I went to an event last thursday on bvd St-Laurent, expecting a democamp-style presentation, instead discovering that the Akoha team did in fact organized a party. If I didn’t meet technology people, I would have thought this was the launch of a movie or a party thrown by a pop star. Austin Hill invited rock singer David Usher, cameras and video cameras were there, drinks and fancy snacks were provided, all in an upscale and trendy bar.
Add that to the pre-screening of attendees and a frieNDA, and also the fact that nobody really knew what the hell these guys were doing, and we have all the ingredients for buzz and excitement.
When the entrance closed, Austin Hill presented to the audience Akoha, telling the project’s story, how he met the co-founders, a bit of personal story, lots of illustrations, a rant about meaningless video games, and then presented the product …
… which I can’t tell you about, since it’s so secret .. I am not sure what books he read, or what previous experiences he had to think about this, or which PR agent guided him on this strategy; but this was very efficient since it drove most conversations I overheard at the party …
… I can tell you though that the concept is very new. Here’s a quote from their (public) blog for those who weren’t there:
Play it forward with us
Playing with others is so much more fun than playing by yourself. The social nature of play and the connectivity of the Internet creates a new platform for social fun. By combining the power of play and the social nature of communities, we dream of new types of play that can both enlighten and uplift players to view the world in novel ways.
Akoha is scheduled to launch worldwide and publicly next month. Until then, it’s playtested by the Montreal Tech community :-) and Akoha’s friends, with access only to those who went to the private event.
All in all, a great start for the Akoha team; congrats to every one of them for reaching this milestone.
PS: if you have any picture of the event, leave a comment; i’d love to include a few of them
Comments
Austin Hill August 31, 2008
We really appreciated the turn out, the great feedback and questions and most of all the great bug reports we are getting from our early players.
We are looking forward to working with the community to make Akoha a fun addition to peoples lives.
Robin Millette August 31, 2008
Funny story: Heri saw my tweet saying I was on my way to the party and found himself on my route. We had a long chat as we walked to the party. But I quickly lost sight of him there, so many people I hadn’t seen in a long time. Thanks for the chat Heri! Sorry I lost you so soon as we got there.
Simon Law August 31, 2008
Heri August 31, 2008
Austin and Simon, great work guys, I’ve wrote a couple of comments on akoha.com
Jerome Paradis August 31, 2008
I’m also very glad to now be in the know. I think Akoha really has a killer concept. I can’t wait to see the buzz and followers Akoha will generate when it publicly launch!
Christian Laforte September 01, 2008
Christian Laforte
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