Interview: Poinpy developer Ojiro Fumoto talks about going free-to-play, gratitude to Netflix, and an ideal "pay-what-you-want" world
I raved about this adorable quest for fruit by giving it a certified Gold badge back in 2022, and now, Poinpy is back with a vengeance as a completely free-to-play vertical platformer on iOS and Android. While it was previously a Netflix exclusive, it's now back on storefronts - still with no ads and no microtransactions - and honestly, everyone should give it a go even if it's just for the plump beast-god with a penchant for fruit.
And we were actually fortunate enough to interview developer Ojiro Fumoto, not only about said fruit-loving beast but also about bringing Poinpy back to mobile!
One of the very first things that got me hooked is actually the very beginning, where you somehow anger a fruit-loving beast and the only way to appease it is to feed it more fruit. I love a good story, even if it doesn't seem like it matters! Was there any particular inspiration for the premise of the game?
Thanks! I'm glad it worked for you :) When I first started doodling around with a prototype, all I had in mind was "pick up floating orbs and cash them in by landing". I didn't have any story setting at the time, and when it came time to put some actual art into it, I had to figure out what it was exactly that the player was doing haha. I was like, "Hmm collecting orbs...landing...slamming down...smashing? Smashing fruit? Smash fruit to make juice...? Feed the juice to someone? A hungry beast? Yeah, that could work!"
Both times, I just set out to make a game that works on mobile, and I tend to prefer games you can play in portrait mode myself, so that was set. Naturally, with less horizontal screen space, it makes more sense to make movement vertical. It's been an interesting constraint to work with for sure, and I find it fits well with the nature of platforming games with gravity pulling you down, keeping you constantly on the move.
The shift from Downwell to Poinpy feels like night and day! What made you decide to go for a more colourful theme in Poinpy?So when we started working on it, we planned to have the game be on some sort of subscription-based service, which then ended up being Netflix. So I imagined it would be picked up by casual gamers and even kids, so I wanted it to look colourful and friendly to appeal to them.
The biggest reason is that we felt Poinpy made enough money for what it is on its initial release with Netflix. Now I wanted the game we're proud of to be played and enjoyed by as many players as possible. In an ideal world, all games should be pay-what-you-want, and people who can pay would pay big, and people who can't can just play, and that would be enough to sustain the developers. That's not realistic, I know, but in the case of Poinpy I saw an opportunity to see it like that, that Netflix invested enough for us to be sustained and make it optional for the rest of the players. So yeah, y'all should thank Netflix!
What's it like going from a subscription-based model to a free-to-play model?The game remains pretty much unchanged, so there hasn't been much difference!
Is there anything you can share about how Poinpy performed while it was a Netflix exclusive?Nothing publicly, but overall I was happy with the number of people that got to play the game and the attention Poinpy received as a part of the platform’s launch.
And it's now back by popular demand! Why do you think players keep coming back to the game?I wouldn't say it's back by popular demand haha. I just felt it'd be a shame to keep it delisted, so I wanted to put it back out there.
"In an ideal world, all games should be pay-what-you-want, and people who can pay would pay big, and people who can't can just play, and that would be enough to sustain the developers."
Is there anything else we can expect in the future for Poinpy?
Nothing planned at the moment!
That said, might we get a little hint of what you're working on next, just to tease our readers a bit?Still in the early days, but it might be a game where you dig your way up. We'll see!
Personally, I'd absolutely love to play that digging game given how much I adored my time with Poinpy. And if you fancy thanking Ojiro Fumoto for crafting this colourful masterpiece, did you know you can actually give him a tip in-game?
