Pinoy-made 'Flippy Bottle Extreme!' mobile game is a global hit

Today, game development is a passion for many Filipinos. And where there’s passion, there’s an opportunity to make it big.

For one Filipino game development studio, that is exactly what happened. Most Played Games is the company behind “Flippy Bottle Extreme!,” a mobile game that attained the Top 1 rank in Google Play in more than 16 countries, including Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

In the US alone, it was the Top 1 title in the Arcade and Action categories, while it was Top 2 in the overall Games category – putting it above Electronic Arts’ “FIFA Mobile Soccer.”

“Flippy Bottle Extreme!” is simple enough that anyone can play it. It basically tasks you with swiping the screen to flip a bottle across a range of environments, from rooms filled with furniture to the Eiffel Tower. An in-game currency allows you to unlock a variety of bottles, such as beer bottles and water bottles.

Its uncomplicated yet deceptively addicting nature is key to its success – a success that, if you think about it, is of real importance to Filipino game developers. Getting into the Top 10 is no easy task; to make it all the way to Top 1 is evidence that we have what it takes to excel in the highly competitive arena that is the mobile game industry.

For Most Played Games CEO and founder Derrick Alain M. Mapagu, achieving the Top 1 rank is a “surreal” experience.

“It was my dream when I started Most Played Games,” he said. “I wanted to create a popular game to put the Philippines on the map for game development. Having competed against really big companies like EA, Gameloft, and Imangi Studios in the charts is something I still cannot believe.”

“Flippy Bottle Extreme!” has been downloaded around 2 million times, and has beaten popular games such as “Temple Run 2,” “Subway Surfers,” “Color Switch,” and even “Pokemon Go” in the rankings.

“Having achieved this in such a small amount of time is, of course, very life-changing for me as this is my dream,” Mapagu explained. “Part of my life’s dream has been accomplished, and I’m actually constantly asking myself ‘what now?’ ”

From dream to reality

Mapagu had dreamt of becoming a game developer since grade school. He spent his childhood pursuing creative interests such as playing with Legos, drawing, gaming, and modifying maps in “StarCraft.”

Most Played Games is Mapagu’s vehicle towards that dream. He established the company in September, 2016, making it just 2 months young.

“Our vision is to create the next big hit, the next 1-billion-download game,” he stated. “That is why I named it ‘Most Played Games’… I started the brand myself, creating games on my own from the programming to the art... (I created) up to around 5 games.”

His mission for his company is for it to become a commercial mass market brand. Most Played Games now has 9 titles in its portfolio, including local hits such as “Make Tusok the Fishball,” and two games inspired by the De La Salle University and Ateneo rivalry: “Make Pana Blue Eagle” and “Make Tuka Green Archer.”

Like Most Played Games’ other titles, “Flippy Bottle Extreme!” was inspired by its creators’ desire to entertain. The game was developed by only two people – Mapagu himself and an artist named Jeks. 

Mapagu admitted he prefers working in a smaller team when developing “super casual action arcade” games. This is because a lean, focused team allows for quick decision-making.

“There are no lagging factors to delay our production,” he explained. “When I decide something, we proceed to the next phase right away… it’s much faster since I am the one programming the game, as well. In a matter of minutes, I can change direction for a game.”

This is in contrast to working in a larger team, which Mapagu has had experience with. In such a team, any proposed changes have to go through lengthy approval processes, which often take considerable time and can therefore lead to delays.

“I believe in the best people,” he said. “Even if we are few, if I have the best people, we will be able to create games to match even those of bigger teams.”

“Flippy Bottle Extreme!” was finished in only two days, thanks to Mapagu’s physics games expertise, and Jeks’ voxel art skills. They didn’t encounter too many problems during its development.

“Maybe our main difficulty was just getting the art right,” Mapagu explained. “We played with just around 2 art styles. The second time we already got it right.”

The early version of the game was simply called “Flippy Bottle” and had a yellowish color scheme. Mapagu, however, thought the title and color choice made the game seem too friendly – not at all like the challenging game he had envisioned. So they affixed “Extreme” to the title, and added more red to its look.

Mapagu spent 50% of the development time playtesting the game, and making the tweaks necessary to ensure the experience was as enjoyable and addicting as possible. 

“I just made it for myself; I just ensured that I will enjoy the game. If I do, I’m pretty sure that gamers of ‘my type’ will also enjoy it,” he said.

World-class

“Flippy Bottle Extreme!’s” success has further emboldened Mapagu to keep making games that people will like.

“We will make more games like ‘Flippy Bottle Extreme!,’ as that is our brand,” he said. “We have around 5 games in the works. We were just not able to finish them because ‘Flippy Bottle Extreme!’ got a lot of attention. We also plan, of course, to create updates for ‘Flippy Bottle Extreme!’ ”

Mapagu is even thinking about expanding his company. As such, he is hoping to find more like-minded people to work with.

“We will possibly bring more people into our team – people who share our vision for Philippine game development.”

Mapagu is confident that Filipino game developers have the knowledge, skill, imagination, and diligence to succeed internationally.

“For Filipino game developers, the only way is up,” he said. “We are a young industry compared to others, but there is a lot of potential for our country to become one of the best places in the world for game development. It’s exciting to see that we now have a really vibrant and energetic industry, one with a very good momentum. All the developers are like bubbles ready to burst to storm the world.”

He added: “I hope our story will inspire more developers to create their own stuff. Our success proves that Filipinos are world-class talents.”

These aren’t just empty claims. Several local developers have already proven that Filipinos are capable of creating experiences worthy of international acclaim. Titles such as Keybol Games’ “Kill the Plumber” and Games by Nico’s “Lithium City” have been the recipients of several awards, nominations, and recognition abroad.

“We are more than ready to show the world what we are made of. It’s now just a matter of continuing this momentum.”

Let’s close this story with some advice from Mapagu to aspiring Filipino game developers:

“To all the developers out there: aim high, stay hungry and foolish, and don’t stop reaching for your dreams. Filipinos are world-class talents, and we are more than ready to compete. Let’s make more awesome games, and let’s show the world what Pinoys can do!”

To learn more about Most Played Games and “Flippy Bottle Extreme!,” visit the company’s official website and Facebook page.

The game is available on iOS and Android devices. — TJD, GMA News