Web development firm Linking People moves into games production

New Web 2.0 start-up Linking People has expanded into the world of social game development, specifically targeting the elusive older gamer market.

Its first game is Coobico, a Flash-based title which the company describes as a mix of social network, casual online RPG and strategy game.

The Hong Kong-based company, established last year by three veteran web designers, is focused on creating Web 2.0 communities and shared gaming experiences aimed at players aged 30 to 44, a demographic which according to a recent study constitutes 79 per cent of the game market.

Lutz Winter, co-founder of Linking People, told Develop: “We see this as a huge, financially strong and yet mostly untapped market — current games and networks are completely focussing on pre-teens, teens and young adults.

“We see a large opportunity for games targeted at a more mature audience: people who grew up with videogames and still like them, but don’t want to play ‘casual’ titles like match-3 puzzles or have the time to spend hours playing traditional multiplayer-games.”

More information on Coobico can be found at the official website.