Simogo Reveals 16 Games, Another Project That Was Denied The Light Of Day
March 20, 2012
Earlier today, we noticed an app announcement by Touch Arcade, though this wasn't one of your standard App Store release mentions. Instead, it was in reference to 16 Games, a game which was abandoned but now revealed.
As the story goes, 16 Games was an homage to classic arcade titles with a twist. The app contained 16 mini-games unlocked by earning 16 points. When a new game is activated, you would still need to play the previous one(s). Sounds pretty whacky and intense, right? Anyway, Simogo attempted to get additional funding for 16 Games but was ultimately denied and ended up putting the idea aside.
Apparently, project abandonment is a common practice for Simogo. Of course, there are likely tons of stories of developers simply halting progress on ideas and moving onto others, although, this seems to be a bit more unique.
While Simogo does make note of "Tree or The Game That Never Was," Touch Arcade's in-depth interview with Simon Flesser and Magnus "Gordon" Gardebäck provides a good insight that hundreds of app ideas have likely spawned and vanished inside the confines of this small development studio.
Simogo doesn't like design documents. It’s also too small for meetings. Gordon and Simon twirl their chairs and talk when something needs to be discussed. If an idea pops up in their heads when they're not at the office, they call each other.
Simon describes game design documents "like watching sheet music and saying you've heard the song, but the music is so much more than the composition," Simon tells me. "You could say that the way we make games is like jazz music; we improvise and put in new stuff as we go along."Basically, the process for these two veteran developers doesn't seem much more than continuous brainstorming and jotting down those ideas, something we've all done while bored. Admittedly, this approach is a "publisher's nightmare." Yet, Simogo has three highly rated apps available in the App Store: Kosmo Spin, Bumpy Road, and Beat Sneak Bandit. It just goes to show you what working as a functional team can do. So, a few questions come to mind after ingesting all of this neat information. How many and what other zany projects do these two have tucked away in a desk drawer, filing cabinet, or closet? Which of these unique and enjoyable ideas will make it to the App Store? Why can't I get flashes of great ideas and have a talented partner in crime, I mean iOS development, to help implement them?