Fruit Ninja sequel planned as Govt backs Halfbrick

Australia indie Halfbrick is developing a sequel to its iOS trailblazer Fruit Ninja, following an AU$3 million digital investment drive from state officials.

Brisbane based Halfbrick is establishing a second studio in Sydney with the aid of government funding, with new hires set to work on a Fruit Ninja sequel.

“The new Sydney team will develop the next evolution of the Fruit Ninja games franchise,” said New South Wales deputy prime minister Andrew Stoner.

“It will involve players launching a series of fruit to knock ninjas off their towers in a 3D world, with each fruit having special powers,” he added.

The title is due for a 2012 release, Stoner said.

Fruit Ninja has amassed more than 100 million downloads across a range of platforms such as iOS, Android and Kinect.

The new project is targeted for iOS initially, though an expansion to other platforms is expected.

It is not known how much of the AU$3 million fund will be channelled to Halfbrick.

Stoner told regional paper Illawarra Mercury that the wider government aim is to invest in a number of digital interactive entertainment companies across New South Wales.

“The digital games sector will be increasingly important in developing serious business and education tools, as well as entertainment games like the latest Fruit Ninja project,” he said.