Coolest Franchise Award Goes to GameTruck!
FC’s Coolest Franchise Award Goes to GameTruck! Exclusive Interview with Scott Novis, President and Founder of this Videogame Party Franchise
(Ambrosio’s note: I’ve been doing some research on “under the radar” franchise concepts in the hope of discovering some hidden gems worth featuring on the blog. One of the franchises that really made on impression on me was GameTruck. This is the coolest franchise concept I’ve come across in a long time — and I’m not even a gamer! It just seems like a really fun business to own. It’s my pleasure to share with you this exclusive interview with Scott Novis, President and Founder of GameTruck Franchise Licensing, LLC. In the spirit of fun, I’m naming GameTruck as the recepient of Franchise Chatter’s Coolest Franchise Award for 2011!)
Scott Novis is no stranger to video games nor innovation. His two engineering degrees, 10 issued patents, and nearly a decade of video game development experience give him unique insight and passion in creating innovative business solutions and concepts.
After receiving degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Arizona State University, Scott spent several years working abroad to gain insight and exposure to the global economy. He then spent half a decade working in Motorola’s research labs where he helped develop graphics and display technologies that ultimately resulted in the issuing of his patents.
Attracted by the exciting pace of technology and innovation in the video game space, Scott joined Rainbow Studios as its VP of Development. The studio was responsible for some of the most successful games of the PS2 era, including the birth of the ATV Offroad Fury Franchise. In all, Scott received credit on the development of 13 video games with sales in excess of 20 million units and revenues of $500 million dollars.
Franchise Chatter (FC): Can you tell us the story behind the creation of GameTruck?
Scott Novis (SN): It started when I was at my son’s 4th birthday party. I was at a pizza arcade, one of those places I once heard a comedian describe as “casinos for kids”. The part that really jumped out at me, besides what a miserable experience it was, was the video games. They were so old. I knew the games we made at Rainbow Studios crushed anything you could play in an arcade. So the next day, I dived into trying to figure out how to recreate the experience I remember from being a kid. I wanted to recapture the excitement of playing the best games with your best friends. The result was GameTruck.
FC: How does a GameTruck party actually work?
SN: By appointment, the patented GameTruck Mobile Video Game Theater parks at your event and provides multi-player video gaming entertainment. Serving up to 20 individuals, GameTruck offers 2+ hours of video game fun hosted by our expert GameCoach and conveniently parked just outside your home, office or off-site venue.
The GameTruck Mobile Video Game Theater is completely self-contained and all weather. No rain cancellations! It’s always 75 degrees and dry inside on our comfy 20 ft. long custom couch. We offer a venue for 16 players simultaneously.
We carry all the latest titles for multi-player fun across a broad spectrum of genres (Sports, Music, Adventure and Traditional) for any of the 3 game consoles (Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3). The majority of our 50+ titles are rated Everybody and Teen, but we have it all. For older girls and boys, we link all 4 of our HD 240-HZ screens for 16-player Halo Battle or 8-player Black Ops!
FC: In the spring of this year, you appointed Mary Lynn Kelly, the creator of Arizona’s Challenger Learning Center, as your Education Division Director. What are your plans for this education division?
Believe it or not, we are still very focused on video gaming. I break video games into two segments. Sports games and education games. A well designed video game has more in common with education than movies, books, or music. Why? Because the gamer must participate.
A game — like a learning system — holds the player in a regiment of competency. It’s a complex pattern that stimulates the brain the way the brain likes to learn.
Sports games, on the other hand (and I don’t mean basketball or football), are about eliminating the regiment of competency so we can focus on the one pattern we are genetically predisposed to be endlessly fascinated with — people. Sports lock down all the rules so we can focus on the participants.
If you look at video games this way, you see that games like Halo and Call of Duty are nothing but basketball with guns. GameTruck created a sports video game industry. If we can take one tiny sliver of the video game market and turn it into a successful birthday party business, why can’t we take the core of what games are and revolutionize education?
It’s simple, really — our interactive events leverage kids’ passion for video games to learn in new and exciting ways that save schools money, make teachers’ lives easier, and most of all create a lasting impression on the student.
FC: Can you describe the target market for GameTruck and how big is the market potential for your business?
I realized after starting the business that the core of a GameTruck event is not only about playing the best games with your best friends. There is a
value for the parents as well. In short, what is it worth for a Mom to have her son at home, with all of his friends, having the time of his life, safe, and most important of all, not in her house?
We think there is tremendous opportunity in this country for kids to come together and play together with our patented system. I believe we can serve anyone who has outgrown a bounce house, all the way up to adults who still want to game together.
Franchise Chatter (FC): Who do you consider to be your competitors in this space and what are some of your advantages over them?
Scott Novis (SN): We’ve had a lot of companies jump on the bandwagon, and claim they do exactly what we do, but I still believe our biggest competitor is the pizza arcade. We also need to do a better job of appealing to girls. Video games have always struggled with this, but there have never been more games that appeal to all ages and genders than now.
FC: Can you describe the ideal franchisee for a GameTruck business?
SN: There really is no “certain type” of ideal franchisee. One must have the desire and drive to promote and execute parties and events. We are still very new and we aren’t a household name just yet. We are national however, occupying over 25 states. We also operate in Lagos, Nigeria.
So our franchisees must be committed to explore opportunities that will help them gain exposure as quickly and consistently as possible. Word of mouth will propel this excitement, so the franchisee must be driven.
Comfort with B2B is a good attribute to promote large format events. You don’t have to be a “gamer”, but you will need to hire a GameCoach that possesses those skills. Most of all, the ideal candidate needs to be ready to have some fun! GameTruck is a really fun business model.
FC: What specific steps do your most successful franchisees take in order to build and grow their respective GameTruck businesses?
SN: Our top franchisees do three things. First, they work in and on their businesses every day. GameTruck is really amazing in how quickly people have come in and ramped up. It can lull you to sleep in a way. The best owners are relentless in their focus on their business.
Secondly, they are just as passionate about their company’s reputation as their own. They really focus on building word of mouth, throwing a great party and making sure people have a great experience to talk about afterwards.
Finally, they promote their business. They make sure everyone knows who they are and what they do. There’s a saying that all marketing is local. Making sure everyone knows who you are and what you do is one of the keys we have seen to success.
FC: Can you tell us a bit about the initial investment and continuing expenses to operate a GameTruck business? What is the profit potential?
SN: Profit potential is established by many factors including debt and operating expenses. GameTruck will help you organize the operations of your business to be as effective as possible.
GameTruck LLC offers franchise licenses with a term of 10 years. License renewal is available upon completion of the 10 year term. GameTruck charges a onetime licensing fee of $7,500. In addition, a franchisee selects the Primary Area of Responsibility (PAR) with a minimum size of 150K people. GameTruck has a formula to calculate the cost of that exclusive territory. You can design a territory as large as you see fit.
Normal operating costs combined with a monthly royalty fee will comprise your expenses. No brick and mortar leases!
FC: What are your goals for GameTruck in the next few years and how do you plan to grow the brand?
SN: We are very excited about our growth potential. Now that we have sold over 100 territories and have a national fleet on the road, we are seeing tremendous interest in using our network to help promote new video games and other services. Couple that with our work in schools and we are building a powerful distribution network for new products, concepts and experiences that companies are already finding value in. As our equipment, process and systems continue to improve, we are excited about our potential to help people start their own great GameTruck businesses.
FC: Is there anything else you wish to share about GameTruck?
SN: We are very excited about the recent awarding of our patent. Many people can talk about innovation, but when you are recognized by the U.S. Patent Office, that’s pretty special and it talks volumes about not only our hard work and innovation but also our integrity. We didn’t just slap something together, we are in this for the long haul. And this award is the first of what we hope will be many more to come.
