OneBigGame to open casual games portal

Speaking to Develop, de Ronde described OneBigGame as “an industry-wide initiative that mobilises the development community and the publishing community so everybody can participate, donating their time and creativity in order for us to sell games for charity” and explained that “instead of filling the portal with traditional casual games by casual games developers we’re going to have as many high profile and top development studios as possible contribute”.

He added: “Instead of creating a next-gen masterpiece we’re suggesting studios make a smaller, funkier flash-based game, or it could be a game that’s a side story to one of their games, or something starring one of their characters, or a remake of an old classic that they don’t use the rights for anymore. Anything that they want to do.”

OneBigGame hopes to partner with other online games portals as well, generating revenues via pay-to-play and advertising. De Ronde said he also hoped that OneBigGame could get support from “the usual suspects” when it came to the online download services for consoles.

Further on, there’s a chance that a retail compilation of the games could appear to help boost the funds raised. Said de Ronde: “Wouldn’t that be great to have a box on a store shelf that contained games by a bunch of famous designers?”

But it’s not just well-known designers the OneBigGame team wants to get involved – anyone in games development is invited to take part, although there is an obvious cachet in having a well-known games developer or studio brand attached to the content.

“We’re not excluding anybody,” he explained. “But we will spearhead our portfolio with casual games from famous designers and famous studios – but we’re asking everybody to donate their time.”

The key thing will be making sure the headline portfolio helps raise cash and grab attention. OneBigGame’s funds will support various global children’s charities and help prove that the games audience can have fun and raise cash at the same time.

Added de Ronde: “The industry now is looking at the impact it has on society, both socially and culturally, and is looking to give back.”