CEO & Co-Founder Mark Ladd Discusses Lyteshot
Lyteshot has envisioned a unique perspective that can reshape how we currently view mobile gaming. The concept takes the concept of live-action gaming that combines wireless and cloud-based technology to create a more modern-day equivalent of the classic Lasertag pastime. Its Kickstarter page is now in full swing, and they've won the hearts at CES 2015. In short, there's plenty of promise with Lyteshot.
Lyteshot is passionate about getting individuals to embrace a new platform that encourages you to get active. Social. And requires you to put behind the desire of being a couch potato. Could this product truly become the newest iconic product for the new millennia crowd?
Only time will tell. To help us gain a better understanding, we reached out to the Mark Ladd, CEO and co-founder of Lyteshot to discuss the company's bold new frontier of interactive gaming.
What was the inspiration behind the product?
Lyteshot got started when I watched my kids playing games, and thought how different it was from the games I played when I was kid. I like playing video games with my children, and am blown away by all the technology in use for it, but it remains a relatively insular experience, and doesn’t take advantage of what is going on in the real world around us. In contrast, when I was a kid, we didn’t have any of the technology, but we did run around outside, interacting with all sorts of other children, and I feel like that is an important part of childhood. Rather than trying to fight all this technology, which I believe is a losing battle, I started trying to find ways to use all of the technology to connect people with each other, playing games in the real world, and that really is the birth of the LyteShot platform.
Are there any major developers supporting this platform?
We’re still early in the platform’s lifecycle, so there are partnerships that we have that I can’t mention yet, but the next game we’re working on, Invasion, is actually designed by the co-creators of Humans Vs. Zombies. We’re also working extensively with Epson, and we were partnered with them as a developer at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Since our platform is open, we’re hoping to see more people come to our platform to explore new kinds of games and gaming, and we’re sure some of those players who aren’t major now will become the new major developers as the Internet Of Things becomes commonplace.
What games have been planned?
We have 2 games in the works now, besides Assassin, which is already available. The first, Invasion, I mentioned earlier, and it’s a cooperative tower defense game you play, in the real world, with your friends. The second, Besieged, is a capture-the-flag/domination style game similar to what you would play in a first person shooter on the PC or consoles. We have more planned, and we’ll release more details of those titles soon.
What mobile platforms will this be on?
Right now, our platform runs on iOS and Android, as long as it is a Bluetooth Smart enabled device. For iPhones, this means the iPhone 4S and can play our games. For Android, it depends on the device, but it does need to be an Android 4.2 or newer version of the operating system to play. Although we only support iOS and Android for the moment, we’re interested in adding support for Windows Mobile, and we can run on any mobile platform that Bluetooth Smart support, so the future is open.
What are the recommended hardware requirements to make the Lyteshot product work effectively?
You only need an iPhone or Android phone that supports Bluetooth Smart/Bluetooth Low-Energy. For iPhones, it requires an iPhone 4S or newer, and for Android you need to have the hardware support for Bluetooth Smart and be running on an Android 4.2 or newer device. You currently also need the Lyter and the LytePuck to play all the roles in each game, but you can try our games out and play them in limited roles without the hardware. This will also allow you to play with other people who may not have purchased the LyteShot hardware.
