Is what I now want to kinda yell multiple times a day. Because it just sounds so damned cool! And it’s fun to say! Try it. WELCOME TO THE HOUSE OF FURY!!!
See?
Anyway. Yeah. The House of Fury. Where we now reside. We had to move as we’ve now outgrown our old Hangout at Gamla Stan in Stockholm. We’ll miss that place but for the future of Fury, we ended up needing a whole house, located on Södermalm in Stockholm, the hotbed of the Swedish game development scene. Because somehow, over the last couple of years, Raw Fury has grown to close to 40 people, spread around 5 countries and two continents. Crazy.
Growing up
I can freely admit that this feels both exciting and a little scary. Back in the beginning of 2015, when we set up shop, the idea was that Raw Fury would be this cute little thing. Like a puppy. Cuddly and all. But then it turned out we were on to something with this whole “Treat people like they are people” approach. Who knew that would be a good idea?
So, we started realizing that we might have an impact beyond just being able to prolong our own lives in this industry, working with brilliant people on games we thought were magic. We started seeing that Raw Fury could become a brand and a force for positive change in an industry that has – for way too long – often pitted developers and publishers against each other.
To put it simply, we saw the power of building positive and healthy relationships.
But staying true
So, this puppy has grown up. Over the last year we’ve taken on some of the sweetest and smartest investors in the industry. We purchased the Kingdom IP from its creator, Thomas Van Den Berg, and did it such a way that it was a complete win-win for both – thus hopefully providing a new template of how developers and publishers can work together to establish mutual trust, respect and yes – friendship. Where the creative torch is handed over in a way that benefits everyone.
Additionally, we’ve grown as we started seeing too many games that were just pure magic and we simply had to figure out a way to work with the amazing developers behind them. This meant finding new Furies to help us ensure that we would stay true to not neglecting any developer.
And then, on top of moving into The House of Fury at the beginning of September, we also opened a new studio in Zagreb, Croatia at the same time. There we have already started building up a kickass team that enables us to offer our developers direct support with anything technical – like porting, code optimization, feature development, test and deployment automation, API integrations, and more. The Croatian team will also help with further development of the Kingdom franchise. But I’m getting ahead of myself. More on Fury Studios (hint hint) later. Another blog post. Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.
So yeah. A lot is happening. And when things move fast, nothing is as important as staying true to who you are. That you keep your principles intact. So, what are ours exactly?
The Tenets of Fury
- Treat People like People
It sounds super simple. But sadly, so many businesses have lost track of this over the years. The very simple truth of the basics of human interaction; trust and respect. Add the word “mutual” and magic ensues. This is what we believe in, both within the Fury family but also in all our relationships. With the developers we work with to our partners, they are part of the Fury family. Hello all ? Internally, this is – for example – reflected in our belief that people should be able to conduct their work as best suits them. That means they can work when they want, how they want, and from where they want. Transparency, mutual respect, and trust are the basis of making this work. And it works. Who knew treating people like people could be such a good idea? - For happiness, over profit
Yeah, I get it. This one is tough to swallow. After all, Raw Fury is a business. But you know what? It is part of our DNA. We work with people we like, focus on happiness, and believe money comes as a derivative of people feeling happy and motivated to do their best work… because they want to. Controversial? Maybe. Working. Yes. - Games are art
In our mind this is a fact. Games, along with movies, books, music, artwork… they are an artform. They can touch people. To change minds and hearts. They can transmute an idea into something new. Elevate the human spirit and work as inspiration to become and be better. They are an expression of our collective humanity. They show us the best and the worst of who we are. Just like any other artform. And it is our charge to not only view them so but treat them so.
Good guys finish first
And here we finally are, at the end of this wordy blog post. But the end is important.
There’s a view on anything commercial, that it somehow encapsulates evil. Okay… maybe not evil but the lesser traits in us. Greed and narcissism included. Raw Fury is an experiment. An attempt to show that you can be kind and trusting and try to always do the right thing and you can still be successful. This is the fundamental underpinning of the Tenets of Fury. Or the core. Or whatever word we use. Way too often we focus on the negative and toxic parts of the gaming culture that we have collectively created. And the focus is there because there is truth to it. But we believe that there is a silent majority of gamers out there that think like us. That are open minded, liberal, and inclusive. That want games to reflect the best of us, not the worst. That see games as a medium of hope in a world that has – in my personal view – gone a little bleak in the last few years. A way to transcend and to connect with humanity – just like all the other artforms allow us to do.
After all, art is our way to express ourselves and understand ourselves. As humans. As these incredible beings made of space dust, hopes, and dreams.
And that’s it, really. I hope you’ll see that even as we grow, we still hold true to our beliefs. And I would like nothing more than get as many of you to join us on a journey to a bright future. Where games – along with all permutations of our artistic side – are seen as our collective legacy and shout into the universe, as we try to become better together.
Jonas Antonsson, Founder, Raw Fury