hand of greed
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Activision releases ProtoSlice iOS app to promote Prototype 2
This is interesting -- Activision has apparently teamed up with an iOS developer to release a promotional game for its upcoming title Prototype 2. ProtoSlice is now available as a free download from the App Store, and it's made by the creators of Slice HD, a developer named SmallBall. The new game is very similar to the old one (which itself reminds me of Hand of Greed), in that you need to try and use your real finger to press a fake button, all while dodging virtual blades. Of course, in ProtoSlice, you're dodging Prototype-themed blades, and you can win new screenshots of Activision's game by finishing levels. The game is free, so if you're looking forward to Prototype 2, downloading this one is a no-brainer. But even more interesting about this game is simply the fact that it exists. Activision has experienced a little success on the App Store with its Call of Duty: Zombies app, but we haven't seen a lot of action from them lately. Other publishers like EA have learned a lot more from iOS, both seeing big success with apps and app sales, and even acquiring companies who know how to make iPhone and iPad games. Activision has been relatively silent on this front for the past year or so, but this release indicates what the company really thinks of iOS so far: It works best, apparently, as a vehicle for promoting console games, not an actual game platform itself. This is one release, of course. We do know that Activision is set to release iOS apps for the upcoming Call of Duty Elite metagaming service for its big Call of Duty series, so it's very possible there are other strategies in the works for the big publisher on Apple's platform. But we haven't seen any of that yet -- ProtoSlice is a clear sign so far that Activision isn't necessarily taking iOS seriously as an actual gaming platform.
WWDC 2010: Brian Akaka of Appular
We last talked to Brian Akaka back at the Voices that Matter conference earlier this year, but both he and his company Appular were also at WWDC a little while ago. They've been busy. Hand of Greed, their first published title, has been released in an HTML5 version, allowing anyone with an iPhone to play it without downloading anything at all. And Appular has decided to publish two more titles: Attack and Destroy is a strategic combat game that has you leading cartoon units against bad guys, and iSlice, just released today, has you cutting of chunks of shapes to try and score as many points as possible. Both games are worth a look, and it sounds like Appular's publishing business is rolling along quite nicely. Follow the link below to see what Akaka had to tell us about creating a game in HTML 5, where these two new games came from, and what his team is looking forward to in iPhone 4 and beyond.
Interview with Brian Akaka of Appular and Hand of Greed
Brian Akaka is an old friend of ours here at TUAW -- he is a veteran of Mac gaming, and was a familiar name in our inbox back when he was working at Freeverse and promoting their Mac software and iPhone apps. A little while back, he stepped away from Freeverse to form his own company, Appular, and since then, he's continuing to work with iPhone developers, both marketing and promoting their apps. Just recently, however, Appular has moved from simply promoting iPhone apps into actually publishing them. Their first title is named Hand of Greed -- it's a game that actually first appeared on the App Store in January, and has now been repackaged and republished by Appular in an effort to give the app some visibility. I got a chance to play the game last week, and then met up and spoke with Akaka this past weekend at the Voices that Matter conference in Seattle. After the link below, find both my impressions of the game, and a quick interview with Appular about why they've decided to not only promote iPhone titles, but publish a few themselves.
