New York:
In early 2009, Igor and Marko Pusenjak, two brothers originally from Croatia, decided they wanted to build an application for the iPhone that would enable them to make extra money on the side.
They set out to build a game that included a rabbit jumping up a screen trying to collect carrots. They soon realized that a collection of doodles they had sketched out to test the game were visually fun. And so Doodle Jump was born.
On Friday, the two brothers announced that Doodle Jump, which sells for 99 cents in the iTunes store, has now sold more than five million copies. Although Apple doesn't disclose competitor numbers, the brothers believe this is the first iOS4 application to reach the five million download mark.
Igor Pusenjak said in a phone interview that the success of the game has far surpassed the brothers' expectations.
"I remember a moment of frustration when we were selling only 20 or 30 copies a day," he said, "then we made it into the top 25 apps and we've been there for almost a year now."
Once the game took off, the brothers quit their jobs and have been solely dedicated to building new features and designs for Doodle Jump, and for their small development company, Lima Sky.
Doodle Jump is extremely simple to play; the objective is to guide a little sketched-out character, Doodle the Doodler, up a sheet of graph paper while making sure he doesn't bump into any crudely drawn monsters, or worse, fall to his death.
It may sound rudimentary, but it's unbelievably addictive.
Players post videos online showing off their skills at the game and high scores, and there are a number of popular Facebook groups dedicated to the game.
Doodle the Doodler has appeared on the Jimmy Fallon "Late Night" show and has shown up in fashion accessories for Lady Gaga, among others.
Meanwhile, Doodle Jump constantly updates with new designs to give the game a new look. The brothers recently released a soccer theme and plan to release an underwater theme in the coming months.
The brothers are also looking into creating an animated series based on Doodle the Doodler and the monsters in the game.
As my colleague Jenna Wortham reported in April in The Times, Doodle Jump fans can also expect an iPad application.
"We were originally going to launch a replica version of Doodle Jump for the iPad, but we've decided to build an entirely new game with new features and game play," Mr. Pusenjak said. "We recognize how dedicated our fans are to the game so we want to make sure we build the right experience for them."
Dedicated is right. I've been playing the game since it became available last year, and I have a lowly high score of 40,000 points. Mr. Pusenjak, whose high score is in the 100,000 range, said some dedicated Doodlers have reached four million points in the game.
When does it end? "There's been rumors of a Doodle princess high up there," he said, "but I can neither confirm or deny that."
They set out to build a game that included a rabbit jumping up a screen trying to collect carrots. They soon realized that a collection of doodles they had sketched out to test the game were visually fun. And so Doodle Jump was born.
On Friday, the two brothers announced that Doodle Jump, which sells for 99 cents in the iTunes store, has now sold more than five million copies. Although Apple doesn't disclose competitor numbers, the brothers believe this is the first iOS4 application to reach the five million download mark.
Igor Pusenjak said in a phone interview that the success of the game has far surpassed the brothers' expectations.
"I remember a moment of frustration when we were selling only 20 or 30 copies a day," he said, "then we made it into the top 25 apps and we've been there for almost a year now."
Once the game took off, the brothers quit their jobs and have been solely dedicated to building new features and designs for Doodle Jump, and for their small development company, Lima Sky.
Doodle Jump is extremely simple to play; the objective is to guide a little sketched-out character, Doodle the Doodler, up a sheet of graph paper while making sure he doesn't bump into any crudely drawn monsters, or worse, fall to his death.
It may sound rudimentary, but it's unbelievably addictive.
Players post videos online showing off their skills at the game and high scores, and there are a number of popular Facebook groups dedicated to the game.
Doodle the Doodler has appeared on the Jimmy Fallon "Late Night" show and has shown up in fashion accessories for Lady Gaga, among others.
Meanwhile, Doodle Jump constantly updates with new designs to give the game a new look. The brothers recently released a soccer theme and plan to release an underwater theme in the coming months.
The brothers are also looking into creating an animated series based on Doodle the Doodler and the monsters in the game.
As my colleague Jenna Wortham reported in April in The Times, Doodle Jump fans can also expect an iPad application.
"We were originally going to launch a replica version of Doodle Jump for the iPad, but we've decided to build an entirely new game with new features and game play," Mr. Pusenjak said. "We recognize how dedicated our fans are to the game so we want to make sure we build the right experience for them."
Dedicated is right. I've been playing the game since it became available last year, and I have a lowly high score of 40,000 points. Mr. Pusenjak, whose high score is in the 100,000 range, said some dedicated Doodlers have reached four million points in the game.
When does it end? "There's been rumors of a Doodle princess high up there," he said, "but I can neither confirm or deny that."
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