ePig Games Dominate Chile’s App Store

April 22 2011, 2:14pm

Games built with GameSalad’s Creator tool have been taking off in the App Store, as seen with recent successes like Gravonaut, Air Supply: 1-Bit Run, and Zombie Drop. More recently, we’ve seen another GameSalad-powered title explode, this time in the Chilean App Store; and would you believe that was built by a real-life magician? ePig was developed by GameSalad user MagoNicolas. In addition to being a full-time Magician and Economics professor (seriously—this guy does everything!), Nicolas also runs a three-man team that operates as ePig Games. Recently, ePig Games’ ePig skyrocketed to the top of the charts on the Chilean App Store, ousting worldwide sensation Angry Birds from the top spot. The rocketing success even caught the attention of CNN Chile. As amazing as the story of ePig Games is, it doesn’t stop there. Nicolas and his team craftily turned their success for one game, into success for their others, and now own the #2 spot in Paid Apps, #1 in Paid Games, and #1 in Free Apps on the Chilean App Store, forcing mobile gaming powerhouse Angry Birds to settle for second best. Check out these incredible screenshots, taken by Nicolas from the App Store. One shows ePig currently holding the #1 position in Paid Games and #2 in Paid Apps, while the other shows ePig Dash holding the top spot among Free Games on Chile’s App Store.

Amidst all the success and attention, Nicolas found a few minutes to chat with us and answer some of our questions: GameSalad: How long have you been making games? MagoNicolas: I have been doing Apps since January 2008, But just started creating games since April 2010. GS: How long have you been using GameSalad? MN: I have been using GameSalad since April 2010. GS: Do you work alone or with a team? MN: I do all the code, but I have a designer that draws the images, and me and my brother plan the games, levels and achievements. GS: How long did it take you to make ePig Dash? MN: ePig Dash took 2 months, but not full-time. GS: What do you like most about game designing? MN: I love to create games that people enjoy. I love to achieve all those little problems you have when you are creating a game. I love brain challenges. GS: What did you do before making games? MN: I’m a professional magician. I also create websites, and I am a Digital Marketing Consultant. I teach Economics at a University. GS: Do you have plans to make ePig Games your full-time job? MN: I have the jobs I mention above, but I will now go full-time with ePigGames. Few developers in the world can claim this kind of success and the team and ePig Games has shown that when you put your mind to it, there is no limit to what you can achieve. ePig, and ePig Dash, are available on the App Store now, as are ePig Rope and MindControl ePig. You can also learn more about ePig Games by going to their website.