Eighth-grade developer's 'Bubble Ball' is huge App Store hit

by Steven Mostyn - Jan 20 2011, 08:02

An industrious 14-year-old software programmer from Spanish Fork, Utah, has proven that simple homegrown craft and creativity can sometimes outperform products offered by heavyweight development studios.

More pointedly, eighth-grade computer enthusiast Robert Nay has seen his strategy mini-game ‘Bubble Ball’ rocket to the top of the App Store download chart, knocking hugely popular physics puzzler Angry Birds off its perch in the process.

Speaking with Reuters, young Mr. Nay explained that his free iPhone application, which contains 4,000 lines of code, came to be after he challenged himself to submit a basic creation to Apple in the hopes of qualifying for App Store approval.

“I played games that were similar to [Bubble Ball],” he explained regarding the mini-game, which required several weeks of development at a local library. “I just took what I liked from different games, and, like, added my own stuff.”

The Bubble Ball application was downloaded from the App Store more than a million times within just two weeks of launching on December 29, and has now moved beyond two million downloads—thus eclipsing Angry Birds.   

Clearly not the type to merely rest on the laurels of his success, budding Mr. Nay is already hard at work channeling his entrepreneurial spirit into another App Store creation.

Although details are sparse, reports suggest it will be an entirely new game that will include a built-in monetary system that enables players to buy extra gameplay level packs for 99 cents.

Eager to see what all the fuss is about? Click here to download Bubble Ball directly from Apple—and prepare to be impressed.

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