We are a team of multidisciplinary talents with a drive to deliver deep and meaningful gameplay experiences on PC and Mobile.

Solid Clouds

Today we continue our conversations with the Solid Clouds team members by having an interview with Stefan Fridriksson, the CPO of the team.  
 
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#### What are your responsibilities at Solid Clouds?
I could summarize it as me overseeing the direction of our game, but to be more specific, as the head of product, I manage the design team and am responsible for the overall quality of game design, monetization design and user experience.
I am also involved in the marketing of the game, because mobile games do a lot of performance marketing, where the design of the marketing and of the game itself have to be very aligned. There are even examples of successful mobile marketing having a direct impact on gameplay changes, like for the game Homescapes from Pixonic, which is one of the highest grossing mobile games of recent years.

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#### What sets your game apart from others in the same genre?
Firstly, the tactical nature of the gameplay, which blends together traditional turn based squad rpg mechanics and placement based mechanics similar to autochess. On top of that, we have the Abyss, which is a near-endless gamemode with a huge amount of semi-randomly generated content which changes every month.
 
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#### What are the next steps for Starborne: Frontiers?
First and foremost is to globally release our newest game, Frontiers. Most mobile games are first released in a so-called soft launch, where the game is released in a handful of countries without much marketing. This is so that we can collect data on how players use the game and make decisions about what to improve before we fully release the game. What makes this job and the mobile game industry so interesting is that you are constantly learning and improving. When a game is released, that is just the beginning. After that, we apply data science and AB testing to the game and the marketing, with each iteration improving the whole product.
 
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#### How do you balance the need for monetization with providing a fun and engaging experience for players?
That depends on the type of game you are making. In our case, with Starborne: Frontiers, we start by making a great journey that takes a long time to complete. Then we allow those who would rather skip to the end to spend some money to make that journey faster and more convenient.
 
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#### How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in the mobile gaming industry?
Mostly I just play the biggest titles from our competitors and try out new games and games in soft launch. I also listen to the “Deconstructor of fun” podcast and browse LinkedIn to see what other people in the industry are sharing.
 
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#### What have been the most challenging projects for you lately?
When the whole company I worked for (Rovio) switched to fully working from home during Covid, I was the game lead for Angry Birds Match. Moving all of our processes and meetings to remote while keeping up morale in the team was very challenging. We decided early on to minimize 1 on 1 chats (in Slack) and instead talked more in shared channels with specific topics. This was to replicate the team environment at the office, where you are often pulled into short chats about certain problems or solutions.
 
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#### What are your main interests?
I’ve always enjoyed videogames and the collectible card game Magic: the Gathering, which is actually also a video game these days. But what I spend the most time on is audiobooks and podcasts. If I am doing any activity that doesn’t require much thinking, like walking, taking the bus or doing household chores, I’m always listening to something at the same time, with a strong preference for non-fiction and sci-fi / fantasy. I also play basketball every week and follow the NBA.
 
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#### What book has had the most impact on you?
That has to be Flow, the psychology of optimal experience, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He was a pioneer in the study of happiness and creativity. Flow taught me a lot about both game design and also about how to live your life in the present and be happy.
 
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#### What is your morning routine like?
It really depends on the day. On most work days, I start with a cup of coffee while preparing breakfast for my two boys. Then when they leave for school, I take a shower and then have more coffee (yes, I have a coffee problem) while taking a look at the NBA results from last night. After that, I go to work.
 
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#### What is your favorite city?
Reykjavik without a doubt. After traveling widely and living in Atlanta for two and a half years and then Helsinki for over 9 years, I still feel most comfortable in my home town of Reykjavik. I did miss some huge changes that resulted from the tourism boom, so many things have changed, but it’s still my favorite.


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Interview with Starborne: Frontiers Product Director, Stefan Fridriksson

As the holiday season approaches, we at Solid Clouds would like to take a moment to wish all of our beloved followers Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.
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We have a lot to be proud of this year, from the work we've done on Starborne: Frontiers, to the positive response to what's been revealed so far. 
We've also had several new people join our ranks and have made huge progress on the game, which we couldn't have done without the support of our dedicated team and loyal followers.
We are filled with excitement for the year to come, and have some amazing updates and developments planned. We can't wait to share all the fun with you.
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As a gift we would like to show you a reveal for   
[Starborne: Frontiers (click me)](https://youtu.be/PyYVRhzeS6c)  
[![cinematic intro](https://starbornecdn.azureedge.net/media-images/misc/Cinematic-intro.png)](https://youtu.be/PyYVRhzeS6c)
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We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for your continued support and dedication to our games. 
It is because of players like you that we are able to do what we love every day.
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Warmest wishes,

Solid Clouds Team


![SantaWilly](https://starbornecdn.azureedge.net/media-images/misc/SantaWilly.png)

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Happy Holidays

The Technology Development Fund in Iceland held an bi-yearly meeting on December 12th.   
Solid Clouds' Chairman of the board, Sigurlína Ingvarsdóttir and  CFO, Stefán Þór Björnsson participated in the event.  
The main objective of the fund is to support research and development activities, which aim towards innovation in Icelandic industry.  
The Technology Development Fund issues its calls for proposals twice a year and provide grant for the most perspective proposals.   
Its target groups are individuals, universities, business enterprises and public institutions.  
Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation opened the meeting.  
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![Stefán Þór Björnsson speaking](https://starbornecdn.azureedge.net/media-images/irdf/IRDF2.jpg
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*"It was great honor for two members of the Solid Clouds team to be invited as speakers of the bi-yearly conference of the Icelandic Research Development fund which is the most respected grant institution in Iceland",*   
says Stefán Gunnarsson, the CEO of Solid Clouds
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**Agenda:**  
Opening of the meeting: &nbsp;&nbsp; *Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Minister of Universities, Industry and Innovation*  
Impact assessment of the Technology Development Fund: &nbsp;&nbsp; *Sigurður Óli Sigurðsson, head of Ranni's research and innovation department*  
Micro story: &nbsp;&nbsp; *Solid Clouds - Stefán Þór Björnsson, CFO of Solid Clouds*  
Micro story:  &nbsp;&nbsp;*Sævíli - Eyjólfur Reynisson, project supervisor*  
Autumn distribution of the Technology Development Fund 2022: &nbsp;&nbsp; *Sigurlína Ingvarsdóttir, investor, consultant and board member*  
Moderator:  &nbsp;&nbsp;*Ágúst H. Ingþórsson, director of Rannís*  
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[Click here](https://vimeo.com/780389394?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=135524262) for the full recording of the event.
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![Sigurlína Ingvarsdóttir speaking](https://starbornecdn.azureedge.net/media-images/irdf/IRDF3.jpg)



Solid Clouds

Company News

Interview with Starborne: Frontiers Product Director, Stefan Fridriksson

Happy Holidays

Icelandic Research Development Fund 2022

Press Releases

Investor Announcements