CEO / Creative Director at Level Headed Games
Leah Hoyer
Leah Hoyer is the founder and CEO of Level Headed Games, where she and the team are setting a new bar for cooperative online video games. Prior to her new venture, Ms. Hoyer was GM and Vice President of Creative for Wizards of the Coast’s New IP Studio. She has developed and produced television series, video games, and interactive experiences for some of the world’s most beloved entertainment companies (Disney, Xbox, Telltale Games, Bungie) for over twenty years. She is a recognized expert in interactive storytelling and franchise development across various media.
Questions & Answers
What sets you apart from others in your industry?
“We don’t make oatmeal.” At Level Headed, we have six working agreements, and that is probably my favorite. This phrase, which we bring up a lot in meetings, refers to the fact that oatmeal is a breakfast food that most everybody will eat, but very few people LOVE. If given a choice, someone will be much more excited about a Belgian waffle, a full English breakfast, or maybe a mushroom omelet. I personally dislike eggs and I'm allergic to mushrooms, so I would never pick that last one. But other people would and they'd love it. You want people to love your game, not just accept it. Nobody picks the oatmeal game. So we never try to make a game for everybody. We work to identify and understand our target player profiles and always keep their interests at the center of creative decisions. We make strong creative choices aimed at that group. Nothing guarantees success in this industry, but trying to please everyone and making bland decisions will guarantee failure.
Why are you excited about your company/product?
We are in alpha and only half a year away from first revenue. We survey our playtesters and we are getting amazing responses, like this one: " I'm incredibly overjoyed at the idea, prospect, and future of this game. Please, please, PLEASE, continue with the current passion and flavor. I can already see this game heading in all the right directions." Whimpact! fills a void for players who love party games, but want a deeper connection with the world and are motivated by long term progression. It's a deep RPG in a party game wrapper!
