Aussie developers receive Apple award and lend a hand to fellow developers

TWO of our most successful mobile game makers are joining forces. The guys behind Crossy Road are lending a hand to the creators of Fruit Ninja. What’s in store?

EXCLUSIVE

The Australian app developers behind the global hit Crossy Road are using their success to back the trio who helped create another of Australia’s greatest app success stories, Fruit Ninja.

Matt Hall, who along with Andy Sum is one half of Hipster Whale, experienced the highest reward in the app-making industry this week when the Frogger-like Crossy Road was recognised with an Apple Design Award handed out at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Crossy Road has been the number one game in the app store in most countries around the world since it was released seven months ago and, with Hall working from a sheep farm near Ballarat, is proof that you can make a great app no matter where you live.

The Hipster Whale duo will not say how much money the app has now generated but it had knocked up $10 million in the first three months. The game has now been downloaded more than 90 million times.

“It’s one of those event moments,” Hall said. “I wouldn’t necessarily have to work again. It’s that sort of level you’re talking about.

“We went into it trying to make enough money for it to buy us creative freedom and it’s done that many times over. From this point on it’s going to be interesting to work on games while I don’t have to worry about feeding my family. Maybe I can make something a bit weirder or a bit personal.”

While some developers would rest on their laurels, the Hipster Whale pair are both working on their next game PAC-MAN 256 and using their success to invest in Prettygreat, a Brisbane-based app company that is yet to release its first game but has three veterans of the industry with runs on the board.

Hipster Whale app developers from left: Andy Sum and Matt Hall. Picture: Supplied.

Prettygreat was founded four months ago by three Halfbrick veterans.

Luke Muscat was creator and designer of Fruit Ninja, which racked up 1 billion downloads, and Jetpack Joyride. Phil Larsen was Halfbrick’s Chief Marketing Officer and Hugh Walters was lead artist and art director for multiple projects.

“We just had that entrepreneurial spirit. We really wanted to do it on our own, with all of the risks and the danger and the rewards that that brings,” Muscat said.

“All of us had been at Halfbrick for a very long time. I was there for eight years and I loved working at Halfbrick, but at some point I just wanted that extra level of challenge. I wanted that fear again, I think that really pushes you to do amazing things.

“Based on our prior history, people don’t necessarily expect massive success but they do expect really high quality games and really accessible games.

“There’s that kind of pressure.”

Hipster Whale have backed Prettygreat with $500,000 of funding.

The Prettygreat team is already working on its first game but it is clear from Hall that they are backing the team and not just the title.

“It’s fair to say that Luke’s games inspired us and probably inspired a large number of people because Fruit Ninja was so popular and so accessible. It completely changed the way you were thinking about games,” Hall said.

“Mobile phones are in the hands of everyone. Once Fruit Ninja was that popular, it changed the way you thought about games.

“We’re leaving Luke to his own devices. Luke can ask us for advice whenever he likes, he doesn’t have to take it.”

Hipster Whale made Crossy Road in three months. Hall and Muscat agree that spending too much time in creating an app is a bad plan.

“On mobile it’s fast,” Muscat said.

“If you spend a year making a game, it’s too long. And a lot of the time the market will already have changed underneath you.”

As for Hipster Whale, their immediate focus is on making PAC-MAN 256.

“It’s called 256 because in PAC-MAN level 256 was actually broken. One half of the screen was fine and the other half was filled with gibberish.

“What we’ve done is taken the idea of the 256 glitch and introduced it into the game. So that’s the actual enemy chasing you, this glitch that is starting to destroy you.

“I don’t think it will do as well as Crossy Road but that’s okay. Some people get all tied up with the idea with having the big success and then the next game having it even bigger. That’s a hump you’ve got to get over pretty quick or you’ll drive yourself mad.”