Interview: Jackbox Games' CEO Mike Bilder On Being "The Digital Parker Brothers"
"Laughter is a big part of what we do," Mike Bilder, CEO of Jackbox Games tells me, and I could probably stop the interview there. Anyone who has ever played Jackbox will know that laughter is what makes the game work, and that it's always funniest when it lets you tell your own jokes. Getting that balance right, Bilder says, is crucial to making each Jackbox game a success.
"We want people to be laughing, and there's a couple different ways to go about that. One is, the game itself is funny, and the material that's being presented is funny. And then the other is to tee up the player to be funny, and allow them to create some of the comedy. It's a bit of a testament to our game directors and our editorial leads, and our writers, honing that craft on how to deliver on a set-up. It's challenging. I think it's one of our secret sauces."
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It's a good answer, so I'm glad I didn't stop the interview after the first sentence. But not all Jackbox games are meant to be funny. You Don't Know Jack is just trivia, whereas The Poll Mine is about understanding - or outthinking - your friendship group. Bilder says that once a new pack is launched, the whole team from every arm of the studio is encouraged to pitch new projects that are then tested out amongst the team to find the strongest ideas. But in order to get the right balance, lots of considerations go into the greenlighting process.
"Once the selection becomes a little more targeted, we always want to have some games that are easily accessible, they're easy to get into, quick to laughs, and you don't have to play them a bunch in order to figure out what the mechanics are," he says.
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