It may sound odd to quote a saying from the 14th century in relation to today's hi-tech, multi-billion-dollar gaming industry but…"mighty oaks from small acorns grow".
That's the belief of game developers and IT specialists Carl Du Plessis and partner Hayley Oosthuizen, who are together the founders and entire staff of Carhay Interactive, based in Wellington.
In fact, Carhay Interactive could adapt the saying to something like: "Mighty oaks from small acorns – and Hyperfibre broadband – grow". That's because they are one of the winners of a Chorus competition aimed at helping small-to-medium enterprises make a digital transformation, with a $4000 cash grant and Hyperfibre Small Business installed.
Expressed another way, Du Plessis and Carhay have big dreams but small resources – and the world online gaming industry is full of examples of small companies thinking big and ending up with large rewards.
One New Zealand example is Ninja Kiwi, developers of the cult-classic Bloons series, which was founded by Kiwi brothers Chris and Stephen Harris and his brother, and sold to a Swedish company last year for $250 million. Du Plessis knows of another example: the Player Unknown Battleground (or PUBG), also developed from small beginnings and which has made its developers multi-millionaires.
That kind of rags to riches story is part of what propels Du Plessis and Oosthuizen. Carhay Interactive began life offering various services like building apps, websites, custom PCs, data recovery and back-up, computer repairs and lessons.
But now, with Hyperfibre recently installed, Carhay stand on the brink of a whole new phase for the company, with game development at the heart of it. Du Plessis has already developed a horror-based game called Clown, which is now hosted on the renowned Steam platform, and he is developing another – called Dead Fog.
The New Zealand gaming industry is forecast to grow to a billion dollar industry by 2025. The global game sector comes in at a whopping $250 billion a year – and Du Plessis says it is a matter of developing the right game at the right time and that even unlikely products can suddenly find a global market.
"Look at Angry Birds," he says. "That was one of the really big ones – and it spread by word of mouth. There were millions upon millions of downloads and they [the developers] used that revenue to grow and to build more.
"That's the kind of thing we want to do – and that's why the Hyperfibre and the cash prize are so important to us. We upload a lot of huge files and the Hyperfibre means we can do that in a flash. It's unbelievably fast. You can literally go and make a cup of coffee and come back and it's done – no more waiting for the internet any more.
"It's a big deal for us because it means we can get so much more done and that we have the tools to compete in an industry where speed, stability and bandwidth is so important."
Dean Pointon, Head of Business and Networks at Chorus, says: "As a developer, creating mobile applications and websites as well as game development – it's all data hungry stuff, relying on capacity and speed.
"Hyperfibre Small business means businesses can access connectivity speeds never seen before in New Zealand, or, for that matter, most of the rest of the world. From real-time access to cloud-based applications to transferring large files or capturing and processing large amounts of data - Hyperfibre is designed to help small businesses grow, diversify, innovate and optimise."
Early adopters, he says, are gamers, game developers and content creators "and there is growing awareness Hyperfibre is not just for the big agencies but also for the smaller IT, web and game developers.
"Kiwi businesses increasingly rely on a great broadband connection to get things done. Whether it's selling products and services, issuing invoices, managing payroll, video conferencing or emailing, a reliable connection is non-negotiable and – for small businesses, Hyperfibre is a new competitive advantage."
So don't be surprised if you see Carhay Interactive mixing in the same internet gaming circles as the likes of Ninja Kiwi and PUBG.
Find out more about Hyperfibre here.
Tips to make sure your business broadband is fit for purpose:
- Enough bandwidth – Make an estimate of your data usage based on your current number of employees, how many devices they use and the tasks they perform. Bear in mind your future bandwidth need.
- Data prioritising – Do you have critical online business functions or apps where some critical data needs to be prioritised? It could be worth getting a broadband connection with high traffic class bandwidth so quality connectivity is assured.
- Advanced security requirements – How does your company operate and what sort of external support are you seeking? Do you need to segment your network for IT security and performance? If so, then you'll want a broadband plan that offers transparent VLANs.
- Back-up plan – Do you need an additional fibre connection as back-up if connectivity is lost? Redundant service will allow your business to continue operating without interruption.
To find out more about which specific connection features would best suit your business, check our Chorus' recommendation tool here.