I’m sure that one way or another, we are all aware of the erotic novel craze that has been 50 Shades of Grey. The concept of romantic novels should not be an uncommon idea for any adult, however; these types of novels have been around since the dawn of civilized time in various forms, though 50 Shades of Grey clearly hit the sweet spot in terms of mass appeal. With proof that the genre is alive and kicking, indie developer Silicon Sisters is planning their own romantic narrative game called Everlove, that will be coming to Android, iOS, PC and Mac soon.
Perhaps most crucially for this new game, Silicon Sisters is a completely women owned and run studio, adopting the “games for us” mission which in the male-dominated space of not only games but games development itself is a really great thing to see. Hopefully, the game will be able to capitalize on this erotic/romantic novel revitalization and further lift the profile of female developers in the games space.
Everlove puts you in control of Rose who is undergoing hypnotic therapy to conquer some of her own issues. In the fantasy village of Heart’s Home, she’ll develop relationships and solve puzzles, and all of your choices will influence Rose’s resolution to her issues as well as the outcome of the game. If this is piquing your interest, visit Everlove’s Facebook page which is up now.
Seeing as 91% of romantic novel readers are female, ladies, are you looking forward to seeing a romantic casual game on Android? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Full Press Release
Introducing Everlove, A Narrative Romance Game Coming to iOS and Android in AugustDeveloped by Silicon Sisters, creators of games “by women, for women,” Everlove is an interactive guilty pleasure for fans of romance novelsVANCOUVER, B.C. – July 24, 2013 – Female-focused development studio Silicon Sisters Interactive is pulling back the curtain on their next project: Everlove, a casual game designed to appeal to the more than 74 million people who read romance fiction each year. An interactive narrative that plays like a romance novel brought to life, Everlove will release for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android in August with versions for PC and Mac to follow. The studio’s co-founder and CEO Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch will show the game for the first time at next week’s Casual Connect conference in San Francisco.In the book industry, romance is a hugely popular genre that yielded sales of $1.438 billion in 2012, according to the Romance Writers of America (http://www.rwa.org) — more than mystery and sci-fi/fantasy novels combined. Romance readers are 91% women, the majority between ages 30-54. This demographic intersects perfectly with the predominantly female audience of casual games.“Look at the splash Fifty Shades of Grey made last year. Romance fiction has a huge audience that no one else in the game industry is trying to reach,” says Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch. “Video games traditionally explore male fantasies: winning a fight, competing in sports, saving the princess. We at Silicon Sisters love some of those games, as do plenty of other women. But a game that specifically delves into female fantasies — what is that game like? That’s a question we’re trying to answer with Everlove.”With a focus on storytelling, character interaction, and lite HOG elements, Everlove puts players in the shoes of a young woman named Rose who has turned to past-life regression to gain insight into her personal problems. Under hypnosis, Rose is transported to the pastoral village of Heart’s Home, where she soon discovers that she has chemistry with several of the locals. While building relationships, uncovering carefully guarded secrets, and navigating personal dramas, players define Rose’s character and choose her path, with the game’s outcome reflecting on the very issues that the modern-day protagonist wants to resolve.Silicon Sisters’ portfolio includes two School 26 games for teen and tween girls, which have had approximately 700k downloads in more than 30 countries. Everlove will be the studio’s first game for adult women.Today Silicon Sisters launched an Everlove Facebook page, where they plan to post more game details and assets leading up to the game’s August release: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Everlove/416015075132982