Interview with the developer of 2XL Supercross for iPhone

The graphics of iPhone games seem to improve week after week, but one of the App Store's current kings of visual bling is 2XL Supercross. It's a high end dirt biking game with tracks designed by a real-life Motocross champion.

Rick Baltman, President of 2XL, the game's developer, was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to chat to us about his experiences making the game, and his thoughts on the future of iPhone gaming.

If you haven't heard of the company before, 2XL has worked on console projects for almost 10 years, and they worked on a number of PC titles before that too. With this in mind, we kicked off with a question about the move to iPhone.

What made you decide to enter the iPhone scene after so many years working on console?
Apple created a unique opportunity for game developers. Through iTunes and the iPhone, game developers can distribute powerful 3D games directly to the player. This has allowed us to make games we’ve been trying to make for years. We are going to continue to make console and PC games, but are thrilled with this new mobile gaming platform.

Are you happy with how the game turned out?
Yes, it was an excellent first step for us. 2XL Supercross was a challenge because we had to port our Xbox 360 and PS3 game engine onto the iPhone while making a quality product in a very short amount of time. We chose to make a racing game as our first app because we have been making them for over 10 years now and wanted to nail the gameplay while we were learning how to develop on new hardware.

Although we estimated it would take us three months, it actually took us four months to complete. We are very happy with the finished product and the production process we set up to get us there.

Are you currently working on an update for 2XL Supercross, and if so what new features might it add?
Another great feature of iTunes is the ability to get feedback directly from the people playing our games. We have read every single customer review from every App Store around the world (combined, our staff speaks many languages). All I can say is, please keep 2XL Games on your radar and check back with us soon for more news as soon as we can release it!

After your experiences working on 2XL, and having seen the sales it has generated, are you going to carry on developing for iPhone?
Absolutely! Making games for the iPhone and distributing them through the App Store is a novel opportunity we want to continue to take advantage of. We can’t wait to tell you about what we’re working on right now!

With more powerful devices on the horizon, we see nothing but possibilities. Now, I get to play games wherever and whenever I want and I don’t even have to carry around a second device in my pocket.

How did the development cycle for 2XL Supercross compare with your previous console projects, Baja for instance?
It was dramatically different. Baja: Edge of Control was a two year project that peaked at 80 people [on the development team] in three different countries. It required a lot of management, a lot of interaction with THQ, Sony, Microsoft and several outsourcers. It was a large production. In stark comparison, 2XL Supercross took ten people who all sat in the same office four months to complete, start to finish.

Each team poured their hearts and souls in to each game and each project presented its own set of challenges. There is definitely more pressure working on a larger game, but it ends up getting played by more people. In the end, I’m equally proud of each effort, for different reasons.

It seems perhaps a little odd to skip straight to the iPhone when several of the games you’ve worked on in the past have featured on the DS and PSP too. Was 2XL Supercross something of a sideline experiment or is there a particular element to working for iPhone that drew you in?
We were attracted to the iPhone because of its innovative distribution and business model. In the same way Apple changed the way music was sold with iTunes, they really did something new and creative for games with the App Store. They deserve their kudos. We were really excited to start making games for the iPhone!

Do you see the App Store as a serious threat to the DS and PSP when games like 2XL Supercross demonstrate that the platform’s capable of PSP-quality visuals, while also offering simpler DS-like touch games?
I do, but competition is healthy for everyone, and as long as we continue to buy games, in the end we all win. Apple, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft will continue to develop more and more powerful and innovative platforms with more people making better games for them. Apple took a big step with the iPhone and the App Store, but I don’t expect anyone will sit idly by.

If you could add one element of functionality to the iPhone that would make it even better as a gaming device, what would it be?
That’s a great question that’s really got me thinking. I’d love to play with some rate gyros in addition to the accelerometer so we could add real gesture recognition to games.

I’d like to see a performance improvement in the drivers so we could send more triangles to the very capable GPU to improve the graphics. I wish for a faster CPU so we can run more physics and gameplay. I’m confident all of this is coming at some point in time, though.

Do you feel that relative low price of iPhone games, and the severity of price drops often required to get them into the charts will harm the platform in the long run?
I don’t think so. The pressure to get into the charts comes from trying to get visibility in lieu of having another way to get attention from the public. Games with larger development budgets will be able to afford advertising and public relations campaigns to achieve the public awareness they need to drive sales.

Ironically, they will then show up in the charts and garner more attention. Time will tell, but the App Store is the ultimate free market, with a low barrier to entry with few other markets to compare it to. I’m curious to see what happens.

What are your favourite iPhone games (2XL Supercross not included!) and which other developers do you admire?
Topple from ngmoco (I’m a physics programmer at heart), geoDefense from Critical Thought Games, Touchgrind and Sway from Illusion Labs. Flight Control from Firemint. I’ve landed 634 planes in Flight Control and still go back for more. All are very well produced games that prevent me from getting too much work done each day. Great work guys, congratulations!

Another Phoenix developer is releasing a very good looking boxing game called Touch KO, published by Chillingo. Please check it out!

Do you think Google Android’s marketplace has much chance of competing with the App Store, and would you consider trying to port games for it?
We haven’t studied this market yet, but we are open to all new ideas and opportunities. As a small, independent game developer, we are enjoying our ability to remain agile and creative.