IO Interactive - Storytelling Goes Global

Denmark is a country probably best known for its story-telling culture characterized by Hans Christian Andersen and his classic folk stories. Those fairy tales have for many years delighted youngsters from across the globe seamlessly crossing language and cultural barriers. They are an art form that has inspired the country's largest video game developer, IO interactive. The 200-strong Copenhagen-based group of programmers, software engineers, animators, and mathematicians, has created a number of critically acclaimed games such as Hitman, Kane & Lynch, and Freedom Fighters whose dark tales appeal to gamers from Boston to Beijing.

IO Interactive decided very early on after it was formed in 1998 that it wanted to target the international market. It did not have to look far to realize that the companies at the top of their game, so to speak, where the ones whose products held a worldwide appeal. Indeed, the perceived wisdom is highly competitive, industry is that the only way to survived, and indeed thrive, is to go for total globalization. This in itself has appeal to the youth market that buys games because young people are proud to be using a modern medium for the modern age. They love the fact that gaming is capable of hitting all the current buzz words as it crosses borders and encourages a rich mix of collaboration and user-generated content.

Most game companies have interpreted this as a sign that in order to successfully market games worldwide, they must limit any overtly culturally distinct elements in their titles. Any references to local traditions, national literature, and musical identity are internationally kept to a minimum. This is something IO Interactive very much bears in mind when devising it games but, thanks to its rich storytelling roots, the company has been fortunate that it has not had to completely turn its back on its traditions. Indeed, the company has man-aged to make great use of its native culture of dark humor and fantasy, which perfectly suits the genre of games it designs and has significant appeal to young gamer worldwide.

This is not to say that IO Interactive has been has been able to completely ignore the sensibilities of the international audience, and sometimes the search for global for global appeal means including credible material from abroad. Thus, for the release of Kane& Lynch 2: Dog Days, which featured levels based in China, 23 different authentic-sounding Asian songs were written with vocals in Mandarin, backed with musicians performing with Chinese instruments including percussion, Shakuhachi, and Pipa. Game reviewers were bowled over by the international aspect and one even compared the experience to watching a movie by famed Chinese film director John Woo.

IO Interactive is helped in its quest for international credibility by its highly diverse workforce of specialists hailing from 23 different countries. This is not unusual in this industry. Game developers are use to relocating and frequently transfer to different countries to find the work they want. This inevitably affects both the storylines and content of games as the newcomers are not imbibed with locals traits and have no strong pull to protect national identities.

Likewise, IO Interactive frequently dispatches its game its game developers to location around the world to soak up the local culture and reflect it more in their games. According to IO Interactive, the secret to creating good games is to get all the right ingredients in one big stew and then stir the pot, which for any Hans Christian Andersen fan sounds is like a very familiar tail indeed.

Thinking Globally

Question 1

Some say globalization is homogenizing the attitudes and spending habits of young consumer worldwide. As one journalist puts it, "it may still be conventional wisdom to 'think globally and act locally,' but in the youth market, it is increasingly a case of one size fits all."Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

Question 2

Some critics say that although video games are designed to have a broad appeal, they do reflect a "Westernized" version of life. Is there a danger that teens exposed to large doses of video games will identify less with the culture of their own societies and that teens in developing countries will want a Western life style and goods they cannot afford?

Question 3

It is now the norm for games developers to relocate to work anywhere in the world. Can you think of other social trends and technological innovations that have helped companies to think more globally?

Question 4

Advances in technology often spur evolution in the entertainment industry. How might new products and services, such as the iPhone and YouTube, affect entertainment in years to come?