Paul Bettner: Newtoy to become a “Nintendo of the iPhone”
![bettner_paul[1]](http://remember-ensemblestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bettner_paul1.jpg "bettner_paul[1]")
NewToy’s Paul Bettner an ex programmer at Ensemble Studios was one of the first to start up a new games company out of Ensemble’s ashes. Paul is now talking to Gamasutra about the new start up company and how he in-visages the companies future. Paul hopes that NewToy can appeal to the unique iPhone market taking into account the platforms easy connectivity and user interaction. The Gamasutra article explains how well the “Chess with Friends” application has been doing since launch, although missing out on the Top 100 the game has had some excellent download numbers:
Chess With Friends came from that philosophy. The game got good support from Apple, which featured the game prominently on the App Store as Pick of the Week in March. The vote of confidence led to a nice jump in sales.
But it still didn’t break the top 100 Apps on the sales ranking list on the App Store, meaning visibility for the game would be low. For iPhone developers, making the top 100 is a crucial requisite for having a successful game.
Bettner said he didn’t pack up and go home. There is a life outside of the Top 100, and it involves sustained growth of a game’s sales and good consumer retention, two things possessed by Chess With Friends and its Scrabble-style counterpart, Words With Friends, he said.
Combined, Chess and Words, which both have ad-supported free and paid versions, have been downloaded 500 million times so far. They draw 50,000 active users daily, and are tracking 200,000 for September, Bettner said. The ratio of free to paid versions is 5:1.
Check out the full article on Gamasutura.
As NewToy continue development on new and exciting applications such as the much awaited “World War Robot” with acclaimed artist Ashley Wood.
Good luck NewToy!
“World War Robot” the next iPhone game to come from NewToy
NewToy formed by ex Ensemble programmers David and Paul Bettner who left Ensemble before its closure have announced thier second iPhone game “World War Robot”. The official press release from NewToy follows:
WORLD-RENOWNED CREATORS JOIN FORCES FOR NEW IPHONE GAME
May 5th, 2009 – McKinney, Texas – Newtoy, an independent video game developer, is pleased to announce it is collaborating with acclaimed artist and creator Ashley Wood, renowned for his work on the graphic novels Popbot and Zombies vs. Robots and credited with creating one of the world’s first digital comics for the Sony PSP – Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel. Newtoy is partnering with Wood to bring his WORLD WAR ROBOT universe to life in a new game designed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
In World War Robot, the human race is split by religion and politics as they wage a savage war between Earth and Mars. Giant robots augment the destruction with incredible battles, intense human/robot drama, a little black humor and some political intrigue thrown into the mix in this epic story.
“We share a dream for a new kind of game development,” said Paul Bettner, creative director at Newtoy. “World class game makers from around the globe – artists and illustrators, designers, musicians, coders – joining forces to craft the highest quality entertainment experiences on the most cutting edge game platforms. We are moving away from the monolithic studio model of development. We want to redefine the way video games are made. This collaboration with Ashley is that dream, realized.”
Of the partnership, Wood says, “I’m excited to team up with game creators who I have admired and, more importantly, whose games I have enjoyed playing over the years!”
About Ashley Wood
Ashley Wood is an internationally acclaimed artist and creator. He lives with his wife, three children and cat in Australia. Ashley has been making up pictures and ideas for a long time and has worked with major publishing and entertainment companies, including Dreamworks, Warner Bros, Sony, Konami, Vivendi International, Random House, Marvel Comics and Todd McFarlane Productions. Ashley’s work has appeared in books, movies, magazines, comics, television and video games. Ashley is a three-time Spectrum Award winner and a two-time Communication Arts award winner and the co owner of 3A Toys. His personal website is: http://ashleybambaland.blogspot.com.
About Newtoy
Founded in 2008, Newtoy is the realization of two brothers, Paul and David Bettner, creators of the internationally best-selling Age of Empires series and most recently the highly anticipated Halo Wars strategy game for the Xbox 360. Paul and David bring nearly two decades of industry experience to Newtoy, with over twenty million units sold and multiple “Game of the Year” awards. Together, they share a vision for creating revolutionary games for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Newtoy’s website is: http://newtoyinc.com.
