Firemint: ‘We don’t plan to’ stay away from home consoles

SPY Mouse, the latest iOS game from Flight Control developer and all around success story Firemint, went straight to #1 in Australia. MCV talks to Firemint’s Logan Booker about why:

What makes SPY Mouse the successor to Flight Control?

With SPY mouse, we really wanted to build on the gameplay of Flight Control in ways no one else had. Flight Control showed that drawing on the touch screen was fun and easy to understand. We don’t have to teach the player complex controls; we can go straight to the juicy stuff like the stealth and evasion mechanics you see in SPY mouse.

You could say it’s the culmination of what we’ve learned from the high production values of Real Racing and the friendly, compelling gameplay of Flight Control. It’s the game we’ve always wanted to make.

Why do you think it’s so hard to master one-touch arcade controls in iOS titles?

Creating a great game is hard no matter the control scheme. What I can say is that keeping the interface simple and intuitive means that if you nail the gameplay you can be sure have something special on your hands.

What are the barriers to entry on home consoles for a successful iOS developer like Firemint?

Firemint’s always on the lookout for platforms that can make our games even better. We’re not afraid to try new things if the end result produces something really fun.

We haven’t stayed away from consoles and we don’t plan to! Flight Control HD with the PlayStation 3 Move controller is almost a different game, while Flight Control on WiiWare was redesigned to take full advantage of the Wii Remote.

That said, right now we see a lot of good things happening in the mobile space, particularly iPhone and iPad, and that’s where we’re focusing our efforts. iOS 5 should arrive very soon and with that some exciting functionality for Real Racing 2 HD. It will be possible for players to play the game on their TVs over AirPlay; the image will be streamed wirelessly while they steer with their iPad. It’s something we’re very excited about.

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