The newly established game studio Right Nice Games was yesterday named the winner of “Best Pitch” in the premiere of the entrepreneur program STING Test Drive Game. The jury consisted of Daniel Kaplan (Mojang) and Karl Magnus Troedsson (Raw Fury, previously DICE) and three other industry experts. Right Nice Games also won the People’s Choice Award.

– My hope is that this will be the start of our career in the gaming industry. Within a few months, we will have our release on the console platforms and PC, which we are very proud but also nervous about, says Kevin Martinez, co-founder and CEO of Right Nice Games.

The jury was composed by Daniel Kaplan (Mojang), Karl Magnus Troedsson (Raw Fury, previously DICE), Oskar Burman (Fast Travel Games), Tau Petersson (Stunlock Studios) and Stefan Ljungqvist (Goodbye Kansas) who also handed out a price of SEK 10 000 to the winner. The motivation read:

For a crisp and clear presentation and a new approach to a classic product formula that creates nostalgia and appeals to a niche market segment where there is an appetite for new products. This team has already achieved a polished product that we hope will inspire many young gamers in the future.

During the fall, 10 carefully selected teams participated in the opening round of STING’s entrepreneur program Test Drive Game, and during seven evening workshops had the opportunity to test drive and develop their ideas. The workshops have been held together with a number of strong partners who contributed with their own knowledge: Avalanche Studios, Future Games, Paradox Interactive, KM Troedsson/Raw Fury, London Venture Partners, Resolution Games and Goodbye Kansas.

– Goodbye Kansas supports STING Test Drive Game because it is extremely important that we capture talent early on. The program helps to educate and ensure a continued positive development for the Swedish games industry in a global market. We are extremely pleased to contribute our many years of experience, network and support during and after the Test Drive program, says Peter Levin, founder and CEO of Goodbye Kansas.

The goal of the program is to produce more game-related companies. The participating startups have been innovative game-related business ideas within virtual reality, mobile and PC games, but also gamification of more traditional products and services.

– The ten cases have shown incredible progress in just three months. We have also learned a lot ourselves from these talented and motivated entrepreneurs, and it is incredibly great to see that there is a big desire from senior industry experts to support them and provide knowledge. We look forward following the companies’ developments, says Jana Palm, one of the program leaders at STING Test Drive Game.

STING Test Drive Game is also led by Jonas Lindqvist, serial entrepreneur and former business coach.

> Do you also have an idea you’d like to develop? Read more about our Test Drive program here