Spotlight On: Miharo Games

NYC residents all have their own tale of hardship and sacrifice. Living in the shadow of the Big Apple, everyone must carve out his or her bite. Emigrating from Turkey ten years ago, Orchun Koroglu landed in New York ready to take his own sampling of sweet NYC success.

Koroglu made the rent with a background in graphic design, but his long-standing interest in game design continued to grow. His days filled with business cards and posters, he spent his evenings fantasizing about the life of a game developer.

"I am really happy with my background, but I've always wanted to make games for myself," Koroglu said. "So I took some serious steps to make that happen. I have a dream I'm trying to bring to life."

In 2009, Koroglu realized the beginning of that dream and opened Miharo Games. With the help of friends and contacts, the company released four titles last year: Kludge, Coin Soccer, Elliptic Twist and Sack Sack. As an emerging company, Koroglu admits Miharo did not have the money to pay a staff. In place of a salary, he traded percentages of project revenues for work.

"Nobody does something for nothing," Koroglu said. "I needed talented people. So I told them that they could make some money through sharing the project revenue and have a good addition to their portfolio and I got a really positive response."

So far, the games are doing well, and Coin Soccer, Miharo's second game, spent some time on the App Store's "Hot New Game" list in September. A good start, but it is not over yet. Koroglu has plans for Miharo that include taking the company beyond mobile gaming.

"Our first three games were iPhone games because they are kind of easy to do once you learn the process," Koroglu said. "Mobile games are a good start, but I really want to do something for PC and console."

Before his new life as director of Miharo, Koroglu was an accomplished graphic designer dreaming of a different life. He started his gaming education with the Unreal Editor packaged with the game, Unreal Tournament. In his free time, he used the Unreal Editor to create original levels, and studied other 2D and 3D programs. Eventually, Koroglu "leveled-up" and started taking classes in the School of Game Art at Sessions Online.

"I checked out the program and noticed that the professors were all successful game designers," Koroglu said. "So I signed up and started learning the technical part of game development. They taught me a lot."

After completing the online courses, he landed gigs with local developers including Canned Bananas and Sonic Boom Games creating mobile games and applications. Years into his career, with a handy toolbox of experience and skill at his side, Koroglu opened Miharo Games. He knows there is much work ahead, but is proud of his progress, and is optimistic for other aspiring developers living in the area.

"The West Coast has all the companies and organizations, but there is more potential for start-ups here," Koroglu said. "There is a tremendous amount of technical talent floating around this city. I know if you take the right steps in New York City, you can really make great stuff."

Miharo Games is just one of many thriving game companies in the city. Check back soon for other profiles on the developers in your area.