Wellington games designer targets iPhones

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KICK OFF: A screenshot from Flick Kick Rugby, an iPhone application developed by PikPok, part of Wellington games company Sidhe.

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Wellington games developer Sidhe is seizing on the iPhone buzz, releasing three applications for the device in three months.

Sidhe has set up a subsidiary company, PikPok, to develop iPhone games and build on its success in creating rugby league and car racing games for the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

PikPok portfolio manager Jos Ruffell says sales of the company's first iPhone game, Fame – launched with the movie Fame in September – had been "okay".

"The film unfortunately didn't perform as hoped and with the Apple application store being such a crowded environment we haven't managed to get the traction we would have liked. But it was a great first game to throw ourselves into the deep end with."

PikPok has since released two more games, Flick Kick Aussie Rules and Flick Kick Rugby, which let players practise "kicking" and take on kicking challenges by moving and flicking their finger on the iPhone's touchscreen.

The games, which can be downloaded for $1.99, featured in the top 50 most popular paid applications in the New Zealand application store within two days of their release.

Flick Kick Rugby is winning fans in Britain, Ireland, France and other rugby-mad countries, he says. PikPok has another two iPhone applications in the pipeline and hopes to submit one to Apple for approval by the end of the week.

The company could look to develop iPhone versions of games developed for other consoles, such as its brick-breaking game Shatter for PlayStation 3, as well as other sports games for soccer, American football and hockey fans, he says.

IPhone applications can be developed much faster than games for other consoles, allowing PikPok to test concepts without expending months of energy and resources.

"The iPhone has really opened up a lot of opportunities for small developers, but at the same time it's a fast-moving platform that's become quite crowded and it's getting hard to stand out. Bringing original properties of ours like Shatter to the iPhone does make a lot of sense."

PikPok has about eight staff but is free to draw on Sidhe's resources as it needs them, Mr Ruffell says.

- © Fairfax NZ News