WebMind: Who is the NoNo Crossing game for, or what is the ideal user profile?
Jovana: Nono Crossing is intended for users who want an intellectual challenge, but also to have a good time along the way.
Bojan: The game is primarily intended for fans of casual puzzle games, both players who are already familiar with the nonogram type of games, as well as those who are encountering this type of games for the first time.
WebMind: You mentioned that the game has undergone a number of changes. How different is the final version compared to the initial idea you started with?
Jovana: The game is very different compared to the first version. Our goal was to create a product that is different from the nonogram games currently available on the market, and I think we have succeeded in that through level design, innovative mechanics, and features.
Bojan: After the first soft launch version that served to determine if the core loop is fun, through various brainstorming sessions within the company, we have concluded that the right step is to expand the types of levels and provide an experience that no other nonogram game has. That’s one of the biggest differences, and I think we were right.
WebMind: The game was initially worked on by the four of you (over time the team expanded and today counts 11 people), which at first may seem like a small team for such an ambitious project, but is that the key?
Jovana: I think that communication in such a small team is much easier and that was key, especially when the game is still in the phase of ideation. We tested and scraped new things in the game much faster.
Bojan: The project was not always so ambitious – namely, it started as a small team, and then we expanded and added new roles accordingly.
WebMind: Why is this game special to you as its creators?
Jovana: This is the first project I’ve worked on since the beginning. This is the first time I’ve ever created the whole economy and systems in the game. It’s a much different feeling than just adding and rewriting things in a game that’s already live.
WebMind: High user ratings testify that they enjoy the game. What kind of reactions have you received so far and how satisfied are you with them?
Bojan: It’s really beautiful when you hear a story how someone was so thrilled from the first encounter that he couldn’t put the phone down for hours. User feedback is the most important thing for us, and we take every opinion into account.
WebMind: What are the future plans for this game? You have announced that you will continue to work on its improvements and new levels.
Jovana: We are working on new mechanics, liveops events and improving current features.
Bojan: The first thing on the list is to provide our players who have passed all the currently available levels with additional content and challenges in the game.
WebMind: Your third title is genre-different from the previous two, showing that you can score in something other than the marble-shooter you’re recognizable by. Can you share some plans for further development of the studio?
Jovana: We realized that we are doing well innovating already existing genres, so we will definitely continue in that direction.
WebMind: It was recently published that Serbia is above the European average in terms of the number of women in the gaming industry. What’s your comment? What is the situation in your gaming studio?
Jovana: Currently, women make up more than a third of our company’s employees. This information makes me happy personally.
Bojan: I believe that this is primarily a success of the IT community in Serbia, which is less discriminatory compared to the global scale on what “male” and “female” sciences are, which is the reason why more and more girls in our country decide to join the IT profession. I love the people I work with because of their expertise and dedication to teamwork, not because they’re male or female. Also, programs that encourage and remind girls and women that they are more than capable of entering the technical sciences, and therefore the gaming industry, are very important, such as SGA Empowers.
