One of the biggest displays at Gamescom 2023 was the Level Infinite booth.
Actually, booth might be an understatement — it was a full stage decked with colorful lighting, complete with segmented gaming areas, and elaborate backdrops with plenty of Instagram-worthy photo opportunities.
Established in 2021 by Tencent Games, Level Infinite is the Chinese company’s international game publishing arm. At the showcase, they introduced established and new IPs made in collaboration with studios and developers around the world.
During our time at Gamescom in Cologne, ONE Esports got the chance to connect with Level Infinite Senior Director of Marketing, Anthony Crouts, to find out more about what the brand stands for and how they’re thinking about the future.
What does Level Infinite do?
Level Infinite is an international game publishing brand owned by Tencent.
Most gamers would be familiar with the mobile MOBA Arena of Valor, the international version of Honor of Kings, which operates under them.
Besides publishing games, the company works with a network of developers and gaming studios globally, offering services and resources, tapping on Tencent’s deep experience in the industry.
How Level Infinite works with studios and game developers to produce high quality games
The company sees itself as the “connective tissue” between studios, as Anthony put it, a place where there’s robust sharing of ideas and upholding of standards, all while raising the bar.
“They can tap in a whole network of resources now and say, hey, we need help with our messaging. Hey, we need help with coming up with community. Hey, we need help with our user acquisition marketing,” he said.
Level Infinite is here to support these studios and developers so that they can free resources up to make great content.
“They know that we have their back. We help them with their messaging, with the showcase, and getting the word out, putting them on stage,” Anthony continued.
Even well-established IPs like Assassin’s Creed are coming to mobile under the Level Infinite umbrella. The brand-new China-based story held its closed beta in August, and ONE Esports had the chance to try it out firsthand at Gamescom.
“We don’t take it lightly. We have to put our best efforts forward because we’re working on a high class, high-quality IP and we want to make sure that’s reflected in what we create,” Anthony added. “Assassin’s Creed Jade has its own story for mobile. That happened because we are really the best in class at creating those mobile experiences, not just mobile games — mobile experiences.”
How Level Infinite differentiates itself from the competition
It’s no surprise then that the first pillar that Level Infinite operates on is quality. They ensure that they make great content at every juncture.
“We have very stringent best practices and guidelines. We establish how we engage with the studios all the way down to the mundane,” said Anthony. “I believe in having a brand marketing point of contact and a studio contact in the same box, called a two in a box management style.”
The reason he places a lot of importance on two in a box is because through experience — having worked at Konami, Sony, Nexon, and Electronic Arts — he knows that “there’s always this invisible wall between marketing and product development.” He bridges the gap by ensuring that there’s an open channel of communication to create transparency between teams.
On a personal level, his passion pursuits have also unequivocally supported his professional career, shaping his management style. He’s always loved playing games and owns every system that has come out since he was a child, which is why his motto is: if it’s a game, I played it. If it’s a bad game, I only played it once.
“Developers love that about me. They have a marketer who’s played all the games and thinks like a developer. They can have a conversation with me about game development and game evolution,” said Anthony.
The second key pillar Level Infinite operates on is diversity, where they ensure they hit all platforms, genres, and demographics. The third pillar is innovation. They want to drive the gaming industry instead of being a follower, setting trends, and taking the first step forward.
“We demonstrated consistently that we can make high-quality games, that we can be diverse in our content,” said Anthony. “We’re on every platform, reaching all the different parts of the world. We have created gaming systems — this is how games play because of the system that we create, and we really deliver.”
Discuss stories like these with us — join the ONE Esports Discord community.
READ MORE: Are gaming laptops good for school? Here’s what you need to look out for
