Barely a stones throw away from the famous steam clock in Gastown are the offices of A Thinking Ape. I recently got to sit down and chat with product manager Tayber Voyer to learn more about what the 7-year-old game company does, and why they do it.
First off, if you’re not familiar with A Thinking Ape, let me catch you up: Originating in San Francisco and later moving to Vancouver where they have spent the majority of their time, A Thinking Ape is a game company focused on free to play mobile games. Their flagship title Kingdoms at War, a mobile MMORPG, cemented A Thinking Ape in the mobile game community as a profitable company who knows what they’re doing.
I’ve spent the last week playing Kingdoms at War and I think I can see why the praise is well deserved. Fairly accessible with minimal learning curve, interesting art design and UI, and an emphasis on user community I haven’t seen in other mobile “build an army and fight each other” games. This is a focused experience that balances accessibility for people who want a quick MMO experience, and depth for those who choose to capitalize on it. In many ways, this is a testament to A Thinking Ape as a company. This is a very focused and determined group of individuals.
“There is a big emphasis on accountability here, your work is your work, and it should reflect that.” Says Voyer, describing how important it is that each developer on the 60 to 70 person team produce work that they are proud of; raising the internal quality standard.
Even in the short time I spent at their offices, I definitely got the sense of the work ethic there. White boards around the office covered in code and developer notes, not a single person is not staring at a screen typing away, they even have a program in place that enables you to make a reservation to use the bathroom.
I should also say that it definitely is a cool environment to work in. Between their company hockey team and their encouragement of staff-wide creativity and input, this is somewhere passionate people can come to grow.
I asked about how the city of Vancouver and its unique culture had influenced the studio in any way, but to be honest, I don’t think I had to.
Aside from the fact that I’m pretty sure that the elevator you take to get up to the studio is as old as Vancouver itself, A Thinking Ape takes pride in hiring local Vancouverites as well as giving back to the city it calls home through charity donation and successful food drives.
So, to sum up:
A Thinking Ape is a cool place doing good work. Their mantra of creativity and hard work is intrinsic to any successful game company, but it’s their humility that really drives it home.
This is a studio worth keeping your eye on.
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All photos courtesy of Talent Tribe.
