Continuing our series of interviews with one-man band iPhone developers, we're in conversation with Bart Groothuijze.

He doesn't fit into the traditional one-man band pigeonhole though as his first iPhone game iSpiral, was designed by him and developed by several freelancers he has worked with before; a route he is taking for his next two games.

"I do not consider myself a one-man band," he confesses. "I see myself part of a great and fantastic community, making things that I could never do alone."

Why did you decide to set up as a iPhone developer?

My decision to start developing game for iPhone is based upon several reasons:

1. First of all because I want to and because I can... It was just something I had to do;

2. The success of the App Store, and the fact Apple has succeeded where numerous operators worldwide have failed;

3. The fact I had some great ideas for games, such as iSpiral, which were not feasible to make before, as they were over-demanding in terms of the available hard and software. The introduction of the iPhone was a blessing;

4. My love for the mobile industry, as it is the most dynamic and fun industry I have worked in, based on my experience with several companies in this industry;

5. My wish to see my own applications being bought and enjoyed all over the world.

The reason to become a solo developer lies within the fact that I saw the opportunity, fed by the success of the App Store, and realised there was only limited time.

Forming a company and then starting development would take too long and also too much from my resources. Next to that, I already run a company, in a business outside the mobile industry, so in this way I can combine things I love and fill up any spare time.

Having said about "filling up spare time," I have to point out that I do not and cannot achieve things alone. Apart from designing the application - in this case iSpiral - the rest is done by people from the industry with whom I have long-time relationships and who I can trust to great a great job done.

It is an illusion to think that development of successful applications can be done in just some spare hours. It is a serious business and should therefore be approached in a serious way!

What mobile experience do you have?

In my former business life, starting from the late 1990s, I have worked with several operator organisations and companies specialised in mobile entertainment. Although I have worked mainly in the field of marketing and sales, I have advised and assisted several entertainment companies with the design and development of their applications and also mobile services.

I consider myself very lucky, having been given great possibilities to gather a lot of experience and knowledge from my work with, for example, the introduction of i-mode and several download portals in Europe, especially in terms of usability and what a customer wants and needs.

How do you deal with parts of the game making process you're not an expert in?

As I mentioned before, the only thing I think I am good at, is creating and describing the actual design of a game. All the other development processes that need to be carried out for creating a game like iSpiral are overseen and directed by me, but are done by other individuals.

The key lies within the following saying: "If one cannot share, one also is not able to multiply".

What I mean with this is that one can only become successful by granting the people you need to succeed a fair cut of the deal, communicating with them in an open and transparent way, and thereby making them part and also being proud of their achievements.

Do you have much contact with other iPhone developers?

I have contact with several iPhone developers and individuals working for development companies on a regular base. Having been active within the mobile industry, I still have many connections.

In case of iSpiral I have been in touch with companies such as Codeglue and Lunaforte, as they already have lots of experience regarding iPhone development. These contacts are, I should say, always of an open and transparent character and the parties know about this and thus about each other being involved.

It's my opinion that we should learn from each other, in order to make things better for all in the broadest sense.

What are the best/worst parts of being a one-man band?

In my case I think I combine the best of two worlds. The best part is that I always am in charge and I am the one to decide what happens.

As for the worst part, in my case I don't think there is a worst part. To be honest, I do not consider myself a one-man band. Also I don't have to worry about monthly salary payments. I see myself part of a great and fantastic community, making things that I could never do alone.

Are you planning to self publish on App Store?

In case of iSpiral, I have been in touch with publishers about partnering. The good is that it's possible to contact people and discuss the possibilities with them. They can help and give a game exposure and publicity, even on more or less fair conditions.

The bad thing is there are too many applications coming out, so publishers have a lot to choose between and therefore personal taste becomes an important factor.

For these reasons, I decided to trust my own capabilities, strength, and contacts in the industry so I've published iSpiral by myself.

Can you provide some details about the games you're currently working on?

I am currently working on two other games, both of which are based around their fun factor and are original ideas, combined with a serious angle. I think it important that, apart from having fun, a game also contributes to real life. For example, iSpiral contributes to the development of hand-eye coordination and locomotion.

The first game I am working on is based upon an existing, although fairly old, family game, which has a high level of physical activities.

The second touches upon the borders of what may or may not be erotic content, but it contains important lessons regarding ethics, values amongst others.

Would you like to build up a larger company or do you think you can survive and thrive on your own?

Currently I don't see a reason to build up a larger company, as I can manage things fairly well in the way I do now.

However, and based upon the success from iSpiral and my other games, I'm considering porting these applications towards other platforms, so I'm not exclude the idea. Setting up companies has become a hobby as well!

Thanks to Bart for his time.

You can follow his progress at the iSpiral website.