• Built using an in-house cross-platform framework for iOS, Android and BlackBerry.
• Developed a scalable backend to support cross-platform multi-player matches and tracking user scores and achievements.
• Original gameplay and over 1,000 art assets work to provide an engaging, addictive experience.
• Leverages in-game currency and in-app purchases for special bonuses.

Word Farm began with a desire for a better, more engaging social word game. We modeled Word Farm after a number of word games, and emerged with a novel game. In order to ship Word Farm on 3 platforms (iOS, Android and BlackBerry), we built an in-house cross-platform framework.

Word Farm presented a number of challenges: designing engaging and balanced gameplay; cross-platform development; audio and visual design; and building out a scalable back-end to support cross-platform online play.

Our cross-platform framework leveraged XMLVM to provide cross-compilation of Java code into native Objective-C. During the course of developing our framework, we made contributions back to the open source XMLVM project.

We worked with a graphics design team to build out our vision, consisting of over 1,000 image assets throughout the game. We sourced local talent to provide an original score, and sound effects that are both subtle and memorable.

To support online multi-player and social features, we built a backend powered by Ruby on Rails. Our back-end has processed millions of scores, and is responsible for matching players based on an algorithmically determined rank. It is also utilized to track a players progress through the game, including achievements, in-game currency, and unlocked bonuses.

Word Farm provides broad enough game-play to allow us to experiment with a large number of monetization strategies, which vary by platform according to industry norms. Our Android version is supported by incentivized offers from TapJoy, while our iOS and BlackBerry versions are paid applications. All platforms include in-app purchases supporting a virtual currency.

To date, Word Farm has been featured on the BlackBerry App World several times, and has top ratings in the Apple App Store and Google Play market.

Key Technologies Used:Ruby on Rails, iOS 5.0 SDK, Android 2.3+ SDK, BlackBerry SDK, In-house cross-platform framework, Facebook SDK, Push Notifications