In the latest Gamesforum Faces Behind the Fun, I caught up with the Eric Alayoubi, Director, Community and VIP at Scopely, on relocating during the pandemic, community management and embracing life in Barcelona.

Hi Eric Alayoubi, thanks for taking the time to talk today; tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Scopely.

I’m incredibly lucky to work in an industry that allows me to be my authentic self. I love that the conventional definition of professional I was taught in business school doesn’t always apply here. I often make the joke that my job allows me to have tattoos and swear a lot - which it does - but it’s so much more. The work we do allows our team to create moments and build relationships with people around the world. Unlike console and PC, mobile games can go almost everywhere with our players and as a result the connections that form often become much more intimate. My current role at Scopely, Director of Community and VIP, allows me to lean into this and ensure these relationships become embedded in our products. We want our players to be with us for years, and this is a great way to help accomplish our goal.

Personally, I’m a new dad so sleep deprived pretty much sums it up. I’m loving it though!

Are you a Tea of Coffee person?

Coffee. Black. See: sleep deprived

What does a typical day look like for the Director, Community and VIP at Scopely look like?

A few months back we changed the format of our morning huddle to give the team more autonomy over their schedules and one less Zoom meeting if they desired. Now instead of a mandatory daily stand up, we have an optional coffee chat every morning. We spend 10-15 min talking about anything and everything. The time is still spent on Zoom so while it will never replace the connections that are made in a traditional office setting, we’ve found that it’s a great low pressure way to start the day. After that there’s not much else typical or routine in a given day. We work with teams in multiple countries all over the world, have an incredibly diverse portfolio, and Scopely’s growth is just mind blowing; every day presents exciting challenges.

How has player and community management changed during your time career at companies including King, Big Fish and now Scopely?

Players have more choices than ever and almost zero barriers to entry when they want to download a new game. So if you want to keep players around you need to understand and listen to them, learn what they like and dislike about your game, and most importantly ensure they’re having fun. Over the years I’ve found that good game makers have an equal amount of focus on the three P’s - People, Product and Players. You need great people to make great products which then become great experiences for your players. The players’ feedback and interactions with the product are then brought back to the people who can iterate on the product to make it better for the players. And so on and so on. Enter the Community Manager. The community manager is directly in the middle of the three, facilitating the flow of information between the groups, ensuring everyone has what they need. The only way they can successfully accomplish this is with strong relationships and a good understanding of the business. The industry has evolved. Community Management efforts need to be intentional to be effective. 

Moving to Scopely meant moving from Seattle to Barcelona. What have you most enjoyed about the change of scenery?

True story. We arrived March 9th, 2020 and the country was placed on lockdown March 12th. A few weeks later we learned we were pregnant... in the middle of the lockdown. Needless to say our time here has been way different than we could ever have imagined and we really haven’t had an opportunity to take in much of the scenery. But it’s not all babies and lockdown. I still find the time to get on my bicycle a few times a month and explore while being super socially distant. Solo rides through the hills of Catalonia or along the Mediterranean Sea will always have a special place in my heart.

How have you found adapting to a new role whilst relocating in the middle of a pandemic?

Honestly the work part was easy. We were still in lockdown when I started and I was just thrilled to have something to do and new people to interact with. On top of that, our people team here in Barcelona did a great job transitioning the entire operation to wfh and as a result onboarding was super smooth.

I’ll always miss the interaction that comes from an office setting but the really cool, interesting thing I found was that people were willing to try harder to build relationships. Everyone was committed to making it work. It was just special.

Besides the weather, what do you miss most about Seattle?

Gamesforum Seattle obviously.

Thanks for the plug! How did you first get into the mobile games industry?

This is one of my favorite stories and it’s way better in person. If anyone reading this is interested let’s connect on LinkedIn, or when it’s safe to do so find each other at a convention, grab a round and share stories.

What was your favourite game growing up and what mobile game are you playing at right now?

Growing up Super Mario 3 was just next level. It was the first game that I actually felt good at. And right now, it’s either Clash Royale (just got my five year badge) or Star Trek: Fleet Command - the team working on the game is one of my favorites here at Scopely. 

What gaming trend are you most excited by In 2021?

There’s a lot to be excited for this year but I’m most excited for the return of marketing that requires you to have a better understanding of your players. With IDFA deprecation, I think you’ll see functions such as consumer insights, community management, as well as brand and product marketing become increasingly more important to every aspect of the funnel. Expectations will be huge but this will ultimately lead to bigger opportunities for our field.

Eric Alayoubi thanks for your time, it's a pleasure speaking with you as always.