2D-Boy
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World of Goo oozes onto a million devices through iOS and Mac App Stores
World of Goo developer 2D Boy has reached one million sales of its sticky puzzler across both Mac App Stores. In classic style for the indie developer, the duo are being highly transparent about where their sales came from. The breakdown: 69% of downloads (79% of revenue) from the Universal version 29% of downloads (17% of revenue) from the iPhone version 2% of downloads (4% of revenue) from the Mac App Store "The Mac version has been out for a while and selling well," 2D Boy's Ron Carmel told us. That million only covers Mac iOS and OSX sales combined through their respective App Stores. 2D Boy also noted the free Android demo of Goo has been downloaded 450,000 times, and the full game has been purchased 70,000 times since its November launch.
World of Goo gunks up Android
World of Goo is available now on the Android Market for $2.99, 40 percent off the puzzler's regular price until December 5. As IndieGames mentions, there are a lot of different types of Android devices, so it's best to test compatibility before purchase with the free demo. For those who download the game and are having issues, 2D Boy is aware of hiccups and have posted some fixes on their site. World of Goo is also available for PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Wii, Linux and is currently in development for microwave ovens.
World of Goo makes Android debut, Angry Birds consider slaying ink blobs
Anyone else feel like that pig-slaying pack of temperamental birdies has finally jumped the shark? Yeah, us too. Which makes World of Goo's official bow on Android especially timely. Gaming addicts have long had the option to build with blobs of these living globs on Mac, PC, Wii, and iOS, but now the architecturally-focused fun is ready to make nice with Google's legion of mobile mitts. You can snag the puzzler on the Android market now, so long as your handset's sporting FroYo and up. Unfortunately, this good time pastime doesn't come gratis, so you'll have to fork over three dolla dolla bills, y'all. Of course, you can always get your digits dirty (and prime that budding addiction) with a demo and live in the über-frugal land of forever level one.
World of Goo iPhone out this Thursday
The sticky, adorable World of Goo will be available for iPhone 3GS, 3rd gen iPod Touch and iPhone 4 this Thursday, April 14, for $1. After the first 24 hours, the game's price will expand to $2.99. As previously mentioned, if you already own World of Goo HD ($4.99) for iPad, the title will receive a "universal app" update on Thursday. This will allow iPad owners to play the game on their iPhone or iPod touch without plopping down any extra goo-dough. Developer 2D Boy also teases that a "strange new character" appears after the end of the game in the iOS version.
World of Goo coming soon to iPhone, will be .99 for first day
Say you want to experience World of Goo with a multitouch interface, but you don't want to go wait in line at the Apple Store for an iPad. Is there a solution for your Goo problem? Not yet, but there's about to be -- well, provided you already have an iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4. 2D Boy has submitted an iPhone version of World of Goo to Apple for approval, meaning it'll be available any day now. The regular price will be a dangerously impulse-buy-friendly 2.99 -- but it'll be just 99 cents for the first 24 hours. And if you already have that iPad version, you already have the iPhone version, in a way. 2D Boy is making the iPad app universal, so it'll be freely playable on iPhone. If you have an iOS device, it's basically a foregone conclusion that you're about to own World of Goo.
Totally crazy, totally canceled indie games, and the people who made them
From World of Goo dev Kyle Gabler to Plants vs. Zombies director George Fan (and everything in between), GDC's "The Failure Workshop" panel was full of thrills. Each of the panel's developers brought a project that never managed to make our acquaintance, offering a detailed explanation of what went wrong. Gabler, of 2D Boy, kicked the chair out from under his studio's robot-based sidescroller Robot and the Cities That Built Him when he and his cohorts finally decided that it simply wasn't very fun. After months of mock-ups and brainstorming, the game was finally turned into a fairly basic prototype (playable here) that sealed the project's untimely fate.
Wipe your tears away with World of Goo, on iPad for 99c today
With World of Goo selling like spheroid, gelatinous hotcakes on iPad, developer 2D Boy has both cause to celebrate and enough extra cash to afford dropping the price a bit. And so it's celebrating the success by dropping the price to just 99 cents for today only. Well, technically, 2D Boy is billing the one-day discount not as a celebration, but as a "Lonely Valentine sale" for "everyone else out there awaiting a cold and cheap Valentines Day." But that's way, way depressing, and we'd rather look at the news that one of the best games on the platform is really, really cheap without it making us sad. This should be a happy occasion.
World of Goo for iPad outsells the Mac, PC, Linux, Wii, Xbox versions
Developer 2D Boy makes the popular World of Goo game, which they recently released on the iPad, and the official blog has a long writeup about the iPad version from creation to release. 2D Boy originally planned to release the game on the iPhone, but couldn't get it to work right, so when the iPad came around, they decided to tackle the port again. The writeup outlines not only development of the game, but also marketing (after an early choice to release at US$10, they eventually lowered the price to pick up some sales boosts) and even the timing of their release -- they landed right in that "loophole" around Christmas that allowed them to pick up some extra sales by being on the charts during the App Store freeze. And perhaps most interesting is 2D Boy's comparison of the iPad market to their past console and PC experience. The iPad version was the fastest-selling of all of the versions of the game so far, both in copies sold and revenue generated. That's pretty wild, and it shows that not only does iOS offer a lot to developers in terms of when and how they can release their games, but that Apple's platforms stack up favorably to more established marketplaces like WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade. Of course, this was the latest version of the game, so it benefited from all of the good reviews and good will from the previous releases. Not all of that credit can go to the iPad itself. As 2D Boy says, in this case, there was a two-year-old game being sold on a platform less than a year old, so there's lots and lots of potential here for indie developers to discover.
World of Goo iPad sells 125K in first month
2D Boy has posted a detailed look at the World of Goo launch on iPad. After only a month of availability on the App Store, the iPad version of World of Goo has moved an impressive 125,000 copies. With the price ranging form $5 to $10 in that time, that's a lot of scratch (and a whole lot of goo). To put things in perspective, the 2D Boy site notes that the best 31-day sales period for the WiiWare version was 68,000 copies, while the best for the Steam version was 97K. The developer adds, "So far, the iPad version is by far the fastest selling version of the game, both in terms of number of units sold and in revenue generated." Check out the 2D Boy site for an extensive analysis of the iPad launch -- with charts and graphs! -- and an inside look at the indie development scene.
What's in a Name: 2D Boy
It's time for another origin story of an industry presence. Today, Kyle Gabler explains how he and partner Ron Carmel came up with their studio name, 2D Boy, using the process of elimination: Ron and I bummed around for a few weeks throwing names back and forth. They were all either awful, a sexual euphemism or their domain was being squatted on. Some examples for you: "Funk Button": We thought that sounded pretty great! And in every game, we could have a "Funk button," where when you press it, all the characters drop everything and dance! But then we looked it up on Urban Dictionary. I recommend everyone search Urban Dictionary before naming their game/studio/baby/etc. "Power of 2": because we are two guys with powerful muscles. Unfortunately this was also the name of a Christian rock band. And a year or so later, another game related business named itself the same thing. "Big Kitty," "Milky Dolphin" and "Sassy Weasel": Basically, every possible combination of words in the form of "adjective plus animal" was already taken as a game studio in Australia or somewhere. There's even a group actually called Adjective Animal. "Huge," "Massive" and "Enormous": Every possible synonym of the word "big" is already a game studio. We're an industry of confidence. "2D Boy!" We liked that it was short, it immediately conjured up an awkward little 2D kid lost in a 3D world as a mascot, and it was not big or powerful or assuming in any way. And the 5-character domain was actually available. For a while, people (like our bank in San Francisco and my dad) thought this was some sort of gay porn business. But after we made World of Goo, that showed them! 2D Boy's World of Goo is currently available on WiiWare, PC, Mac and iPad. Like this feature? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name Archives.
Goo'd deal: Word of Goo for iPad is now half-price
World of Goo, 2D Boy's sticky-stretchy indie puzzle platformer, has been available on iPad for a month, and to celebrate the occasion the game is now $4.99 for a limited time. At half off, it's an absolute steal for an outstanding game we included in our 2010 iOS buyer's guide.
World of Goo oozes onto iPad Dec. 16
People spend money on all sorts of protectors and cases designed to keep goo off of their shiny iPads. Next Thursday, December 16, they'll be paying to put goo on them. Ironic much?
World of Goo iPad (WogPad) out 'as soon as we get approved by Apple'
2D Boy wants you to know that its sticky puzzle game, World of Goo, is almost available on the iPad. Furthermore, the developer says it's perfectly acceptable for you to start referring to your iPad as the "WogPad," per the forthcoming release, even though the game is still pending Apple's App Store approval process. For now, 2D Boy answered some burning questions from fans, explaining what's going on with iPhone/iPod Touch versions. "There's a lot of iGoo to pour in, and we don't want to release something if it doesn't run absolutely buttery smooth." They also detailed the iPad version's multiplayer, which "you can play two handed, with friends, an animal, anything up to eleven fleshy things touching the screen", and confirmed that, yes, you can totally wear a Goo Ball on your head while playing the forthcoming game. Oh, right, and 2D Boy also says that a sequel to World of Goo would be "something we would enjoy working on," but it would have to "feel like a perfect and appropriate continuation of the first game." Whether it would be made for the WogPad or not, we can't say.
Indie Fund now accepting applications
If you need money to bring your indie game concept to life, and you don't want to enter Activision's design contest, you now have another alternative: The Indie Fund, created by a team of established indie devs, is soliciting applications. To apply, you need a playable prototype, a video and, you know, a cool game. The fund, "established as a serious alternative to the traditional publisher funding model," invests in games by small teams, in order to allow those teams to remain independent of publishers. "World of Goo cost $120K to develop," the application page notes. "Braid cost $180K. That's about the right size project for Indie Fund right now, and it necessitates doing things on the cheap." So, if your game concept is a realistic first-person shooter with MMO elements, get right out of there.
Humble Indie Bundle: Pay what you want for World of Goo and four others
You've commented on Joystiq posts about oppressive DRM many times before. You dutifully wear your Target-purchased indie game t-shirt every week without fail. And you read every Joystiq Indie Pitch we post. But if you want to put some money towards supporting indie games, you won't find a better way to do it than this. Wolfire Games and a few other indie developers have put together the "Humble Indie Bundle" sale, offering five terrific award-winning indie games (World of Goo, Aquaria, Gish, Lugaru and Penumbra Overture) for the low, low price of ... whatever you want. That's right -- they're asking you to pay what you feel is right for these bundled, non-DRM, developer-owned Mac, Linux or PC games. And that's not all: You can even specify part or all of your donation to go to a charity, either Child's Play or the Electronic Frontier Foundation. That's about as selfless as it gets in gaming -- pay what you think it's worth, to charity or the people who made it. The average donation so far is about $8.00, but individuals have donated as much as $500 to the effort. You get lots of chances to say you support indie gaming, but fewer great chances like this to put your money where your mouth is. And walking away with five great indie titles to play doesn't hurt, either.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Ron Carmel sucks goo in WarioWare D.I.Y.
This week's Nintendo Channel update features one half of 2D Boy, the indie developer responsible for the very fun World of Goo. Using WarioWare D.I.Y., he makes a neat goo-inspired mini-game. The difference between his video and Sakurai's and Sakamoto's is that Carmel makes it look way easier. Good job, Ron! Head past the break for the full list of this week's content.
2D Boy's Ron Carmel explains Indie Fund
Speaking at GDC 2010, 2D Boy's Ron Carmel discussed the game industry's typical publishing model, why it doesn't work for independent developers, and how the newly established Indie Fund will fix it. According to Carmel, publishers offer too much money to indie developers and take too much in return, relegating developers to the role of "tenant farmers," forced into a constant shift between seeking funding and development "until something goes wrong and you can't find funding and you go out of business." Still, Carmel recognizes that publishers are taking the financial risk on projects, so it makes sense that they would see most of the profits. However, even with the advent of digital distribution, which removes a great deal of risk for publishers, developers still see traditional publishing deals -- along with the minimal royalties that come with them. Asked Carmel, "How do we do for funding what Valve did for distribution?" The answer, according to Carmel, is Indie Fund, which will essentially turn the traditional publishing deal on its head. The Indie Fund aims to differ from traditional publishing deals in a few significant ways. The Indie Fund will offer a transparent submission process, make its standard contract details publicly available and provide a flexible development schedule. Perhaps the biggest bullet point of all, however, is that Indie Fund doesn't seek to own developer IPs or exert any editorial control over the IPs it funds. It's also worth noting that Indie Fund won't actually publish or market the projects it funds. Those tasks are left up to developers, though Carmel noted that the members of Indie Fund would be happy to share their experience in securing distribution deals with services like Steam. Indie Fund's contract details aren't yet available, though the stated goal is for developers to see a much bigger return on projects than they would through normal publishing channels. According to Carmel, the Indie Fund seeks only to recoup investment costs and receive a slice of profits "much, much, much smaller" than traditional publishing deals.
Indie Fund created to help fund indies
A group of well-known independent studio vets has formed a new fund for other independent developers. Members of 2D Boy, Number None, thatgamecompany, Capy, Flashbang Studios and AppAbove Games have banded together to create the appropriately named Indie Fund, which they hope will become "a serious alternative to the traditional publisher funding model." The fund will ideally help independent studios "get financially independent and stay financially independent." The Indie Fund is already backing some unnamed projects, and the group plans to reveal more details about the fund at GDC next week. Specifically, 2D Boy's Ron Carmel will host a panel at the conference entitled "Indies and Publishers: Fixing a System That Never Worked." The panel will focus on the "adversarial" and "unhealthy" nature of the relationship between developers and publisher and, naturally, what could be done to improve it. Expect the panel to be included in Joystiq's GDC 2010 coverage, which begins next week. [Via GamePolitics]
NintendoWare Weekly: WiiWare demos, Pokemon Rumble, Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
This week, we get our first taste of Nintendo's new WiiWare demos. Surprisingly, it didn't take Nintendo that long to flip the switch for North America, considering the company revealed the long-overdue feature -- and day-one annoyance -- only earlier this month. And on top of the free trial versions of select WiiWare titles (five total this week!), there are also two new Virtual Console titles to enjoy, as well as three new DSiWare games. Hit the break for the full list.
A world of data from the World of Goo birthday sale
Following the completion of the World of Goo birthday sale, 2D Boy gathered up all the statistics it had from the "pay what you want" sale and connected them all into a big pile of interconnected info blobs. After the last stat update, when the developer revealed that many people were buying the game for one cent, something magical happened! The average price went up by a noticeable amount.Linux users were, on average, more generous with their purchase prices (maybe they offset the money they don't spend on operating systems?), and Swiss buyers were the most "generous," according to a metric that compares average purchase price to a country's per-capita GDP. The most generous individual? One "Stuart", who handed over $150 for a copy of World of Goo!Meanwhile, the average purchase price for the WiiWare version was $15 -- because the sale didn't apply to that version.
