For our game Idle Miner Tycoon, we have shipped an update almost every week since its launch in 2016. Last weekend we shipped (well, technically flew) our hard-working team to the Spanish island of Tenerife, where we stocked up on resources that we believe are necessary for us to continue to deliver the best possible gaming experience to our players: friendship, receptiveness, a deep understanding of our company’s values, and of course, relaxation and fun.
To reward ourselves for the past months of exceptionally hard work, we decided to make the trip as comfortable as possible: A five-star hotel with great food, a pool, and a beach within walking distance turned out to be just the right compensation.
They offer an aqua-zumba class? We joined out of curiosity and because pool noodles are awesome, and left with seriously sore muscles.
Cheers to all of us!
Drinks at the hotel bar enhanced creativity and communication during night times. You think you know your colleagues? Not until you have fiercely argued for your life in a game of Werewolf, trying not to blow your cover.
Building great teams.
Whoever thought team building exercises are the boring mandatory part of a company trip, where adults play games designed for children, was proven wrong. Resting a stick on everyone’s fingers, and lowering it to the ground sounds easy — but it is in trying to avoid losing contact with the stick that makes it a challenge! Have you ever tried guiding a group of people through the process of folding an intricate piece of origami, using nothing but words? Whether successfully completed or not, the challenges allowed us to interact and connect with team members across departments, and formed new friendships along the way.
Enjoying the ocean view from the deck of a catamaran.
The “50 percent chance of seeing dolphins” that our catamaran ride was advertised with turned out to be more than just a marketing strategy, and we actually got to see these majestic animals from up close — a first time for most of us subterranean types!
Co-CEO Janosch addressing the team.
Co-CEOs Daniel and Janosch took the chance to dig deep down to the core of Kolibri Games. Sure, we believe in people, players, results, learning, and creating value, but what do these core values really mean? Where do they come from? And how do we live by them? Their presentation sparked lively discussions — the amazing buffet was no longer the most important thing during the lunch that followed.
All of us enjoyed pausing for a little while and taking a deep breath. No matter how much we love satisfying our players, only by occasionally digging up something for ourselves, will we be able to keep delivering amazing results and pursue our goal to become the most player-centric games company in the world.
