Physical inputs and QA process very beneficial for the portable skating game
Hot new PlayStation Vita exclusiveOlliOlliwas once on the verge on making a run at the App Store. That didn’t happen, obviously, but developer Roll7 had a working prototype for its skating game designed solely around touch controls. So, how and why did the studio come to ditch the booming mobile market for Sony’s struggling portable?
OlliOlliwas a much more difficult game in its original state. It demanded absolute perfection. Then a chance encounter at a games conference (and suggestion from a colleague) pushed the title toward buttons, analog sticks, and Sony.
“We went in and showed [Sony] the game, and they were really into it,” Roll7’s John Ribbins revealed in an interview withGamasutra. “They gave us a shot, asking if we wanted to bring it to Vita instead of iOS.”
Sony funded the project, and the change of platforms and inputs resulted in a very different game. Not only is the final product a lot more accessible than its early prototype, but Ribbins says submitting Sony QA, was very beneficial for his team.
“It’s helped us grow, and we learned a heck of a lot from that, and having to think about stuff I don’t think we would have ever thought of if we were just self-publishing onto PC.”
How skateboarding game OlliOlli skipped over iOS, and onto Vita[Gamasutra]
