Sketch Nation

Sketch Nation Studio is Out!!!

2012-04-18T10:29:00.002-07:00

Here is our press coverage so far:

http://www.tuaw.com/2012/04/20/daily-iphone-app-sketch-nation-studio-opens-up-game-dev-on-the/

http://www.modojo.com/reviews/ipad/sketch_nation_studio/

http://kotaku.com/5903223/dont-like-any-of-the-games-in-the-app-store-make-your-own

http://www.applegazette.com/news/make-sell-your-own-ios-games-with-sketch-nation-studio/

http://www.hookshotinc.com/sketch-nation-studio-the-ios-game-making-ios-game/

http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/18/2956741/sketch-nation-studio-app-store-iphone-game-creation

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/appsblog/2012/apr/18/apps-rush-pocket-metal-hammer

http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Sketch+Nation+Studio/news.asp?c=40093

http://www.gamezebo.com/games/sketch-nation-studio/review

http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Sketch+Nation+Studio/feature.asp?c=40107

http://appgamer.net/news/2012/apr/18/sketch-nation-studio-lets-you-create-your-own-ios-games/

http://applenapps.com/review/sketch-nation-studio-make-your-own-ios-game

http://www.stuff.tv/news/apps-and-games/app-of-the-week/best-iphone-apps-this-week-31

http://www.macworld.com/article/1166478/the_week_in_ios_apps_we_can_be_heroes.html

Sketch Nation Studio has been approved in Canada!

2012-04-02T02:11:00.000-07:00

Sketch Nation Studio v1.0 has been approved in Canada.

If you have a Canadian App Store account you can grab it here: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/sketch-nation-studio/id506337826?mt=8

WorldWide release will follow in a few weeks. We'll post a specific release date once we have one.

148apps GDC Coverage of Sketch Nation Studio:

2012-03-08T11:49:00.002-08:00

The app’s most defining feature may be the ability to submit games to be sold as separate games. These must be created separately from the Simple and Advanced modes, and do not feature the ability to import user-created games or user art from the network at this point. The games will then be submitted to the developers for review, and if approved, will be sold on the App Store for $0.99, with 50% of the price after Apple’s 30% cut going to the game creator.

Read more: http://www.148apps.com/news/gdc-2012-sketch-nation-studio-bring-usercreated-games-life-possibly-app-store/#ixzz1oYYAJO42

Another great GDC article about Sketch Nation Studio, from TUAW

2012-03-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.tuaw.com/2012/03/06/sketch-nation-studio-allows-to-make-your-own-game-and-even-sell/

The whole idea is fascinating, and it's an example not only of Wilnai's drive to make game development as easy and accessible as possible, but also the power of user-created content, and in this case, its potential to really drive and build up a brand new marketplace. Sketch Nation Studio should be out in America very soon, and we'll have to see what happens when it finally arrives.

Great article about Sketch Nation Studio from Modojo!

2012-03-06T10:40:00.000-08:00

Lots of people dream of making video games, but don't have the programming background/motivation to bring their creations to life and put them up for sale. That'll hopefully change later this month, when Engineous Games brings Sketch Nation Studio to the App Store.

http://www.modojo.com/features/sketch_nation_studio_free_app_lets_you_design_and_sell_video_games/

Sketch Nation Studio at GDC 2012!

2012-02-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

We are going to be at GDC 2012 showing off Sketch Nation Studio. If you would like a hands-on demo please contact us at gdc@engineousgames.com.

Oops! We Did It Again... We Made Another Game With Sketch Nation 2!

2011-07-11T02:10:00.000-07:00

If you are a loyal visitor of our blog (if you are not you should be), then you probably know we are working very hard on releasing Sketch Nation 2. But before we give you the entire candy store, we want you to have a taste of the candy we have.

You already saw and hopefully played with Spooky Jump and Turkey Run, which were also created using the Sketch Nation 2 engine. Just to keep your sugar level balanced, we have just released a third candy flavor straight from the Sketch Nation 2 store, called Draakon.

Draakon is a real eye candy... no pun intended :)... You are a magical purple dragon flying between enchanted castles and eating princesses for fun... and points. Tap your finger to avoid enemies like a flying donkey, a phoenix, a rotating sword and many more. Just watch the video and immerse yourself in the game.

Draakon is now available on the app store for a mere $0.99!!! The game is fun to look at and fun to play and totally worth your dollar...

Stay tuned for Sketch Nation 2 that will be out in a few months and will let you create cool game like Draakon and even sell them on the app store. Don’t believe me? Wait and see.

Buy the Game Here

Sketch Nation 2 Ties for 2nd Place at the Israel Mobile Summit Startup Contest!

2011-06-05T00:30:00.000-07:00

May 31st was a very exciting day for Engineous Games and Sketch Nation. Not only did we get to participate in an awesome contest but we also had our own exhibit table to show people how amazing Sketch Nation 2 is going to be. We got raving reviews for Sketch Nation 2 from all the people that experienced it hands on. The contest went well, and as the title suggests, we got the honorable 2nd place. You can check out Nitzan, CEO and founder of Engineous Games' presentation in the video link.

For those who did not get a chance to read about Sketch Nation 2, here is a recap of what it is all about. Sketch Nation 2 is a game creator that allows anyone to create a game using their drawings. Before I go on about Sketch Nation 2, for those of you who are first time visitors of our blog, let me reminisce about the first Sketch Nation app.

The first Sketch Nation app is called Sketch Nation Shooter and it was released in April 2010. It lets users create vertical and horizontal shooters by taking a picture of their drawing and playing around with the game parameters. It was a huge success. We have more 700,000 (!!!) users and more than 8,500 games submitted that you can download for free.

Now back to Sketch Nation 2 (I get easily distracted). SN2 will have all these awesome new features; It will have in-app drawing (in case you want to save the planet and don't want to draw on paper) and it will let users create games in multiple game genres, we plan on having 5 different genres at launch. Wait, there is more…

All the social features that Sketch Nation Shooter has will also be in SN2, meaning you can upload your games and download other users' games, check out the news feed for popular games plus a new social feature we added just because we like our users so much, that will allow you to share your art, buy other users' art (for virtual currency) and see the games that people created using your art!

But the BEST part about Sketch Nation 2 is by far the option to sell your games on the app store as stand alone apps! If you make an awesome game and want to sell it, we will publish and market it for you and all that for a fair profit share. So if everyone tells you that you are talented, now you can make some money from your talent, regardless of your age. I told you we like our users.

Sketch Nation 2 Trailer #3

2011-03-31T01:04:00.001-07:00

Check out the third trailer for Sketch Nation 2!

Sketch Nation 2 Trailer #2

2011-03-31T01:03:00.000-07:00

Check out the second trailer for Sketch Nation 2!

Sketch Nation 2 Trailer #1

2011-03-31T01:02:00.000-07:00

Check out the first trailer for Sketch Nation 2!

GDC 2011 - Macworld Hands-On Preview of Sketch Nation 2

2011-03-28T03:17:00.000-07:00

At GDC 2011 we had a chance to sit down with Chris Holt and give him a hands-on demo of Sketch Nation 2:

Sketch Nation 2 marries a kid-friendly “sketchbook” aesthetic with a plug and play game creation system. Through a handy set of menus that let you manipulate gravity, direction of scrolling, and enemies, it’s easy to create a game within seconds. You can draw a hero, platforms or obstacles for them to confront, and even bonuses for them to capture.

Read the full article here: http://www.macworld.com/article/158401/2011/03/sketchnation2.html

The App Era - Sketch Nation 2 Hands On: You Won’t Buy Any Other iOS Game Ever

2011-03-28T02:14:00.000-07:00

At GDC 2011 we had a chance to sit down with The App Era and show them a hands-on demo of Sketch Nation 2. They were so impressed, they said iOS gamers "won't buy any other iOS game ever!"

See the hands-own demo video here:

Read the full article here: http://theappera.com/2011/03/02/sketch-nation-2-hands-on-you-wont-buy-any-other-ios-game-ever-gdc-2011/

Sketch Nation Shooter Gets an Honorable Mention at DIYGamer!

2011-01-23T02:15:00.000-08:00

Now that the new year of 2011 is upon us, people tend to forget the wonderful small things that happened in 2010... So DIY Gamer made a list of the top 10 iOS indie games of 2010 and Sketch Nation Shooter got an honorable mention! We are extremely proud and honored and we wnated to thank DIY Gamer for choosing us and also thank all the users out there who made, and are still making awesome games every day. Here is the link if you want to check it out, and if you are an SNS junkey and just want to read the part about us then here it is:

Sketch Nation Shooter - Games that encourage user-created content deserve all the attention they can get. Sketch Nation Shooter managed to pull off a painless (initially Facebook-based) download system for new levels, allowing app owners to try out as many shooting games created with Engineous’s system as possible. A must-own regardless of whether it is on the list or not.

http://www.diygamer.com/2011/01/top-10-indie-ios-games-2010/

Turkey Run is Out to Show How Awesome the Next Sketch Nation is Going to Be!!!

2010-12-27T05:48:00.000-08:00

We are working very hard to make our next game creator be even better than Sketch Nation Shooter (apparently it is possible :)). Sketch Nation 2 is scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2011 and we promise it will have many more features.

In-app drawing: Now if you don't have a piece of paper and a pen, you will still be able to draw some sweet drawings and create a game. More than that, if you think your art is super awesome and you want the world to know that, you could share your art with other users and vice versa. Non the less, if you can only draw a circle and a triangle (we all have our limitations) and you feel like creating a more sophisticated game, just browse our server for some cool art and create a game from the assets you picked, free of charge!

Genre Diversity and Variety: Some of you were complaining (I won't mention any names) that Sketch Nation Shooter was very genre specific (shooting and avoiding). We decided that SN2 will be in the platforming and jumping genre but the variety and versatility in the game creation will be much bigger. If that is not enough, we promise to add more genres in future updates.

Sell your app: We want to revolutionize the way games are created. In SN2, users will have the option to package their game as a stand-alone app and sell it on the app store for a profit share. Turkey Run is an example of a game created using SN2 and released as an app for sale on the app store. Every game released will automatically include all our social features (leaderboards, news feed, server to download other games).

Social Stuff: Aside from all the above, the social features that made Sketch Nation Shooter a global-social experience will also be in SN2. That means leaderboards, news feed, and a server to download other users' games and check out what your friends are doing. Aside for the Facebook login there will be a Game Center login option as well.

Now.... A little about Turkey Run. We created this game as an example to show you what you could potentially create with our engine. The art is all hand drawn and colored in Photoshop. It is a side running game where you tap to jump, avoid obstacles and tilt the iPhone to move faster or slower.

You can check out our other games by touching the "More Games" box in our games' main menu.

To purchase the game for just 0.99$, and save that poor turkey from the cleaver click here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/turkey-run/id403938373?mt=8

Here are some screen shots:

Sketch Nation Shooter is One of Touch Arcade's pick for Best iPhone Games of 2010!!!!

2010-12-26T04:38:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to tell you that Sketch Nation Shooter was picked by Touch Arcade as one of the best games of 2010! You can check out the post here and see all the other games that were chosen.

http://toucharcade.com/2010/12/24/best-ipod-touch-and-iphone-games-2010-buyers-guide/

"Sketch Nation Shooter is one of the most creative uses of the iPhone camera we've seen yet. You sketch a doodle on a piece of paper, take a photo of it, and then import it in to little mini games you create. Gameplay is a little limited, but does it really matter if you turn a drawing of your cat in to an end boss?"

We want to thank the Touch Arcade team for choosing us, we are honored, and to all the creative fans out there, thank you for playing and never stop drawing!

See How Spooky Jump Was Created.... How Exciting!

2010-12-21T05:55:00.000-08:00

Spooky Jump was created entirely using the engine of Sketch Nation 2!

Soon enough you will also be able to create your very own platform game and show it to the rest of the world!

Spooky Jump! Created using the upcoming Sketch Nation Jump

2010-10-25T02:07:00.000-07:00

Do you dare go trick or treating to the haunted castle?

Enjoy this great dose of spook for Halloween! Jump your way up the haunted castle and collect costumes as power ups. Pick up a bunny costume to jump higher, or a pirate costume to fight the bats and the grim reaper.

Pick up a trick or treat bag and get into the spooky store where you can buy powerups.

From the genius minds of Sketch Nation Shooter, Spooky Jump was created using the tools and engine of the next game in the Sketch Nation series, Sketch Nation Jump (coming soon). This game will allow users to not only create their own games, but also create their own app, sell it on the app store and share the art assets with their friends.

Spooky jump is UNIVERSAL and HD and it is one of the first jumping game designed for the iPad!

Enjoy this addictive, fun game for only 0.99$.

Stay tuned for Sketch Nation Jump that will revolutionize the app store by allowing anyone to create and sell games on all iOS devices!

An update for Spooky Jump will be released in the next few days that will include a leaderboard and news feed that will let you know what your Facebook or GameCenter friends are up to.

Sketch Nation Shooter is #7 in the Top Free Games List in the USA!

2010-10-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

Sketch Nation Shooter is the Free App of the Day!

2010-10-02T03:55:00.000-07:00

Sketch Nation Shooter is today's Free App of the Day at http://freeappaday.com.

Direct link: http://freeappaday.com/napp.php?id=446

Have you ever wanted to create your own iPhone or iPod Touch game? Now you can and it only takes a few minutes!

Watch your drawings come to life in an instant! Create a game from your drawings in just a few minutes. All you need to do is draw a player, enemies, a boss and even a level if you feel adventurous, take their picture and play.

The customization possibilities are infinite and the only limitation to creating a game is your imagination. Some of the options include:
* Player lives, rotation, shield strength, etc...
* Enemy size, ammo, velocity, life, behavior, etc...
* Boss weapon pattern, number of hits, ammo, etc...
* 10 original music tracks to choose from.
* 10 unique powerups.
And many many more.

Just think of all the games you can create just by sketching and playing around with the options!

Thanks to our social features you can download games that people all over the world have created and all that for FREE!

By downloading Sketch Nation Shooter you are actually getting thousands of games. You can also see your friends’ scores and share your favorite games with them via Facebook Connect.

With Sketch Nation Shooter you are receiving a ticket to enter a magical world that will let you take a peek at people’s minds and creativity from across the globe.

Fathers and mothers: no need to hang your kids’ drawings on the fridge anymore; now you can play with their drawings on the iPhone and iPod Touch with Sketch Nation Shooter.

If you don't feel like drawing, you can create games using the built-in art packs. 6 free art packs are included and you can purchase 4 more using In-App purchasing, including an art pack by the popular web comic 2P Start!

Version 1.2 Update Has Been Approved

2010-06-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Version 1.2 has been approved and will be available for download within the next 24 hours.

Here is a video showing off the new features:

Sketch Nation Shooter Version 1.2 now In Review

2010-06-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

The new version of Sketch Nation Shooter, version 1.2, is now In Review and will be released shortly!

Version 1.2 Update submitted!

2010-06-06T23:24:00.001-07:00

We have tons of new stuff in this new update, including an art pack by the popular web comic 2P Start!, the ability to download games without Facebook, and a better image recognition algorithm.

You asked for it and we delivered! You can now download games without logging into Facebook!

You can also see the top scores before you play a game so you know what score to aim for.

There are also 6 new art packs, 2 free and 4 for $0.99 each.
The free art packs include a new Space Ship art pack called Space Ships 2 and an art pack that includes some of the art used to create the game "Under the Sea."

The 4 paid art packs include:
An art pack created by the popular web comic 2P Start!.
Gears that are great for creating games with rotating obstacles and enemies.
Modern and cold-war era jet fighters.
Former, current and future passenger jetliners.

We have a new download game screen:
"Popular" is now calculated based on the most downloads in the last 24 hours.
A new tab, "Ratings" has been added to sort the games by their ratings - a great way to discover new games.
A "Search" feature has been added to make it easier to find the games you are looking for.

A login bug has been fixed that affected new logins and changing users. We also addressed a login problem caused when your Facebook password changes.

The image recognition algorithm has also been tweaked. It will do a better job recognizing your images and they will look better in the game.

More updates are coming and they are going to include more game creation features and options!

If you like the game, please take the time to give it 5 stars. Your 5 star ratings keep the updates coming.

Servers Coming Down for Code Upgrade

2010-05-31T23:22:00.000-07:00

Sketch Nation servers will be down for a few hours starting at midnight, June 1st for code upgrades in preparation for the next update.

800 Games and Counting!

2010-04-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Sketch Nation Shooter: Over 800 iPhone Games (and Growing!) for Only $.99

Imaginative shooter for the iPhone and iPod Touch lets players create their own games – over 800 available after only two weeks.

April 22, 2010 - MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Engineous Games today announced that its debut iPhone game, Sketch Nation Shooter – which allows users to create their own games using only their imaginations and drawing skills – has already produced over 800 user-created games after only two weeks on the App Store. Available for only $.99, Sketch Nation Shooter is an endless treasure trove of inspired and inventive games, all created by the growing community of artists and aspiring game designers.

A new YouTube trailer shows off some of the best user-created games from Sketch Nation Shooter's first two weeks of life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTuvX4oWaPM

The first update to Sketch Nation Shooter has been submitted to the App Store, which will allow users to post links to their games on their Facebook wall, making it seamless and simple for users to share their latest games with friends, as well as a number of bug fixes and tweaks to improve the overall experience.

"I've been overwhelmed by the response to Sketch Nation Shooter – it's very fulfilling to see so much unique and imaginative content being created by the community already," said Nitzan Wilnai, CEO of Engineous Games. "With the upcoming update, it'll be even easier for game makers to share their latest creations with friends – I think the floodgates of games have only just opened!"

Sketch Nation Shooter is available in the app store for 99 cents. For more information, visit their website and follow the game on Twitter.

About Engineous Games
In June of 2008 Engineous Games Inc. was formed to begin development on mobile titles. Their first game, Tatomic, was launched in October 2008. Their second game, Sketch Nation Shooter, was the winner of AppsFire App Star Award in the games category.