Named as Apple's iPad game of the year for 2012, The Room has amassed more than 1 million paid downloads on the App Store for iPad since launch back in September.
That's according to developer Fireproof Studios, which claims the game which cost £60,000 to make had earned its money back within a week of launch.
Opening doors
Said stats were revealed in an interview with The Guardian, with commercial director Barry Meade stating that The Room's success is proof premium games can still enjoy a major role on mobile platforms.
"When iOS happened, that made it possible for someone with our means to make something small and just get it out there," Meade told former PocketGamer.biz editor Stuart Dredge.
"We saved up our money for three years, used it to hire a coder in January last year, and by February we were making The Room."
The Room initially launched at £2.99, but has since shifted to £1.49.
Even at that lower price, however, 1 million downloads is equal to just under £1.5 million in sales. Take away Apple's 30 percent cut, and you're left with little under £1.05 million in Fireproof's pocket.
There are other costs associated with the launch of a game like The Room, but it's safe to say Fireproof has comfortably turned a profit.
Immersion
But how has it reached such heights, especially when the point-and-click genre it slots into is largely perceived to be out of fashion?
No doubt, Apple's decision to promote the game on the App Store and award it the aforementioned iPad accolade helped, but Meade also believes Fireproof's approach to its development also had a major part to play.
"We wanted to make the best iOS game we could, not just try to make a big console game for iOS," he said.
"A real games-maker will design their game around the resources they have and the platform they're going on. It's quite a practical equation.
"All these so-called outliers that [games industry] people sneer at Angry Birds and Cut the Rope etc these are true touchscreen games, and that's why they're so successful."
It's Meade's belief that people underestimate what can be achieved on iPad. When it comes to immersion a key part of The Room's play - he believes people forget "what a difference touch makes."
"Once you've got your audio and your visuals, the touchscreen is now a new method of immersion. People have really gotten off on the tactility of The Room and these objects," he added.
"Immersion is key for people to take games seriously on the platform."
No free-for-all
Perhaps the biggest lesson learned for Meade, however, is that people are still prepared to pay to play.
"When we were number one in the US iPad charts, we weren't even breaking the top 100 in the Top Grossing chart," said Meade.
"But we're doing very well. There's absolutely room for premium games on iOS. People aren't not going to buy something because it's not free-to-play."
[source: The Guardian]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Top Stories
Feature
May 17th, 2024
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a battle royale to a console classic remake
Feature
May 16th, 2024
Behind the scenes: How adding sandwich offers to an idle merge game boosted three metrics at once
Events
Digital Dragons | Europe | May 19th |
GamesBeat Summit 2024 | North America | May 20th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Nordic Game Spring 2024 | Nordic | May 21st |
Impact 2024 - Indie Games | May 23rd | |
Morocco Gaming Expo | Africa | May 24th |
MomoCon 2024 | North America | May 24th |
Unreal Fest Gold Coast 2024 | Australasia | May 29th |
Popular Stories
Feature
May 14th, 2024
53 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, Battle Guys: Royale, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Feature
May 13th, 2024
Hot Five: Dubai's new Gaming Visa, April's mobile game charts, and Xbox studio closures
Interview
May 13th, 2024