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interview :: firemint talk about their ipod game the sims dj

Firemint talk about their iPod game The Sims DJ

Rob Murray, CEO of Firemint, answers some questions about their latest game 'The Sims DJ' that's been released on the next generation iPod.


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Firemint are the local masters of mobile games, there is no denying it (Have a read of our studio tour earlier this year). They cleaned up with the GDAA Best mobile title three years in a row, and won at the International Mobile Gaming Awards, so they know their stuff. Most recently however, through their close partnership with EA, they have released a new game on the latest generation iPod. The game in question - The Sims DJ, based on the insanely popular Sims franchise.

When I found this out, I just had to have a chat to Robert Murray, CEO of Firemint, and ask him a few questions on their most recent title.


Yug: First things first – is this game compatible with the iPhone?

Rob: Sims DJ is an iPod game, it runs on the iPod nano (3rd generation), iPod classic and iPod (5th generation) only.

Yug: Can you give us a brief description of the game and its features?

Rob: You're a DJ who plays various gigs using your own real-world iPod music. The goal is to get the Sims up and partying, and you have a range of tricks to get them in the mood. There are a number of different types of clubs and gigs that will present you with a large variety of different challenges. Each Sim likes a certain kind of music and you may need to get fans of Pop, Country and R&B all dancing at the same time. You've got to figure out how to use your talents to solve the challenges each gig presents, and of course toy around with the dancing Sims' lives along the way. As you complete gigs, you earn money which you can spend on "buying" songs from your iPod library, and assigning them to a musical genre. It doesn't have to be the song's real genre, so don't worry if you don't have a lot of Country in your collection! Just like any other Sims game, you can also spend your cash on customising your DJ's appearance and you also unlock more interesting challenges as you proceed through the game.

Yug: How different has the development of a game specifically for the iPod been compared to the high end mobile phones you usually work with?

Rob: One big difference has been that we haven't had to allow for the huge differences in handset capabilities that we normally deal with. Instead of targeting anything from a low end basic phone to the latest 3D handset, we've had a very narrow target range much more akin to console development. The other biggest difference is the controls, the click wheel opened up some really fun game play possibilities, from tracking a spinning disco ball to scratching records.

Yug: Do you see the iPod hardware becoming more and more popular to develop for in the future?

Rob: I certainly hope so – iPod games have only been around for about a year and a half so it's still early days, but with 100 million iPods out there and only 26 games on the iTunes store, there are huge possibilities.

Yug: You've worked closely with EA on previous franchises such as Madden and Need for Speed, a Sims DJ game is a pretty different direction for that franchise though – how much creative licence did you have? Who came up with the idea?

Rob: EA approached us with the hi-concept and we've been very conscious of the fact that The Sims is one of their most valuable licenses all the way through the development process. EA wanted to create a fun game that combined aspects of The Sims universe and gameplay style, with the ability to incorporate real songs from your iTunes collection into the game. Within those guidelines we had a lot of scope for experimentation. We actually explored pretty broadly and tried a lot of different things. In the end I think the game is very close to the formula we were seeking.

Yug: Can the game be played by people without and iPod?

Rob: No, the game can be purchased via the iTunes Store just like a song (go to "iPod Games"), but to play it you need to synch it to a compatible iPod.

Yug: Rob, thank you for your time!


You can purchase The Sims DJ on iTunes by clicking here


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