KERB
Challenge
We wanted to get a game onto the Apple’s App Store to help create a new process for developing mobile content. We needed the game to be fun and engaging for players, yet simple enough to develop between projects.
What We Did
We decided that a word based puzzle
would be achievable as it put the
least strain on our resources. Our
game designer identified that some
of the most interesting word games
on iOS were combinations of existing
games, and we came up with the idea
of mixing up Scrabble and Tetris.
A paper version of the game
provided a working model for the
team to play with until important
variables emerged and were defined,
including the optimum number of
letters and the game grid size.
Following these trials, the game
design document was created, from
which the programming team started
coding, whilst our interactive
designers developed best practice
methods for a usable and intuitive
interface. The graphical execution of
the game arose from seeing the
competition’s staid styles on the app
store and knowing Wordagon should
live visually in the foreground.
The game was developed in our
standard web production processes
with Alpha and Beta releases. Soon
after Beta with a few tweaks to the
gameplay we got our first release
candidate on to the App Store.
What Happened
Wordagon was developed in 8 weeks and launched on to the App Store in February 2010, seeing a steady stream of downloads averaging five per week. The projects’ objectives were primarily to create a mobile production process and for the team to gain a robust understanding of mobile design. These learnings have enabled us to successfully develop further mobile games for both iOS and Android.
