Paladin Studios Friends Launch iPhone Game - Built in Two Weeks! - Jimmy Pataya | Richard Kastelein - Adventures in Social Media and Online Publishing

Paladin Studios Friends Launch iPhone Game – Built in Two Weeks! – Jimmy Pataya

Jimmy Pataya

Our friends at Paladin Studios, who we worked with on Twinners in 2007-08, have just released their first iPhone game called Jimmy Pataya. Will we see it on the iPad next?

In this action-arcade title, players jump from an airplane to face an obstacle course called “The Grinder”. By tilting the iPhone side to side, players dodge objects at an increasingly fast pace. The goal is to get as far as possible and earn ample bragging rights!

Adrenaline

“We sat down a day before project start, to come up with a good theme. We went from word games to racers and puzzle games, but settled on a sky diving game,” stated Dylan Nagel, product manager for Jimmy Pataya. As it turned out, that theme was contested. “Next Monday, there were big differences in the way the team envisioned the project. Some wanted an extreme sports game, others were in favour of an anime-style colour matching title.”

The solution came when early game testers gave their opinions.

“At first, we went for sky diving with colour matching mechanics. It was fun, but we had to explain the game three times to our early testers. Not a good sign.”

So they killed it, and went for the skydiving mechanic alone.

Looking back, Dylan stated:

“The project start was very bumpy, but as soon as we chopped away the ambiguities around the theme and mechanics, the concept became clear and we started picking up speed as a team. We focused on the game’s adrenaline rush that comes with the sensation of falling down at terminal velocity. It wasn’t long after the cuts when we realized that the game retained its fun factor, and was easier to pick up. Our testers loved the prototypes, and we knew we were on the right track.”

New to the game

The concept of creating an iPhone game in two weeks came from necessity, says Derk de Geus, CEO of Paladin:

“Gaming on multiple devices is an important strategy for Paladin. We have experience with online distribution and the Facebook platform, but needed to increase our platform reach. Instead of diving head-first into a juggernaut project, this game is a test case to find the hidden gems and obstacles that accompany the iPhone platform.”

And why two weeks?

“We like a challenge, and wanted to keep it compact. If we would have scheduled a month, it would have been a much bigger game. More features. But not necessarily better.”

Blog

During the production of the game, the team kept a development diary. On the studio blog, they shared the progress and decisions they made with the world. It reads almost like a novel:

“When we decided that we would try to build an iPhone game in two weeks, we knew it would be tough. We knew it would involve doing a lot of technical research, creating a lot of designs and making a lot of tough decisions. Lukas already talked about a big cut we made, which resulted in a more focused game experience. Today we sat down to review our progress, painfully aware of the impending deadline in just two days.”

All’s well Friday afternoon, the team delivered the game to the App Store for submission, right on time. Derk: “We were all set to go, and pushed the button for upload. Then it said we still needed an App Store provisioning profile. Ouch. Fortunately, after 30 minutes we submitted the game successfully, and the app was approved a couple of days later. Overall, our experience with the iPhone has been pretty good. You can definitely expect new games from Paladin in the App Store soon.”
The game is available in the App Store for a discounted price of $0.99 (€0,79). After the initial launch sale, the game will be sold for $1.99 (€1,39).

About Paladin Studios

Founded in 2005, Paladin Studios is a Dutch game development company based in The Hague. They focus on social games and applied games. As captured in the motto “Life is Play”, they see potential games everywhere. The 7-headed development team consists of a talented bunch of programmers, designers and artists.