An independent Dundee games studio is at the centre of a global hit after reinventing the Superman franchise.
Seabraes-based Tiger Games was given the chance to develop an entirely new game based on the world’s best known superhero by partner and Angry Birds publishers Chillingo, who had licensed it from entertainment giants Warner Bros and DC Comics.
The game was released for iPhone and iPad last week and has since gone to number one in 12 countries and is riding high in the Apple App Store charts globally.
Tiger Producer Stewart Waterson said the company which has produced one other Bear Grylls title since being founded by industry veterans Graeme Laws and Jamie Bryan last year jumped at the chance of working on such an iconic franchise.
He said: ”The Superman licence on the iPhone and iPad is held by Chillingo, and because of the work we had done on the Bear Grylls game they offered us the chance to make the Superman title.
”It was then a case of ‘should we do this?’ and ‘yes’ was the first answer that came to mind.
”You cannot turn something like this down the chance to work with one of the world’s biggest publishers on iPhone on one of the biggest entertainment and comic book licences you can get.”
Tiger liaised directly with Warner Bros and DC Comics over several months to develop the new game, based on a retro interpretation of Superman.
”We worked on an original story and we got some original comic book art done. As we were all fans from a young age we tried to do a classic Superman. The way we describe the game is polished retro,” he added.
Tiger are confident the Superman tie-up will lead to further work, but Stewart said the firm would continue to operate with just a small core team there are currently only three employees while outsourcing individual elements to trusted industry contacts.
He said: ”Superman is very highly visible for us. The brand transcends games, so it is something we are very happy to be associated with. As a young company but with experienced staff it is going to open a lot of doors for us.”
Creative director Jamie Bryan said the Superman title was another example of Dundee making its mark on a worldwide industry.