Featured Mobster: Astro Ape Studios

May 02, 2011 |  Posted By : Albert  In : Featured Mobster

Dessert Heroes by Astro Ape Studios for the iPhone and iPad is a game that will satisfy your sweet tooth, allowing you to create your own intricate desserts and compete with your friends in becoming the best bakery. Dessert Heroes is also one of the most popular games out there on the App Store, having been ranked in March for adventure and simulation as well as being listed in the top five for game downloads this last January.

We sat down with Chieh Huang, founder of Astro Ape Studios to talk about Dessert Heroes, as well as Office Heroes. Both games have been very popular on the app store for their gameplay and social features. Check out what he had to say:

What inspired you to build the app?

The studio learned so much from developing and supporting our first hit, Office Heroes, that we couldn’t wait to create a new title that integrated all that we learned.  We thought that we could build a game that was even more engaging, fun and social than our first title.  From the feedback that we’ve gotten so far, and from the key performance indicators we’ve seen, it’s clear that we accomplished this goal.  But now, after learning so much with Dessert Heroes, we have the same feeling all over again!

Why does the ad revenue model make sense for you?
In addition to virtual goods, we saw an opportunity to drive additional revenue through discrete, high-quality ads.  Mobclix was recommended to us as a good solution in the space, so we took a look.  Eventually, we found that the platform and the people were great to work with.

Why did you choose Mobclix?
As a startup, we’re always on the lookout for high-quality solutions that enable us to accomplish a lot, without committing too much HR bandwidth.  Mobclix was definitely one of these solutions.  After integrating the SDK (which was pretty painless), we were able to control what was happening with our inventory by using Mobclix’s intuitive dashboard.  On the flip side, when things get a bit hectic, we also have the option of putting it on cruise control and letting the auction algorithm work its magic.

What tips do you have for other developers?
It may sound like a no-brainer, but if certain parts of your app just don’t feel right, then you should probably change it.  It’s easy to blame the fact that it’s the 11th hour and that it’s too late to change certain features.  But as a startup, don’t lose sight of the fact that one of your key advantages is your agility.  If you can’t outspend your bigger competitors, then you need to out-innovate them; no matter how late in the development cycle it is.