Mini-games in AR: how to create products for an audience of 700 million

What the talk is about

Oleksandr Surnin talks about the emerging niche of augmented reality mini-games in social networks and how his studio builds them for brands. He explains why the niche is growing: more devices that can handle AR, brands' interest in marketing, and a very low entry barrier, since a game opens within seconds from a link. Social networks act as a testing ground where viable mechanics are refined on huge audiences. He walks through the process, from campaign goal and idea to concepts, engine build, packaging and release. The constraints are tight: a 10–15 second session, 2–3 seconds to explain the rules, 2–4 weeks of development, and platform moderation. There is no direct monetization, because the brand pays. He shows cases such as runners, balance games and item-collecting games. Useful for developers and marketers considering AR games in social networks.