Review Fix Exclusive: PlayJam CMO Anthony Johnson Discusses the GameStick

January 12, 2013 Patrick Hickey Jr. Video Games 0

Review Fix chats with PlayJam’s Anthony Johnson, who discusses the GameStick an innovative new system that needs just an HDMI cable to run. Bringing Android games to the big screen, the system is currently in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to get the unit into production.

Review Fix: How was this system conceived?

Anthony Johnson: PlayJam has been bringing games to TV for years. We started out on PayTV networks and for the past two years have built the largest, mainly free-to-play games network on Smart TV – a platform which is rapidly evolving in terms of being able to support a rich gaming experience.

Anthony Johnson: GameStick enables us to add a further route to TV by leveraging the Android operating system to bring existing titles to the service as well as providing a platform that we hope will inspire a new generation of affordable games for TV.

Review Fix: How do you think it compares to this current generation of consoles? In terms of graphics, gameplay, ETC.

Johnson: GameStick is not going to replace the X-box any time soon in terms of core gaming but that is not our aim today. We going after the casual to mid-core gamer and there are plenty out there. The mobile games business has shaken up the market so significantly that you can now play amazing games for just a few dollars. We simply want to leverage these, the TV and a fully featured controller to create a console-like games experience without the associated price tag of traditional devices to achieve our fundamental goal – to bring affordable gaming to the big screen.

Review Fix: Is there any online component to the games?

Johnson: It depends on the game. Many will be downloaded in their entirety to the device. Others which require an internet connection will be able to do so through the wireless network. We are also working with some great people to test hybrid streaming technology that will we hope soon enable us to bring some amazing titles to the service.

Review Fix: Have third party developers shown a big interest in the platform?

Johnson: We have been 100% focused on getting the product to where it is now. We are actively engaged with 20 Android developers for GameStick and plan to tap into PlayJam’s Smart TV developer network of over 250 members as soon as we have the dev kits ready.

Review Fix: What is your favorite part of the console?

Johnson: Its simplicity. We love the idea of users being able to take their games with them to a friend’s house to share. What we see as truly social gaming.

Review Fix: Who do you think will get the most out of this system?

Johnson: Casual to mid-core gamers. People who love playing games on their phones but who see the attraction of throwing them up on the big screen.

Review Fix: How are the launch titles for the system unique? How do they highlight the best parts of the system?

Johnson: The launch titles are not unique in that they are existing Android titles, but we hope that GameStick will inspire a new way of thinking amongst developers looking to get on TV.

Review Fix: What are your long-term goals for the console?

Johnson: We hope to continue to innovate with GameStick to see how much further we can push the boundaries while keeping the proposition simple. We have ideas on how we can further simplify the device but right now we are focused on the present.

To visit the Kickstarter page and pledge your support, please visit: http://kck.st/12SSvMO

To visit the GameStick website please go to: www.gamestick.tv

To follow GameStick news, join the conversation and give your opinion on Facebook or Twitter please go:www.facebook.com/GameStickNews and www.twitter.com/Game_Stick / @Game_Stick

To see new videos published throughout the campaign on YouTube please subscribe to:www.youtube.com/GameStickVideos

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13869 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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