As we move into 2025, it’s time for us at Red Iron Labs to reflect on the past couple of years and focus on the road ahead.
Introduction: Looking Back at 2024
Back in 2023, we set bold goals including expanding visibility, growing our community, and achieving key milestones for Muffin Fight. However, the gaming and VR industries presented challenges like layoffs and shrinking markets. More importantly, we spread ourselves too thin. As a result, we couldn’t fully realize those ambitions.
Why We’re Pivoting in 2025
Custom development took up most of our bandwidth. It was rewarding but limited our ability to grow our own products. For long-term success, we realized that we need to shift from a 95/10 split (custom work vs. internal products) to a more sustainable 20/80 balance. Our custom projects brought incredible value. However, as proud as we are of those achievements, it’s time to refocus.
The Productization Strategy
In 2025, we’re committing to productization. This shift doesn’t mean abandoning our clients. In fact, productization allows us to continue working with them, but in a more refined way. It reflects the true potential of Red Iron Labs. We’ll take lessons from custom projects and channel them into scalable AR and VR experiences.
We’re starting with our tentatively named ‘Verses product line. ‘Verses will blend augmented and virtual reality in new ways. It builds on our experience and creates something scalable. Alongside ‘Verses, MRDRBRS will be a key part of this pivot. MRDRBRS represents the kind of product we’ve always wanted to develop but couldn’t fully commit to.
Learning from Experience
In 2024, we dedicated ourselves to learning and realigning our efforts. We have been participating in programs like the Shred Capital’s Scaffold Cohort 3 and the Bow Valley College Indie Ignition Accelerator. These programs have provided us invaluable mentorship and guidance. They have allowed us take a step back and focus on building a sustainable future for Red Iron Labs.
The lessons we’ve learned through these programs have equipped us to tackle 2025 with a renewed purpose. We’re not just pivoting. We’re strategically positioning ourselves for growth in an evolving industry. What we’ve learned will help us push forward in new directions.
Looking Ahead: Pitching at Alberta Game Series
We’re starting the final quarter of 2024 on a high note by pitching MRDRBRS at the Alberta Game Series event this week. This is a huge opportunity. It allows us to showcase the direction we’re heading and opens doors for new partnerships and connections within the local gaming community.
We’ll share more about our experience at the event and what’s next for MRDRBRS and ‘Verses in future updates. Stay tuned.
What’s Next for Red Iron Labs?
We’re excited about the opportunities ahead as we enter 2025. With our focus shifting toward scalable products like ‘Verses and MRDRBRS, and with the lessons from programs like Scaffold and BVC, we’re ready to take on the challenges of the next year.
We’ll keep working with our clients, but in a more refined way. Our approach reflects the new direction of Red Iron Labs.
Stay tuned for more updates as we dive into this exciting new chapter!
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