Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Brusky.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started APE Games (Advanced Primate Entertainment) back in 1998 (20 years ago!) in an effort to bring together the best parts of my favorite games into a single great game! The result was Dark Horizon, a miniatures board game that failed badly, but taught me valuable lessons.
APE Games has created dozens of more games over the last twenty years, including our rubber ducky bathtub racing game, duck! duck! GO!, and the inexplicably popular Order of the Stick Adventure Game, which is based on the webcomic of the same name.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has definitely not been smooth! First, free time is hard to find when operating a publishing company while maintaining a day job. Evenings are weekends are almost entirely consumed with keeping APE Games moving forward.
Also, a publishing company is under great pressure to create successful games. That means making games that not only I want to play, but also games that will sell well. It seems like finding great games has gotten easier over the years, but it’s still probably the riskiest part of being a publisher.
APE Games – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
APE Games publishes board and card games (apegames.com) for families and strategy gaming audiences. We have had several popular games, including:
– duck! duck! GO!, a rubber ducky racing game. Each game includes a random assortment of rubber ducks – no two games are the same!
– The Order of the Stick Adventure Game, based on the webcomic of the same name (giantitp.com) is in its seventh print run.
– Spirits of the Rice Paddy is a game of growing rice. Players carefully manage their fields so that water is present to plant, and absent when weeding and harvesting. Water is a very limited commodity that flows between the different players’ paddies and proper management is the key to victory.
– The Great Dinosaur Rush recreates the bone wars of the 1800’s when paleontologists competed to build the best dinosaurs for the museums. In Dino Rush, players collect bones from the fields and use their imaginations to create inventive dinosaurs.
– Dark is the Night is a short two-player asymmetric game where one player is the hunter and the other is the monster in the darkness. The hunter moves on the board in plain sight of both players, but the monster moves secretly between the board’s dark spaces using a hidden dial. It’s a game of cat and mouse where one player must eliminate the other.
APE Games also co-publishes games with other companies around the globe:
– Trickerion is a game of being a magician. Players hire assistants, but materials and build performances in their workshop, then present them in theaters. This is co-published with Mindclash Games in Hungary.
– Petrichor, coming out this fall, is a game of being rain! Players add their raindrops to clouds, then move them across to rain upon the most ‘profitable’ fields. This is co-published with Mighty Boards in Malta.
I am most proud of creating games that have original themes, extraordinary art and presentation, and unique and engaging gameplay. One thing that setsAPE Games apart from other game publishers is the “boutique” feel of being a small company.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I guess that the easy answer is sales. It’s a great feeling to sell out of games within days or even hours of launching it.
Like movies, books, and other media, critical acclaim is also important. However, equally important is what players themselves think of the games. Boardgamegeek.com is an invaluable resource for player feedback and sharing information about our games.
Contact Info:
- Website: apegames.com
- Email: info@apegames.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ape.games/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apegames
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/apegames
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
