Firemint ‘spent $2 million’ on iPhone project

Australian smartphone game developer Firemint invested $2 million in building its high-end mobile game Real Racing 2, the studio has said.

And, in further resemblance of the triple-A console project model, Firemint said the Real Racing sequel also took 18 months to finish.

The revelations come with the games development scene more factionalised than ever. In the last three years, developers have poured into the mobile games space as triple-A studios close down and release talent.

To the demonstrable annoyance of some platform holders, games have now generated over $2 billion in revenues on Apple’s App Store.

That growth is due, in part, to the promise of 70 per cent royalties with Android and App Store games. The popularity has its own setbacks; now there is an ocean of games available on mobile platforms – tens of thousands of products are in constant competition, and it’s a battle usually fought with dramatic price cuts.

Firemint, however, is providing further evidence that the triple-A model can succeed on mobiles. Real Racing 2’s outlay and dev time ensured it was a visual leap forward from the competition.

“Real Racing 2 expanded significantly on visuals, handling and content of the first game, and specific optimizations for iPhone 4 and its retina display," said the firm’s media liaison Logan Booker.

Real Racing 2, which sells at a premium $4.99, constantly features on the App Store’s top-grossing chart.