Interviewing

Just got interviewed by a very nice lady named Michelle over at the LA Times. I think this is the 8th interview I've done so far this week.

Lots of press seem to want to get the lowdown from developers on what they think of Google's new Phone. I think it's fine, but it's not necessarily where Demiforce is headed. The whole reason I got into iPhone development was to get away from the traditional Java / BREW development model, where you'd spend as much time creating your game as you did making sure it was compatible with all the supported phones.

Another thing press is buzzing about is the current state of iTunes AppStore apps being rejected for a variety of reasons. People everywhere are asking, "is the AppStore too strict with rules"? Funny, the way I remember it, the AppStore was originally never going to happen. Until recently, if I wanted to make a game for the iPhone, I had to either write a stripped-down web game, or go through the unofficial hacked jailbreak community. Neither of these models were very assuring in regards to profit, availability, or support.

In my opinion, Apple's shown an unprecedented amount of openness in the past year, in terms of embracing us developers. I'm not going to pass judgement on which apps I feel are worthy of being in the AppStore, but I feel that what we have now is a lot more than what we could have had.

Trism: Two Months and Counting!

At a Venture Capital forum yesterday, I accounced that our flagship game for the iPhone, Trism, has profited over $250,000 USD since the opening of the iTunes AppStore two months ago. Today, WIRED has published an interview about our story, which you can read here. In addition to this news, Trism has generated a huge amount of press recently, including articles by The New York Times, FORBES, and even Apple itself in their September 9 press release!

Next, I'd just like to take minute to show my appreciation for you fans who have supported Trism. This game was marketed entirely virally on a shoestring budget, and without you, this would have not have been possible. In the past two months, over 20,000 of you have joined our forums. You guys are absolutely great and have single-handedly made this community shine so brightly. Thanks everybody!

Lastly, I'd like to make an announcement about Demiforce. Those of who who personally know me (Steve) know that I hardly ever take a moment to rest. The success of Trism has been exciting, and although I told myself I needed time to decompress after finishing it, before long I found myself right back at work. It gives me great pleasure to announce that Demiforce is now a full-fledged development studio, featuring a team of talented artists and developers, currently considering Angel / VC support. We're looking to expand even more in the coming months to help realize our longterm strategy on the AppStore and other emerging platforms. If you're an experienced engineer or artist and are interested in joining this hot new startup located in San Francisco, drop me a line here.

Thank you!