Monument Valley Developed with Unity, Wins Big

kristielUnity Game Development

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Unity Awards 3D VisualsUnity is a leading game development ecosystem that is acknowledged as an essential tool for industry professionals and established game studios. Every year, the company accepts submissions for its annual Unity Awards. These awards acknowledge exceptional games and other interactive experiences created with the Unity development platform and released in the past year. As huge fans of Unity and its classroom solutions, Studica tries to keep tabs on the latest Unity authored games. Recently, the puzzle, iOS game, Monument Valley was honored with Unity’s Best 3D Visuals and Community Choice Awards for 2014.

The Big Deal About Monument Valley

Monument ValleyThe game has also received MetaCritic’s Most Reviewed Mobile Game of 2014, Apple’s Design Award 2014 and the Apple’s Appstore iPad Game of the Year 2014. Oh, and did we mention that it was also nominated for Tech Crunch’s Best Design Award? This game is definitely turning heads and getting a lot of feedback from gamers, critics and fellow developers alike. Before it hit Google Play or the Appstore, Unity sat down with Monument Valley’s lead developer, Peter Pashley from UsTwo, to discuss the look of the game and how Unity helped them create such a beautiful, immersive gaming experience. Monument Valley is a puzzle game where players lead Princess Ida through mazes as she encounters obstacles, like the marching Crow People. Pashley credited Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher and the Unity Editor for the incredible look of the game.

Along with the accolades, Monument Valley has also become one of the biggest hit games of 2014. With almost 2.5 million downloads, the game made over 5.8 million dollars in revenue. That’s incredible for a game launched initially for the iOS platform – it is now offered on Google Play and Amazon.

Unity Development

Lead designer Ken Wong and lead developer Peter Pashley both new that they wanted a very clean, simple look for their project. According to an interview with leading game development magazine, Develop, there were several features of Unity that made it an ideal fit for creating Monument Valley. Check out some of the features Pashley thought were important for game design.

  • Unity Editor – The rapid build-test loop and user-friendliness made putting together a quick test for any idea or concept very easy.
  • Unity Light Mapping Tech – Developers were able to customize their own shaders and combine them with Unity’s lighting features, which was “invaluable” in achieving the look they wanted.
  • Unity Profiler – This tools helped track down performance bottlenecks and leaks

Incredible Gaming Starts at Development

Whether you’re a hardcore gamer, an aspiring designer or an industry professional, Unity has a stronghold in your present and your future. We love the comprehensive look and feel of Monument Valley, and we’re ecstatic to be able to provide the same technology used to create these incredible designs to you, the academic world. Save thousands on one of the world’s leading game development software, while inspiring your students.

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