Dutch/Chinese developer TribePlay has announced it is rebranding, taking on the name of its flagship franchise Dr. Panda.

The firm is currently the world's largest independent developer of paid apps for children, and that's thanks to the phenomenal success of the Dr. Panda series of games.

The series can boast in excess of 40 million downloads, so it makes perfect sense that the developer should want to leverage that brand power in its company name.

But how did Dr. Panda find so much success in the difficult educational market?

"One of the major challenges in building fun, engaging games for children is that you've got allow room for them to be creative," Thijs Bosma, CEO and founder of Dr. Panda, told PocketGamer.biz.

"They're not as goal-oriented as older kids or adults and don't have the same expectations of 'play time.'

"In all of our game designs and interfaces, we make sure the products are accessible and intuitive, with no spoken language and with simple flows that allow kids to progress in the game through exploration and discovery."

Safe to play

In-keeping with this audience, and likely why Dr. Panda has proven so popular in its field, is the fact that the games feature a safe environment for children to play: free of gender, in-app purchases, and third-party advertising.

“Our new name better reflects the personality of the Dr. Panda franchise and our commitment to growing the IP on a global stage,” Bosma said.

“The Dr. Panda games have helped millions of young children throughout the world learn about their environment in a deep and meaningful way.

"[Thus] enabling them to feel more comfortable when they encounter new situations in real life. Our goal has always been to design games that provide educational value as well as entertainment value, and our success to date is a testament to the strength of that approach.”

More information on the newly-rebranded Dr. Panda, and the eponymous franchise, can be found on the developer's website.