It seems fitting that, days after Epic CEO Tim Sweeney proclaimed Infinity Blade the "most profitable game we've ever made" - based on man years invested versus revenue – co-founder Mark Rein has revealed that's exactly what the game was designed to do.

Just as Shadow Complex proved XBLA could generate major revenue for the studio, Rein said during a session as Develop Brighton, so Infinity Blade was pitched as a way to prove the same success could be enjoyed on iOS.

Infinity and beyond

"When it came time to do a game on iOS, we said to [Infinity Blade developer] Chair that we wanted them to make the Shadow Complex," opened Rein.

"They initially thought we meant literally do Shadow Complex on iOS."

"What we actually meant was, we wanted them prove that you can invest in an iOS game and make lots of money from it, just like they did on XBLA."

Though the concept itself was lifted from a previously abandoned Kinect game by Chair, Rein said Infinity Blade was specifically designed to be a triple A release on smartphones with big billing - an aim the franchise's success to date suggests it's more than achieved.

Indeed, Rein himself named Infinity Blade a bigger hit than Shadow Complex back in March 2011.