EXCLUSIVE: We grill dev and AirPlay CEO, Ian Masters, on the Super Yum Yum series, their plans for console development, and what makes an indie dev tick | Gamer's Guide to Life LIVE at Eurogamer Expo 2011

Since the launch of Apple's iPhone and App Store, mobile gaming has been a fast-growing industry, and one filled with promising new talent. However, some don't realise that mobile gaming did exist years back, even before the App Store arrived. And most don't realise that there are whole companies who specialise in building games for mobile. Like independent UK dev, AirPlay.

Although only just making their move into desktop and console-based gaming, AirPlay aren't a dev to be written off or sniffed at. Developers of the BAFTA-nominated Super Yum Yum series, they have also worked with big names such as Namco and Sega on bringing well-known titles to mobile across the world. CEO, founder and developer at AirPlay, Mr. Ian Masters, very kindly spared us some time so we could get all the goss on their latest development.

Linford: AirPlay has developed many mobile games for big companies such as Namco, Glu and Sega. Which was your favourite project to work on and why?

Ian: Sonic Jump definitely. It was a great game concept from Sega and, of course, the first Sonic game that we got to work on, so that was pretty exciting. The first version of it was originally launched in the US, then later Sega Europe came to us and we got to give it the AirPlay treatment for a European release. Our version then made it back over the pond under the guise of Sonic Jump 2.

Linford: Your studio is possibly best-known for the BAFTA-nominated Super Yum Yum (and its two sequels). But what are the Super Yum Yum games actually about?

Ian: Super Yum Yum is essentially a very pure puzzle game at heart. The main character Leon, his babies, the fruit and the world are a charming (we hope) exterior to a simple unique gameplay mechanic. In short it's a puzzle adventure.

Linford: It's estimated that over a million people have played an iteration of Super Yum Yum since the original was released in 2004. With two sequels for mobile, how have you kept the series fresh and exciting?

Ian: The first game was all about eating all the fruit. For part 2 we added a pesky fruit monster who kidnaps Leons babies, which gave Leon a bit more of a mission. Other additions have included big fruit, mini games, explorable level selects and cutscene animations. It's a difficult balance though. The game's casual nature means that we don't want to alienate existing fans by adding in agressive enemies or timed levels.

For the new PC and console version the game has moved into a 3D world, although the characters and fruit remain 2D for stylistic reasons. We've found it's enabled us to have much more explorable worlds and we're able to break the puzzles up into sub-sections much easier than before. And of course it looks beautiful too.

Linford: The success of Super Yum Yum is now seriously going sky-high, with DSiWare and PC versions both in development. What can you tell us about that?

Ian: Well we were very lucky to get some recognition with the first game back at the end of 2003 and to find a co-publisher in Coyote Games - and subsequently with Namco. Super Yum Yum on mobile has definitely done us proud, but we're from traditional console development, so we've always wanted to get the game out to a wider audience - to console. We're very happy it's now finally happening.

Linford: Super Yum Yum was recently honoured as one of the top 30 games on Apple's App Store. Are you hoping for the same level of success for the DSiWare and PC versions?

Ian: Well, that kind of recognition is always nice but it's a fickle industry, so we just need to focus on making the games as good as we can get them.

Developing Super Yum Yum: Puzzle Adventures for the Nintendo DSi has only been possibile due to a great partnership between ourselves, Mastertronic and Impressionware. Mastertronic's publishing expertise has been invaluable at every stage and I'm sure will continue to pay off after the game has launched.

The development itself is a co-production between ourselves and Impressionware, an independent Italian developer. With the tight schedule we had for the project it was only made possible by partnering with a company with great DS technology like them. They've really made huge efforts in getting the game code ready for a Christmas release and are really doing a great job. We hope this project with them will be the first of many.

Linford: The PC version of the new Super Yum Yum game will be featured as part of the Indie Games Arcade at the Eurogamer Expo later this month. What are your plans for the expo?

Ian: The team here are all super excited about premiering the game at the Indie Games Arcade. It's been six hard months of work to get the game to where it is now and the expo is great timing as things are really coming together. In fact we were surprised that the transition from a 2D to a 3D world went so smoothly but we'll let the public be the judge of how well that works.

The game is still quite a way from being complete but that means it's a great time to get some feedback, before it's too late to change anything. To facilitate this we're planning to have at least one member of the development team on site at all times, in both Leeds and London.

Linford: How much of the new Super Yum Yum game will be available to experience at the expo?

Ian: We currently have planned 4 tutorial levels and 3 more challenging levels. One of them I haven't been able to complete yet.

Linford: Is the move from mobile to PC and DSi development a sign of more things to come? Are there any other console or PC based developments you have planned or can talk about?

Ian: We take a fairly platform agnostic view. We have lots of ideas so it's a case of figuring out which platform or platforms are right for each project. But yes, there'll be more PC and console games to come.

Linford: How do you find it working at an indie studio rather than a bigger company? Which do you prefer?

Ian: For me the most important thing is feeling that you have real input and make a material difference to the games you work on. That's easy in a small team like ours but as we grow it's something I hope we can always provide.

Linford: What would be your 'one-paragraph pitch' to our readers to persuade them to buy the latest Super Yum Yum?

Ian: It's a little bit retro, a little bit casual, and totally unique. If you like a good puzzle game mixed with a bit of adventure, then give it a go. Leon the Chameleon needs your help!

Linford: When will the PC and DSiWare Super Yum Yum games be released, and what price will they be?

Ian: Super Yum Yum: Puzzle Adventures for DSi will be out before Christmas, price TBC. Super Yum Yum: Baby Rescue for PC and console will be out Summer 2010.

Linford: Any final thoughts or words?

Ian: Finally, I'd like to say a big 'thank you' to the folks over at Trinigy for all their help. It would not have been possible to develop the PC and console game so quickly, cross-platform and to have it looking so nice without having a great cross-platform engine, like Vision, to build on. They really understand the needs of indie developers and I would highly recommend Trinigy and Vision to any other developers looking for an advanced game engine.

A very big thanks to Ian for taking the time to answer our questions. We'll hopefully be meeting up with him again on the 31st October, when we're live in London for the expo, so if you have any questions you'd like us to shoot at him, feel free to post them in the comments. We'll also have hands-on impressions of Super Yum Yum, and most of the other games at the Indie Games Arcade, so keep an eye out for those. For now, though, I'll leave you with a never-before-seen screenshot from the new PC Super Yum Yum game. Feast your eyes.

Linford

Labels: 2009