Articles: Levelling up… Sidhe Studios and Rugby League 3

Wellington games studio Sidhe is fast on its way to becoming an overnight success - after 13 years, reports Louis van Wyk

The release last month of NRL Rugby League 3 marked another significant milestone for Wellington game development studio Sidhe.

Founded in 1997, when three gaming aficionados embarked on “trying to change the world with video games,” Sidhe has been on an upward trajectory in an expanding but increasingly competitive industry. However, the latest instalment of the NRL Rugby League gaming franchise links directly back to one of the turning points in the evolution of the studio.

It was the first version of the game that proved to be Sidhe’s watershed moment.

Sidhe managing director Mario Wynands is fully aware that being around for 13 years is a triumph in an industry where the game can be over for many players almost before it begins.

When Sidhe started, Wynands and his co-founders, Tyrone McAuley and Stuart Middleton, toiled to win work from overseas game publishers before getting their first break in 2000.

“It was tough,” recalls Wynands. “We had to reach out internationally from day one – that is where the market was. It took us several years of emails, phone calls and travel to get our first contract. Those relationships take a long time to build.”

Sidhe’s first deal was with Krome Studios to develop a PlayStation version of Championship Surfer for Mattel. “It was a great entry point and allowed us to just worry about the development of the game; they took care of the design and relationship with the client, we just had to worry about the execution.”

But the breakthrough, says Wynands, came in 2002 when Sidhe won a deal to develop NRL Rugby League on the PS2, Xbox and PC platforms. “It was a great opportunity to develop across multiple platforms.”

By this stage Sidhe had built up the internal processes to manage more than just the development of the title. “We took care of whole end-to-end process of design to development. This was a huge turning point.”

The franchise has been a great foundation for the business, with Rugby League 3 the fourth title in the series Sidhe has developed. The original version was followed by NRL Rugby League 2 in 2006 and 2008′s NRL Rugby League 2: World Cup Edition.

“The franchise has given us more visibility internationally. It has also been a great ongoing revenue stream that has kept the business stable and given us something to grow talent on top of.”

This has enabled Sidhe to take on some more high-profile work, such as games based on hit movies Speed Racer, Madagascar and even Jackass.

Along the way, Sidhe has made some interesting pit stops, including developing a Barbie game – Barbie Beach Vacation. “It is not something a group 20-something guys expected to be working on. But you become invested in making it the best that you can, so we were living and breathing Barbie for some time.”

Today, Sidhe is focused on creating its own intellectual property, where the company controls the all-important publishing rights – which is vital to long-term success, says Wynands. “One of barriers is being beholden to people who publish content.”

Its first fully owned production, Gripshift, was released in 2005 and sold hundreds of thousands copies, while last year’s PlayStation3 title, Shatter, was nominated as one of the most innovative games at E3 2009. The company is also developing games for the iPhone.

And Sidhe keeps growing – the team is now 120 strong, with good talent not hard to find, as more and more developers and designers flock to join the gaming industry.

“People are not moving across into gaming development opportunistically – it is what they are enthusiastic about.”

The New Zealand gaming industry has great future potential, says Wynands, adding that excellent opportunities exist for more integration with other creative industries, such as music and movies.

“New Zealand has the potential to be a leader in this space. It is just a matter of getting the right support, leaders, talent, grants and collaboration with other industries.”

And you can bet that Wynands and the crew at Sidhe will be plugged in and ready to play to bring New Zealand creative talent to the world’s attention.

Concludes Wynands: “It may be another year or two before we become an overnight success.”