BOTHELL — Sandlot Games’ most famous face is Jill, who’s now a time-traveling chef with a knack for baking tasty cakes and a wedding in her future.
Getting through time and ending up at that wedding are among the goals in “Cake Mania 3,” the latest chapter in what has become one of the most downloaded titles in the casual gaming world. The new version is scheduled for release in the next week or so, said Daniel Bernstein, Sandlot’s founder and chief executive.
It also is one of just several titles that Sandlot has turned into franchises. The company has released two editions of “Glyph” and “Westward,” and its onto its fourth edition of “Super Granny.”
But with an estimated 100 million downloads so far, Cake Mania is Sandlot’s most famous franchise. It has spawned fan blogs and can be found at online arcades. Earlier this year, Seattle-based FlowPlay added Cake Mania to its popular ourWorld.com site, and Sandlot is hoping to expand its games onto social networking sites.
It’s not necessary for newcomers to know the former versions of Cake Mania, but for diehard fans, the new version advances its main character.
“From a story line perspective, this continues the story of Jill. It makes sense that through the chapters she progresses with her life,” Bernstein said.
Sandlot’s games also are advancing in their formats. In addition to finding more online outlets, its titles are being introduced for Apple computers, Nintendo DS players and other mobile devices. The company also plans to have “Cake Mania” ready soon for Nintendo’s huge-selling Wii console.
Russian-born Bernstein, 37, started in the video game industry as a music composer for games, thanks to his classical music talent and academic background. After moving up the ranks of a number of game companies, he launched Sandlot out of his house six years ago.
It was a case of good timing, as the casual gaming sector has boomed since then. The Casual Games Association estimates 200 million people a month play casual games, and the industrywide revenue now tops $2 billion annually.
Casual games’ first audience tended to be women older than 30 — players not targeted by makers of big-budget, violent video games. But Bernstein says the range of players is expanding fast.
“What you really have is games for everybody, not just women, or children,” he said.
While it’s easy to try out Sandlot’s games for free, the company’s main source of revenue is from serious players who pay for game downloads. As more people play them, however, the opportunity exists for adding revenue from embedded advertising, Bernstein explained.
In the meantime, the profitable firm also got a recent boost from a new shot of investment cash, though Bernstein doesn’t talk details about the privately held company’s finances.
Last year was an expansion year, as the Sandlot settled into bigger office space in Bothell’s Canyon Park Corporate Center and hired staff.
“So this year, we’re focusing again on the games,” said Bernstein, who still composes much of the music for Sandlot’s games.
In addition to “Cake Mania 3,” Sandlot recently released “Glyph 2.” Later this year, “Westward 3” — a series set in the Wild West — is scheduled for release.
And, even though “Cake Mania 3” isn’t officially out yet, Bernstein confirms there has been thought to the next edition.
“There most definitely will be a ‘Cake Mania 4,’” he said.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com. Check out his technology blog at heraldnet.com/techblog.
Sandlot Games Corp.
Headquarters: Bothell
Founded: 2002
CEO: Daniel Bernstein
Employees: 50, divided between Bothell and St. Petersburg, Russia
Popular titles: Cake Mania, Westward, Tradewinds
Web site: www.sandlotgames.com
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