Wanted: Android Developer, Artist and Marketer for Partnership

In November last year the Australian government announced that they were providing $20 million in funding to support the local game development industry over the next 3 years. Screen Australia (which traditionally supports the Australian film industry) was appointed to administer the fund, and they spent the next few months consulting with the games industry on how the fund should be distributed. In March this year Screen Australia released the final guidelines, announcing a Games Production Fund which will provide approx $4 to $5 million across two rounds per year. Applications for the first round close in July.

The question for me is should I apply for funding, to help further Class 3 Outbreak and Zombie Outbreak Simulator? It’s “free” money, so if it could help, I might as well? :)

Binary Space was started by Jay Weston and I a bit over 4 years ago in February 2009. Here’s a timeline of everything that’s happened since then:

Class 3 Outbreak and Zombie Outbreak Simulator development timeline

So to summarize, C3O began on the web, and then partway during development we released ZOS on the web as a kind of ‘teaser’ for C3O. After the initial “classic” C3O was released, we expanded into a new C3O based on user-generated maps all over the world built using an editor. Building on the original ZOS we then created a version for iOS. In December last year Jay left Binary Space, and I’ve been continuing development on both the web version of C3O and the iOS version of ZOS.

Over those four years, the web versions of C3O and ZOS have been played over 4 million times, and the iOS version of ZOS has been downloaded by over 160,000 people.

Here’s the strategy that I’m planning for the future:

Class 3 Outbreak and Zombie Outbreak Simulator strategy

So in the short-to-medium term there are three main things I have planned:

  1. Add more features to the web version of C3O.
  2. Expand ZOS for iOS to allow it to play all 2000+ user-generated maps from the web version of C3O.
  3. Release ZOS on Android.

In the longer term the combination of all three of the above will result in releasing C3O on both iOS and Android. Then after that I will continue developing on all 4 of those streams until Class 3 Outbreak and Zombie Outbreak Simulator ultimately take over the world! ;)

There are of course a lot of risks and unknowns with this strategy. But could some funding from Screen Australia’s games fund help?

My plan is to apply for funding to develop ZOS for Android. This seems like a good candidate for funding because it’s a small and well-defined piece of the future strategy.

Android logo

According to App Annie’s research, in the first quarter of 2013 total revenue on the iOS App Store was about 2.6 times total revenue on Google Play. ZOS has earned about $29k on iOS, so that means it will earn exactly $29k / 2.6 = $11k on Android, right? :)

Of course it’s more complicated than that. While both the iOS App Store and Google Play have about 800,000 apps each, and while many apps are available on both platforms, in general each store has different apps with different monetization strategies. The only real way to know what ZOS on Android might earn is to release it and find out.

Still, it seems like an Android version of ZOS has a pretty good chance of making at least some fraction of the sales from ZOS on iOS. So if I can put in an application to Screen Australia for some amount of funding less than that, it should be a fairly strong business case.

Besides the potential financial return from an Android version of ZOS, I know there is plenty of demand for it. Almost every time I make an announcement about the web version of C3O or the iOS version of ZOS, I get comments asking when it will be available for Android! :)

Android Facebook comments

The only problem with making an Android version of ZOS is that I don’t have the skills required to make it happen! So I’m putting out a call to see if anyone out there would like to partner with me to help me build it?

This will be paid work, but riskier than a ‘normal’ job application. For a regular job, if I like you I’ll hire you straight away and pay you as the work is done. This time it’s a bit different. You don’t have to do any work up front – just be willing to let me include your name on the funding application that I submit to Screen Australia. But if the application is successful then as soon as I get the funds from them, you’ll get hired and get paid :)

I’m looking for three people to help me build ZOS for Android:

  1. An Android developer
    I did a little bit of Android development a year or two ago, but that was for a business application, not a game. Although I could learn Android game development myself, I’d prefer to hire someone who already has experience. Most of ZOS for iOS is built using standard C++ and OpenGL ES 2.0, with Objective-C used for just the user interface. So I’m assuming that most of the code will be usable as-is, and so it will mostly be UI and integration code which you will need to write.
  2. An artist
    Most of the in-game artwork (like zombie and civ sprites) already exists. However the user interface will most likely need to be adjusted to make it work with Android (eg to support different screen sizes). Some of the user interface elements could be re-used (eg buttons), but I’m willing to consider redesigning the whole interface if you’d rather start with a clean slate.
  3. A marketer
    I’m looking for someone to help with the ‘obvious’ marketing aspects like helping to promote the game on Android after launch. However this also includes the equally-important role of providing advice before and during development on how the game should be developed and monetized to make it marketable.

The amount of user interface code and art required shouldn’t be huge. There are pretty much only three screens that need to be developed: map selection, the game itself, and the options screen.

iZOS UI

iZOS UI

iZOS UI

What will I be doing? I’ll do general coordination / project management type stuff, as well as helping the developer work with my existing code. I won’t be including anything for me in the funding application though – I’ll only make a return once it starts selling.

The deadline for funding applications is mid-July. From there Screen Australia have said they’ll take about 10 weeks to process the applications. Assuming an extra month or so to finalize a contract with Screen Australia, it will probably be around November or so before work could start. I’m happy for you to work full time, part time or in your spare time – whatever works around whatever else you’re doing is fine. And if November comes and you’re suddenly busy with your dream project, it’s fine if we need to delay or if I need to find someone else.

If you’re interested, send me an email at jobs@binaryspacegames.com with some info on why you’d be suitable (eg some details of projects you’ve worked on before, etc).

Since the funding is provided by the Australian government to support the Australian game development industry, you will need to be living in Australia. However if you live overseas, are awesome at what you do, and would love to work on this project, then please still get in touch with me and we’ll see what we can work out.

Finally, if you’d like to see ZOS released on Android, you can help the cause by letting me know! Post a comment below, like or comment on the Facebook page, send me a message on Twitter, send me an email, or share this post with your friends. The greater the response, the stronger the reason to develop an Android version of ZOS in the first place, and so the more likely it will happen!

Thanks,
Saxon

 

9 comments

  1. lazarhead says:

    This would be great. I’m actually viewing this webpage oj my XPeri

  2. LazarheaD says:

    Me again! I think I found a nice developer that can port the game to Android – D3T http://www.d3t.co.uk/. They worked on the port for Beat Hazard tho I’m not sure how they would threat a flash game. Also I would like it for my map to be moderated, any day now…

  3. Scott says:

    Hi Saxon,

    This post was a good read and I don’t mean to be annoying/mean, but do you actually qualify for the Screen Australia Games Production fund? I ask because you team needs to meet one of these requirements:

    1) Have two experienced games practitioners, each of whom has credits in a senior development role on at least two publicly available games.

    OR

    2) Have two experienced games practitioners, each of whom has at least two years experience in a senior development role on large-scale ($4 million+ budget) PC or console game/s

    OR

    3) Be a sole developer that has created and released at least two publicly available games as a sole developer.

    From what I remember reading in your blog, it sounds like you started as a 2 person team but are now down to being a sole developer so that means that you would only classify for requirements option 3. Have you released two publicly available games as a sole developer (i.e. not games you worked with Jay Weston on)?

    Either way, I’ll be interested to hear about how your application goes as my indie team was originally thinking of applying but we don’t meet the requirements so will be sitting out of this funding, for now.

    Cheers,
    Scott

    • Saxon says:

      Hi Scott,

      Good question :) I am kind of playing it by ear, and will clarify with Screen Australia, depending on who is interested in joining me.

      I qualify as half of option 1 – I worked at Ratbag back in 1997-2000 on 3 commercially released PC games, in a senior role on at least 2 of them. Also I worked on Binary Space’s games 2009 – 2013, which are all interrelated but depending on how you divide them could be considered anywhere from 1 to 4 games.

      So if at least one of the people I hire has credits on at least 2 games, then as a team we’ll qualify.

      I’m not sure if I qualify as option 3 – I’ve released updates to 2 of Binary Space’s games since Jay left and I became a solo developer, so does that count? I’m not sure and so I would need to clarify with Screen Australia if it comes to that. I’m not sure that Screen Australia are really geared up for the idea of ongoing iterative development (coming from a Film background), so this might be an interesting test case.

      Even if I do qualify as a sole developer, if I hire people to help me then I think that would automatically disqualify me from applying as a sole developer. However maybe it will depend on how much work the people I hire do. For example does a solo developer need to create 100% of the game themselves, or is it okay if they hire others for eg 5% or 10% of the total budget (eg to create music, or produce a bit of artwork, or help with some scripting)? This is another angle I will check with Screen Australia depending on how things go.

      cya,
      Saxon

      • Scott says:

        Hi Saxon,

        So you’re looking to put the person you hire for the Android dev down as part of the team for the Screen Australia application? Interesting.

        And contacting Screen Australia to clarify sounds like a great idea. I’ve looked through the application requirements/forms and there is a lot for you to do to be able to apply so if you post any new updates on the whole process, I’ll look forward to reading them.

        Cheers,
        Scott

  4. Hi there Saxon
    We’re you still looking for help for the UI?
    Regards
    Jeremy

  5. Djackson says:

    I downloaded a C3O app to my android phone. Did you release it? If not then seriously get in touch with the publisher on Aptoide and figure out who ported it… It would be difficult(actually more like hell since contact information is virtually impossible to obtain on the Aptoide App Store) but it would sure be worth it.

  6. Wesley Lanter says:

    I have a two requests for Zombie Outbreak Simulator. I was wondering if instead of giving us two free of each, could you possibly give us five or ten? Also, could you make the settings free? I also have a few suggestions. Could you possibly add the construction of barricades, SWAT teams to help police, and/or add vehicles? Preventing people and Z’s getting stuck in areas or behind walls would be amazing, too. T
    hanks, and keep up the AMAZING work:)

  7. Robert says:

    Hi Saxon,so ZOS is now released on the android.I don’t know,will smbd read this,but I’ve got some ideas for the next updates.If you want to know,just respond under this massage.
    P.S.Sorry for my English,I’m from Poland(•_•)

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