Lucien Jeanprêtre – CEO ofAbalance
Responsible for developing game concepts, strategies, and mechanics.
5 people involved in the project
How did the project getget started?
The project began in October 2017 while I was pursuing my master’s degree at the San Francisco Art Institute. I contacted Valentin, a childhood friend from Neuchâtel, to send him the rules of a game I’d invented so he could program it. In January 2019, we released an initial version and made it available online for free. After that, we met Bertil Suter, who had a large network in Neuchâtel. At the same time, I had met Eerik Wissenz and Urs Riggenbach in a bar while they were in Silicon Valley raising funds for their own startup. The next day, after playing the game for 24 hours, we met up again. They were convinced the project had the potential to go further. That’s how Abalance was born.
Why did you set up your offices in Neuchâtel?
Our first financial partner—the one who believed in us—is based in Neuchâtel. Olivier Vollenweider, a director at Bonhôte Bank, provided us with office space. It was an opportunity for me to return, as I have a deep attachment to Neuchâtel.
How do you validate the variousstages of the game?
As we build the game, we want to build the community, since players compete against each other online 24 hours a day. Testing helps us confirm that we’re heading in the right direction. We hosted about 50 testers on November 23, 2019. The feedback was very positive, which motivated us to move even faster toward the beta version. We plan to release thissecond version in the first half of 2020.
What are the major milestones you can expect in 2020?
The beta version needs to be stable. The game will be web-based and accessible through a browser. We still have a lot of development and design work to do to make the beta version appealing enough. We also need to wrap up our fundraising campaign. Among other things, the funds will allow us to hire designers who will bring the game’s concepts to life.
Why did you incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into the game?
Many intelligent algorithms are in use today. AI concepts are often shrouded in mystery when explaining them to a general audience. The idea is to create a human-AI partnership that evolves as the game progresses. We hope to provide a broader audience with a better understanding of how machine learning and deep learning algorithms work.
How can you build a community around the game?
Of course, marketing is crucial. A large number of people need to hear about the game within a limited timeframe to reach critical mass. Indeed, we can’t afford to have a slow influx of players; otherwise, the early adopters will have finished the game before others even arrive, which would spell the end of the product. Social media will be crucial, as will YouTube influencers (gaming channels). We’ll also run ads on dedicated forums. We plan to build a high-level, competitive community (esports). Our target regions are the U.S., Europe, China, and Japan. The game has no language barrier, just like chess or Go.
How do you envision integrating into Microcity’sMicrocity’s innovation ecosystem?
Video games are a fundamentally collaborative medium. No one develops a game alone; it requires a wide range of skills and perspectives. We believe that sharing ideas about entrepreneurship is very important, which is why we want to be part of the Microcity ecosystem and the innovation scene in Neuchâtel. Based on my experience in the arts, I know how important networking is, as well as being part of a community.
Video: Julien Humbert-Droz
Interview: Victoria Barras