Summary
- From dream to reality, a story about how a “father” publishes a game on Xbox
- An extra coat of polish goes a long way, even on a purple ball of slime
- When a kid runs out of games, make one!
“Dad, I can’t find many games to play…”
“Ok darling, what game do you want to play? Shall I make you one?”
And that’s how it started. A little over a year ago, my five-year-old daughter told me that most of our Xbox games were too difficult for her. After some curating we managed to put together a nice little group of games – but the idea of making one for her and kids like her stuck…
As a game developer, I never got a job at a studio developing for Xbox. I thought oh how prestigious it would be to be part of a crew working on an Xbox title (a lifetime dream mind you). A few months in the development of BouncyBoi in Puzzleland
One day while I was busy working on the game, my email notification popped up. It was from [email protected]…
My heartbeat skipped for a moment. I said to myself “Here is the rejection letter”.
I read the first sentence…
“Thank you for submitting your game concept to [email protected]! We wanted to get in touch and let you know BouncyBoi in Puzzleland has been approved for release on Xbox. “
I cannot put into words the excitement and high spirits that shot through my body at that moment!
Wire guidelines tell us to avoid excessive exclamation marks, so let’s just say, “six exclamation marks!” This was my first introduction to the [email protected] team and just a taste of the incredibly warm welcome and support they have offered me throughout this journey. When the tide of chaos subsided, I had only one thought in my head. “Time to level up”.
My goal was to make the game’s graphics stand out and look very polished. A lot of effort has gone into rendering and post-processing tricks to ensure it is worthy of being on this console. I would say to myself I am a sole developer working on a game for a console. Everything has to be right.
Looking back at the first prototype, I can’t even recognize the game. It’s grown and evolved into something I’m really proud of – and something definitely worthy of being a console game.
This amazing feat could only be accomplished by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Every question I’ve had regarding the Xbox platform – the [email protected] team had my back. This game was made in the Unity engine and whenever I needed help with something Xbox specific, a team member was there.
the [email protected] Program helped me achieve my dream of developing and publishing a game on my favorite console, something I almost thought impossible.
My daughter had the time of her life playing through the game she helped create and is already planning the next title (something about cats, no doubt, ha!).
BouncyBoi in Puzzleland is now available!
BouncyBoi in Puzzleland
twin stick
$13.99
Hop into this colorful and cartoony world with BouncyBoi and go on adventures in different levels full of challenging puzzles, cute graphics and funky beats! You are BouncyBoi. A purple bouncy slime who loves to jog and solve puzzles making his way through Puzzle Land. That’s it… There isn’t much of an epic backstory. No campaign to follow. Just good music, great pictures and fun times! You are given a game board and must navigate BouncyBoi to the finish line, overcoming puzzles and characters blocking your path. As you move through the worlds, you will encounter new and interesting challenges to test your problem-solving skills.
