Pinoy Flappy Bird-inspired game Pugo is top pick on AppStore

Published March 1, 2014 5:18pm

Pugo, a Filipino-made Flappy Bird alternative, now ranks number one worldwide in the Top Chart of free apps two days after it became available on the iOS AppStore.

Co-creator Patrick Cabral posted a photo on his Instagram account on Friday to show that the game he and his wife Camy designed has topped the charts.

As in Flappy Bird, you have to tap the screen to control your character and avoid the obstacles. But instead of having a bird set in a pixelated, Mario-inspired world, you have a cute, pink quail exploring a forest.

You also acquire extra lives by picking up Philippine flags along the way, so you don't always die when you hit an obstacle.

Ranking high in the Top Charts is a crucial step for developers to monetize their free apps and generate revenue.

By ranking first in the top charts, a developer hits two birds with one stone: he proves that his game attracts a huge number of downloaders, thereby making it a hot pick for advertisers, and he makes his game more visible to future downloaders, since Top Charts are a main reference smartphone users rely on for quality downloads.

The three-day-old Pugo game now has ads that appear before you start the game and below the game's set.

Pugo is Patrick and Camy's first game. Both are designers and artists each with years of experience in advertising, web and graphic design, illustration and art direction, according to Pugo's official website. — Kim Luces/JDS, GMA News

Tags: gamedevelopment, gamedevelopers, flappybirdgame