Hi!

Most of you probably know that we’re looking for a part time Community Manager. In these last gasping days of the Scrolls beta, before we start our adventure into release, marketing and the first tablet version, the number of applications we’ve received is pretty close to how many we have logged in at low hours. Doing a bit of math the carnalizer way, we can see that about 87,5% of Americans would like to work as CM for Scrolls. That number might seem high, but you’re often surprised by what you can learn from statistics.

Jokes aside, I want to let you know that I have found no applications in my spam filter. If you are worried that you haven’t heard from us, please be patient. I fully intend to answer all application emails. Unfortunately the majority will receive the usual “Thank you, but …” answer. After the initial cut, there’ll be a few weeks of looking at applicants with all stakeholders. After a few interviews, hopefully we’ll have someone in place (fingers crossed) that can be hit in the face full on with the demands of the new players that we hope for.

There has been some concerns raised, that the ad for CM position was unclear, which I completely understand. One of the bullet points in the ad (which I wrote) said “External consultant”, by which we mean “Independent contractor”. In other words, this is not an employment at Mojang. That means you need to have a business of your own, get paid by the invoices you send, and manage taxes yourself, as they apply in your area. Further, it means that it hinges on the success of Scrolls itself, so the position will be time boxed (with the intention of continuing as long as it makes financial sense).

Speaking of numbers;

When the open beta launched, Scrolls got a huge influx of players. Media gave us a lot of attention as this was “Mojang’s second game!!111”. A lot of Mojang fans and people who were generally curious. Many of these players were not the kind we’d expect to get hooked on Scrolls and keep playing for years on end. So, naturally numbers have declined. Our focus have been on improving the game, rather than acquiring users. This slow decline have been somewhat disheartening for a lot of people who really want to be able to play Scrolls seriously. Scrolls is now at the lowest point of users it has ever been since beta started. Actually, during beta, it has always been the lowest it’s ever been, since we are not bringing in enough new users. To some, from the outside, this have been interpreted as if Scrolls has ‘poor user retention’. To us, from the inside, we see the opposite. We see that the decline has been so slow, that it is a strong indicator that with the tiniest increase of new players, the curve would point upwards. We’re continually surprised to see the dedication of our players. Heck, I’m holding back a tear writing this. Gimme a sec…

The early access model, and our lack of marketing this far, can of course be brought into question, and fairly so. But, here we are, with this path that was chosen. I’m extremely excited for the upcoming launch. We still have a lot that we need to finish, and deadlines are hovering above our heads like vultures. We are relying on external people for some stuff, which is always nervous. We are inexperienced in marketing. We are releasing for a new platform (several if we count different brands of tablets). We are going up against some of the industry’s giants. There is still a whole lot that can go wrong, and we can’t count on a block buster hit. BUT, we should have a decent shot at starting an upwards trend, and that is exactly what this sort of game needs. There’s no point in repeating the influx of the beta launch if we get too many that won’t stay. Steady growth together with the community seems much more healthy to me.

We’ve met many excellent people during the beta, and it’s been sad seeing some of them leave. And it’s been great seeing many of them return! I want to make sure those still around know how valuable you are to us. You truly have helped us build this game, and I hope we will continue to do so together for a long time. Hopefully, not long from now, you’ll have the game and community you deserve!

Hugs,

carnalizer