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New Star Soccer creator Simon Read on how his smartphone sim 'transcends the traditional football game genre'

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New Star Soccer creator Simon Read on how his smartphone sim 'transcends the traditional football game genre'
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| New Star Soccer

It's a huge surprise that anyone at Pocket Gamer got any work done during 2012.

That's primarily because we all downloaded New Star Soccer, and subsequently became far too hooked on Simon Read's football sim for our own good.

For me, it was a very strange addiction, and one that I found difficult to explain to friends. As someone who doesn't care for real-world football at all, why exactly couldn't I stop playing a soccer simulator?

Kick-off

"It's not just about the football, though is it," Read reasons. "It's the progression of your character, your relationships... all that kind of stuff."

"Only really half of the focus in New Star Soccer is on football," he continues. "And those focused elements are quite simple and easy to enjoy. It's just a bunch of fun mini-games, in effect."

Read is definitely onto something, for New Star Soccer does indeed feel more like a puzzle game than a traditional football sim.

"You need to try to find that right pass, or that right shot," he notes. "So, it kind of transcends the traditional football game genre."

More than a football game

And transcend the football game genre it most certainly has.

New Star Soccer has been downloaded more than 2 million times across iOS and Android. Its creator even picked up a BAFTA Games Award earlier this month for it, beating the console version of FIFA 13 in the Sports / Fitness category.

"I didn't expect it [the BAFTA gong]," Read says, although he admits, "I had a sneaky feeling and I'd prepared my speech."

"It's not about popularity at the BAFTAs; it's about doing something different. And I just knew how much people loved the game.

"So, I knew I was in with a chance. I didn't expect to win, but I knew to be prepared just in case."

Those who have followed the fortunes of New Star Soccer from the beginning will know that this is far from the first release in the series.

The very first New Star Soccer game was released for PC back in 2003, and the series has had moderate success since. Nothing quite like the explosive level of success that this mobile version has enjoyed, mind.

Why, then, has the series suddenly just taken off on mobile? Is it simply the fact you can play it on the move whenever and wherever you like?

"This mobile incarnation is really just a boiled-down version of all the best bits of the games that I've made over the years. They seem to have coalesced into one nice version that everyone appears to enjoy," Read believes.

"It's also that direct tactile enjoyment that you get from a touchscreen game - the way the ball bounces across the screen. It feels nice to play."

The mobile version is also very accessible, Read reckons. You don't need to be particularly good at video games, know much about footy, or remember a whole bunch of buttons to be successful at New Star Soccer. It's more about simplicity.

"I mean, there's probably a lot of 30-something Sensible Soccer gamers out there who haven't really played a lot of games since their teens or whatever, and it just feels like they've all rediscovered that passion for football games via my game," Read adds.

The next New Star Soccer

With the success of New Star Soccer for iOS and Android behind him, Read is, of course, looking to the future.

There's another big update for New Star Soccer due in the next couple of months, but it's the next game in the series that we're really interested in.

"I may take slightly more of a high-level design role," Read states. (I can't help but think of the en vogue real-world director of football role at this juncture.)

"I will design the next completely new version, but use artists and maybe even development teams to build the game for me. That'll mean I won't have to worry about the nitty gritty of all the details."

And if you're wondering whether the next game will be a premium experience (as per the existing Android version of New Star Soccer) or a free-to-play experience (as per the existing iOS version), wonder no more.

It's free-to-play all the way from now on for the New Star Soccer series.

"Yeah, I definitely want to go down that F2P path in the future," he says. "In fact, I would like to release an Android version with the same monetisation system as the one in the iOS version."

"Mainly because the iOS version has made a lot more money than the Android version. I think that's partly because of the success of the App Store, but also because it just allows people to try the game, get a feel for it, and realise that they might enjoy it before they pay any money."

Read also notes that the paid Android version has been pirated an awful lot.

"Whereas if it was free, they'd [the pirates] be less inclined to do that. So, yeah, I think I'll definitely go down the free-to-play route in the future."

Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.