TAG Games have broken up Car Jack Streets Development with Tumblebugs.
After the success of Car Jack Streets TAG Games have been working on a number of projects before commencing work on the inevitable sequel. One such project is Tumblebugs, an iPhone version of the hugely successful web game. We caught up with TAG Games and asked them a few questions...
Let's face it, there are a load of games very similar to Tumblebugs already available on the App Store, making you fashionably late to the party. So why release a new title in this already crowded genre? What sets Tumblebugs apart from the competition, what are you doing to push this genre further?
Tumblebugs has been a remarkable hit on the internet with well over 35 million downloads or free-plays to date it is a true 'mass market' product. I think this is because it stands out on its own right. It has a beautiful art style, ingenious power-ups and a compelling story as you try to rescue the friendly bugs from the Black Bug Empire.
Fans probably best know Tag Games for its excellent Car Jack Streets title, but may not know about the other casual titles that you have developed. To them, this may seem like a big departure. Is there really any difference in the way you approach developing more casual games like Tumblebugs or Rock'N'Roll, versus a "core-gamer" fare like Car Jack Streets?
At Tag we are really all about making great games full stop. Obviously a game like Car Jack Streets will have a different core audience to a game like Tumblebugs, but the primary objective of making a great game stays the same. Our approach to Tumblebugs was to produce a game that was true to the game people already know, had a friendly interface and intuitive controls.
Tag Games has fairly equally split their time between ports and new IPs designed specifically for the iPod/iPhone platform. I would imagine that with a port, your creativity might be somewhat stifled. In this economy, is it safer to port over existing (battle-tested) games, rather than come up with something completely new? How about your forthcoming Astro Ranch game, that's all new right?
I'm not so sure. A game like Tumblebugs for example has a lot of awareness, 35 million plays is a lot of plays, so in terms of creating awareness it is safer to have an existing property. That said, the AppStore has shown that there can be some huge success with original IP's - take likes of Flight Control, Pocket God or Doddle Jump for example. I think Astro Ranch falls into this category - it is all new and original and everyone at Tag is very excited about it. We are coming up with some crazy ideas that I'm sure people are going to find very enjoyable!
You've had a great deal of success with Car Jack Streets, which you published yourself, so why did you decide to join up with the fine folks at Connect2Media on Tumblebugs? How did this collaboration come to fruition?
Tumblebugs is a game that we are very proud of and Connect2Media are the perfect partner for us to work with to take it to mobile platforms. The relationship has worked very well and I think you'll agree that together we have produced another quality game - I hope everyone enjoys it.
Tumblebugs could be classified as "cuter" than the rest of the titles in this category. Sure maybe its not as cute as a puppy and a kitten holding hands, while walking in the park on warm sunny day, but it's darn close. Do you feel that it's targeted toward a younger audience; is this the area of the market that you are hoping to capture?
The 'cute' art style does make the game very accessible to a younger audience but I think Tumblebugs has a wider appeal. Anyone can pickup the game and have a go.
Some developers like Imangi (Harbor Master) and Bolt Creative (Pocket God) have adopted models where they provide near-weekly updates with new levels and additional content, giving customers a huge value for their money. Though its unlikely that you'd follow this model (Car Jack Streets has seen about a month between updates), do you currently have a roadmap for future enhancements to Tumblebugs? Anything you want to reveal to whet our appetites?
There are updates in the pipeline that add gameplay improvements and some nicer visuals but I don't want to give too much away just yet.
Crossovers (or mash ups) seem to be all the rage these days, any possibility we'll see this in any of your titles? Think of the possibilities...bugs jacking cars, or Nik (from Connect2Media's Timeloop) as time travelling cop named "The Cleaner". If you could add a character from any iDevice game to Tumblebugs (or any of your other titles) who would it be and why?
Minigore! We could do a sort of Tumblebugs reversal where your play as Minigore and have to blast a continual line of black bugs - that would be great.
Finally, I just recently saw a tweet where you said: "Looking forward to GTA:CW on iPhone. The DS game was the best GTA since GTA3. Looking forward to Car Jack Streets 2 going head to head ;-)" Care to elaborate on this, what scoop can you give us on CJS2? Will it be 3D (like the current GTA franchise) instead of 2D like the original Car Jack Streets? Will you be publishing it yourselves or this another joint project?
I'd like to elaborate but I don't think Uncle Murphy would be too happy - he's made me promise to keep quiet for just a while longer! Keep an eye out future updates will probably be in the form of 140 characters or less.
That's all we have...thanks again for your time and we look forward to getting our fingers on Tumblebugs.
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1 comment
Cheap Online Meds / 13th May 2010
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