MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The maestros behind London-based social game studio Mediatonic were triumphant last night on national UK television, as the results of an App Store contest rolled in.
Five’s The Gadget Show pitted two of its presenters against each other in a competition to see who could make the most popular iPhone App.
Presenter Suzi Perry joined forces with Mediatonic (both pictured) to develop an iPhone game, whereas Jason Bradbury took on the task largely by himself and built a social networking app.
Bradbury’s app – called Social Beacon – was downloaded 4,074 times, the show revealed last night.
Perry’s iPhone game – entitled Biker Blast-Off and built in the last few months with Mediatonic – had performed somewhat better, hitting over 1.2 million downloads.
Mediatonic are absolutely beside themselves with delight today, Develop heard.
Social Beacon launched across the App Store on 27 August, with Biker Blast-Off arriving on September 1. Though both Apps are free, Biker Blast-Off immediately soared ahead in popularity.
The game topped the App Store charts in the UK, France and Germany, and hit top-ten positions in the US charts.
“This challenge was a fantastic experience for the team and we’re absolutely overjoyed that Biker Blast-Off! has won,” said Paul Croft, creative director at Mediatonic.
“What this actually proves is that not only will a free game always get more attention than a free utility, but also that production values are critical to any application’s success. When it comes to small games, a keen sense of what makes a compelling, quick-fire play experience is absolutely key.”
