Mark Otero
Mark Otero | |||
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| Born | 1973 Seoul, South Korea | ||
| Nationality | Korean | ||
| Citizenship | South Korea | ||
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Mark Myong-Sik Otero (born 1973) is a Korean-American video game designer and programmer. He is best known for co-founding KlickNation in 2008, making his design debut with Superhero City on Facebook (local news), and then Age of Champions. KlickNation produced free2play, competitive RPG/Strategy for the mid-core to core audiences across diverse themes (superhero, post-apocalyptic, high tech, steampunk) on Facebook, browser, and mobile. Partnered with SyFy Games to co-create new game concepts[1]. KlickNation was acquired by Electronic Arts in Dec 2011 as "EA Bioware Social"[2].
Early Life
Otero was raised in Seoul, South Korea. In the 80's, he was introduced to Dungeons and Dragons by his older brother, and "was a Dungeon Master by age 10"[3]. Ultimate 2, Pool of Radiance, and Baldur's Gate were early influences on Mark.
In 1986, his family moved to Sacramento, CA from South Korea. In 1999, he completed his computer science degree at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS). In 2007, obtained his MBA with marketing concentration at University of California, Davis.
Career
In 2008, Otero co-founded KlickNation, a publisher and designer of RPG/Strategy games for the browser and Facebook. He designed their first game and recruited a small team in launching the title in June 2009[4]. His partner Ken Walton focused on user acquisition and analytics, and Otero focused on game production.
"KlickNation was one of the earlier companies to specialize in social RPGs"[5], their first title was Superhero City an online free2play RPG game. One of the first social games to feature PvP tournaments and guild battles on the Facebook platform. The game’s success would lead to Age of Champions a free2play RPG / Strategy game where the player leads his troops against other players in mass combat. Both games were commercially successful, "one-time highs of 1.3 million and 150,000 respectively"[6], monthly and daily players. The games’ profits grew the small studio to over 70+ employees with offices in Sacramento and San Francisco, CA. The studio also produced Six Gun Galaxy and Starship Command and saw modest success with these titles.
In 2011, rumors of the studio's high user engagement and monetization caught the attention of Electronic Arts, and 2 other companies. After several months of bidding, Electronic Arts acquired the studio under Bioware in Dec 2011. Otero became GM Bioware Social reporting directly to Dr. Ray Muzyka (Bioware co-founder).
In 2013, Otero launched free2play mobile game Heroes of Dragon Age on Apple and Android[7]. In 2014, EA reorganized and his studio’s name changed to EA Capital Games. In 2015, as general manager[8], he launched Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and would go on to gross over $900mm[9] in becoming EA’s most successful mobile game. In 2016, Otero left EA wanting to take a break from game production. EA Capital Games is still located in Sacramento, CA and operates Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes as a live service.
Personal life
Otero lives in Sacramento, CA and has two sons, Tae Joon and Myong-Sik.
Awards
Muiltple Apple and Google Editor’s Choice Awards for Heroes of Dragon Age and Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.
Games
Superhero City, 2009, designer/programmer Age of Champions, 2010, designer/programmer
Starship Command, 2011, general manager
Six Gun Galaxy, 2011, general manager
Age of Immortals, 2011, general manager
Supreme Heroes, 2013, general manager
Heroes of Dragon Age, 2014, general manager
Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, 2015, general manager
References
- ↑ Ng, Jenny (2011-08-15). "Syfy Games set to launch on Facebook with a new partner KlickNation". Yahoo. AOL.
- ↑ Duryee, Tricia (2011-12-01). "Electronic arts Acquires Another Social Game Company as Zynga's IP Nears". AllThingsD. Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Turner, Rob (2012-03-01). "Game Boy". Sactown Magazine.
- ↑ Hong, Anny (2009-07-23). "Gaming Guru". CBS 13. CBS.
- ↑ Eldon, Eric (2011-12-02). "EA Adds Social Game Studio for Hardcore Players with KlickNation Acquisition". TechCrunch.
- ↑ Eldon, Eric (2011-12-02). "EA Adds Social Game Studio for Hardcore Players with KlickNation Acquisition". Techcrunch.
- ↑ Hulegaard, David. "Heroes of Dragon Age Interview: Mark Otero". blog.bioware.com. EA.
- ↑ "Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes". Moby Games.
- ↑ "Highest grossing mobile games". Wikipedia.
External links
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