Exclusive Interview With Stefan Hahn, iPhone App Developer Of The Roadie
As The Roadie you are a down-and-out rocker who becomes the world’s last hope against swarms of robot invaders! Strap on your guitar, and shred your way through action-packed levels loaded with slabs of pure, unadulterated METAL! Wow, sounds amazing, let’s find out how Stefan Hahn developed this app, read this exclusive interview here…
The Beginning
Hi Stefan, can you tell our readers how your app was originally thought of, what were your thoughts behind the marketplace, specifically?
Well Joanne, we were always looking for methods to expand our core business, which is video game localization. Since we’re Metal heads, and love games, creating a Metal-themed game was our first thought. And heavy music being increasingly popular, we decided to just give it a shot….
Design
Stefan the design is great for The Roadie, can you tell us how you came up with the colors and themes ideas, design?
Sure Joanne, We just threw all our thoughts in one big brainstorming bucket, and picked the ones everybody like the most, but I remember one of our sponsors, the German Metal magazine Rock Hard, suggesting a fat little roadie would be the perfect hero for our game.
Target Market
Who do you see as the main target market for this app Stefan?
Basically everybody who loves hard music and innovative game design Joanne. Fans of Tap Tap Revenge and the likes should get a hang of our game fairly quick, too.
Production
How long did it take from the original planning to the production process of your app?
Much too long, actually. I think since the idea of creating a game jumped me while I was carrying my wife’s shopping bags and the upload of our game to Apple’s servers, about 6 months went by. We’ve definitely got to work something out to accelerate our game development process a bit.
Sales
How do you view your sales, is there a good solid market for this style of app Stefan?
Frankly, so far our app has been rather unnoticed and unfortunately has joined armies of good, but rather unknown games in the vastness of the App store… so we’re not sure whether there is a solid market for this kind of game (yet).
Obstacles
What has been the hardest obstacle you have had to overcome regarding this app development?
The budget, definitely. We poured quite a few dollars in The Roadie, and although one could buy a decent car for that money, the game is still is a low-budget title…
Third Parties
Would you consider developing apps for third parties?
At this point of time, we would rather let that opportunity pass by.
App Store
What have you learnt from the App Store since you launched your app?
The App Store is the most brutal market out there. It’s easy to burn big piles of money with no guarantee whatsoever to create any sales. There are a lot of methods to promote your game, free ones and expensive ones, but none of them guarantees you any revenue. One thing is for sure, though: if you just fire it off and hope it will be noticed in the App Store, your flirting with disaster.
Apple
Have Apple supported you well with your app?
Well, their iTunes Connect site is rather easy to use, and considering their size, Apple’s responsiveness is not so bad, I think. So, all in all, I think their supports has been ok so far Joanne.
The Future
What next, are you developing another app? Would you go for the same genre again, if not which?
We’re currently thinking about another one, but I can’t share any info on that at this point of time. It would simply be way too early. But one thing is for sure: we will not go for the same genre again.
iPad
The Apple iPad – what are your thoughts about it?
The iPad is something for tech-savy gadget enthusiasts, and I think it will make quite a few people out there very happy.
You’re right about that Stefan, it certainly makes me happy – I think your app is great, thanks very much for this really informative interview. Best wishes Joanne
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: [email protected]
