addition, developers also gain valuable insights into gamer needs and behaviours through digital asset trading activity.

For gamers, each collectible item they purchase is authenticated and verified on the blockchain using a ‘smart contract’. Users keep digital assets assigned to their accounts unless they choose to sell them onto others in the same way as, say, a traditional football trading card.

What has the journey been like making this game and developing the platform?

It’s been emotional! We started in 2017 with just an idea for a game, but since then we’ve been on an amazing journey encompassing the completion of an innovative ICO funding round, the development and release of Reality Clash, the creation of our own cryptocurrency, the deployment of an in-game digital asset trading platform and, most recently, a second round of funding to help drive our growth not just as an indie developer, but also as a tools provider.

We’ve managed to achieve all that with an extremely small team of amazing people, which hopefully proves to other indies that size needn’t be an obstacle to achieving your goals.

What got you into making games and making indie games in particular?

For me, it’s always great to work with smart people with original ideas, which is how I met Reality Gaming Group Co-Founder Morten Rongaard. We’ve learned to be agile in the way we work, particularly as we’re spread across international borders, which I must say has stood us in good stead while we all deal with the impact of coronavirus. But ultimately, it’s about creativity when it comes to indie games. If someone had said to me even five years that we’d be working on games that combined all these wild features, I would have laughed and asked what they were drinking.

What have you learnt from making games?

Patience. Sometimes it can feel like it’s taking an age to get to that release date, or to secure that funding, but you must persevere. The old adage of ‘keep calm and carry on’ is very relevant for an indie developer, especially in the ‘new normal’ we are all having to deal with.

Indie Game Developer Interview with Tony Pearce

If you had advice for indie games makers, what would it be?

Follow your instincts and, if possible, surround yourself with the smartest people you can find and trust them to make the decisions needed to turn your projects into reality. If you’re lucky enough to find a mentor who has been there and bought the t-shirt, listen to every word they say. If you don’t have one, venture out to as many industry events as you can – places like the Develop conference in Brighton are amazing opportunities for meeting new people.

How can people support you and your game?

Reality Clash is available on the Apple App Store  and Google Play as free download – we’d love you to check it out! You can also start your journey as a virtual arms dealer by visiting our Trading Platform:.

Where can people buy/play the game? And learn more about your studio?

If you hop over to www.realitygaminggroup.com you can find out loads more about the DAT Platform and Reality Clash – we’d love to hear from anyone who would like to collaborate on a cool project.

Indie Game Developer Interview with Tony Pearce
Tony Pearce

Thanks for reading our Indie Dev Interview Tony Pearce, Reality Gaming Group, for more interesting articles on the indie games industry, check out the links below. 

INTO INDIE GAMES FEATURES

INDIE DEV INTERVIEW: JOE RICHARDSON

HOW MUCH MONEY DO STEAM GAMES MAKE?

PSYCHONAUTS 2 BOSS GUIDE – LADY LUCTOPUS

THE FLOWER COLLECTORS – REVIEW

This Article was written by: Harry Cole

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