Thursday, December 22, 2016
Reflections on 2016: Josh Yguado, Jam City
This holiday season, we are sharing the reflections on 2016 from Southern California's technology community. The first contribution we have is from Josh Yguado, the co-founder, President, and COO of mobile games maker JamCity. You'll be able to see all the many 2016 reflections here as they are posted, up through the end of the year.
What's was biggest news from you or your firm this year?
Josh Yguado: 2016 was a big year for us. An incredible team joined the Jam City family by way of acquiring TinyCo, and we also added Family Guy and Marvel Avengers Academy titles to our portfolio of games. We also announced that we are creating a Peanuts game, featuring all of the beloved characters like Snoopy, Charlie Brown and more.
We are so excited to share that Jam City now has 6 mobile games in the Top 100 grossing charts - only 2 other game companies can claim that. Additionally, we are fast approaching the 1 billion game download mark!
What's the biggest lesson you learned this year?
Josh Yguado: Strive for consistency and quality to get you over the finish line. We have had 5 years of 100% year over year growth - that doesn't come from a few lucky wins.
What's your favorite technology gadget, device, or innovation you ran across this year?
Josh Yguado: Love Go-Tennas for off the grid communication, love the Ring doorbell , FaceSwap App and Beats Wireless Earbuds.
Finally, what do you think will have the biggest impact on the technology industry in 2017?
Josh Yguado: Specific to the gaming world, we will see the continuous rise of Messenger Apps, Live and Spectator mobile game experiences. Additionally, we will see the tides shift in storytelling within mobile games, with a focus on creators out of Los Angeles.
Josh Yguado is co-founder, COO and President of Jam City, where he’s overseen the mobile game developer’s exponential growth and global expansion. During his time leading the company with co-founders Chris DeWolfe and Aber Whitcomb, Jam City’s gaming portfolio has repeatedly dominated the top grossing charts of Apple’s, Google’s and Amazon’s app stores. Before launching Jam City, Josh was Vice President at Fox Entertainment, where he worked at the intersection of Hollywood and technology. Among other work there, Josh helped Fox in its acquisition of MySpace, its creation of Hulu and its launch of new television networks. His career also includes working at MTV Networks and Univision. Among other honors, SoCalTech named Josh one of its top 50 most influential people in Southern California’s technology industry. A board member of The Young Turks, he received his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Harvard University. He lives in Los Angeles with his family.