Unveiling the Journey of Ripstone’s Queen’s Gambit Mobile Game: A Bold Strategy Pays Off

Ripstone’s Head of Partnerships Reveals How They Convinced Netflix to Develop The Queen’s Gambit Mobile Game

At Develop Brighton last week, Jamie Brayshaw, Ripstone’s head of partnerships, shared the fascinating story of how the studio managed to convince Netflix to let them develop The Queen’s Gambit mobile game. This marked Ripstone’s first mobile project and Netflix’s first game using Unreal Engine.

The Liverpool-based developer, known for their chess games like Chess Ultra, saw an opportunity with the surge in popularity of chess in 2020, thanks to Netflix’s hit series The Queen’s Gambit. With 62 million viewers within a month, the show sparked a chess craze worldwide.

Brayshaw’s bold move of reaching out to Netflix via email led to a pitch meeting where Ripstone proposed ideas for community tournaments, DLC, and even a VR game. However, the meeting took an unexpected turn when Netflix revealed their plans to enter the gaming industry and asked for a pitch for a mobile game based on The Queen’s Gambit.

Facing a tight deadline, the Ripstone team had to quickly come up with a game concept that combined the essence of Chess Ultra with the charm of The Queen’s Gambit. They aimed to cater to both chess enthusiasts and newcomers to the game, as well as fans of the show who wanted more.

The resulting game, The Queen’s Gambit Chess, successfully launched last year, but not without its challenges. User testing played a crucial role in refining the game, with lessons learned in optimizing the user experience, adapting to different devices, and capturing players’ attention within the first few minutes.

Brayshaw emphasized the importance of designing for a wide range of players, including those new to gaming, and continuously refining the first-time user experience to ensure a smooth onboarding process.

Overall, Ripstone’s journey from pitching to developing The Queen’s Gambit mobile game showcases the power of bold ideas, strategic partnerships, and user-centric design in creating a successful gaming experience.