Pocket Blog

THE POCKET BLOG HAS MOVED!

2012-01-30T15:29:00.000-08:00

Pack up your coconuts, everyone, 'cause we're moving! Well, more accurately, we've MOVED. We've had the new site up for a week, but we were so buried in the latest PG update, I didn't have the time to announce it. Everything was moved over a week ago, but I notice a ton of comments on this entry were made since..and they will probably not be brought over...my apologies.

The new site has all kinds of cool stuff. It's shocking really. You can see all our videos, icons, posters, descriptions of every update for PG and JTU. Plus the Pocket God Store has been revamped, has a bunch of T-Shirts and is ready for more products. Pepijn Gooiker worked his butt off the last few months to get it together, in addition to his project management, testing and video demo responsibilities. Thanks Pepijn!

There's lots of things coming up. Episode 43 is being released this week. Production on the next comics are in full swing. The Runs, the new game that was announced is in production. More products for the store should be coming soon as well! So from now on keep up with Pocket God news at BOLTCREATIVE.COM!

Our youngest fan yet

2012-01-18T21:58:00.000-08:00

Hey again! We found this video of a toddler playing "Pocket God" and laughing hysterically. We work hard to build our Pocket God Army from a young age and it's good to know it's working. Check it out:

And thanks to Hamman2108 for uploading the video!

Pocket God Forums LIVE with David Hedgecock

2012-01-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Hey guys... the kids at Pocket God Forums (no we don't run it) asked David Hedgecock of Ape Entertainment to do a "live" forum posting session where kids got to ask all sorts of questions about the Pocket God comic. David is awesome and is one of the minds behind the comic so he dishes all sorts of exclusive info, including hints about future stories and the first color designs of the female Pygmies (including the names of the few that weren't clear in the comic)---But I won't spoil it here...

>>Go to the Pocket God Forums and check it out <<

And a big shout out to the PG Forums! My apologies, when David notified me of this, I had a distant memory of receiving an email about doing something like this but was in the middle of our holiday rush! I promise to participate next time!

Thanks guys!

P.S. If you haven't already, be sure to vote for us in Best Comic App on 148Apps.com Best App Ever contest.

P.P.S. I've taken a small break from Pocket God Runs to work on the next Pocket God update. Yes...we've got BIG PLANS for 2012!

Pocket God Comic nominated for 2011 Best App Ever awards!

2012-01-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hey again, guys! We found out today that the Pocket God comic was nominated for the 2011 Best App Ever awards! It's a real honor to have this nomination, and PG couldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for you.

So let's get together and show APE Entertainment and Allan and Dave how much we appreciate their hard work in making the Pocket God comic. Vote today! You can either click on the image above or the link below. It's much appreciated, and somewhere, in an alternate universe, Nooby will thank you for it.

> > Vote for Pocket God in the 2011 Best App Ever awards! < <

Last day to vote is January 25, 2012, so be sure to hurry! And thanks again!

2012 begins with PocketGamer -- and the New Yorker!

2012-01-03T21:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2012! We've just barely gotten started and we've already had some good press!

First of all, Dave has been interviewed by Jon Jordan of Pocket Gamer. In it, he reflects upon Pocket God's achievements in 2011 and looks forward to possibilities in 2012.

> > Click here to read the interview! < <

Pocket Gamer has also included "Pocket God: The Runs" as one of the ten most anticipated games of 2012. We're currently working our hardest to live up to that.

> > Check out the full list here! < <

Finally, and amazingly, Pocket God made The New Yorker's Culture Desk! Michael Agger has some very nice things about a certain Pygmy-based app that helped bring him "domestic peace."

> > Read the New Yorker piece here! < <

All in all, a good omen for the year. We've got a lot planned to make this year special, so stay with us!

Happy New Year from Pocket God!

2011-12-31T17:43:00.000-08:00

2012's coming in fast, and there promises to be an island-load of fun stuff coming for Pocket God fans. First and foremost, of course, is "The Runs," the brand new run-and-jump game that we hope to have available by March at the latest. Allan and Dave want this to be so good that they're taking whatever time is necessary to make sure everyone gets a quality game. But that's not all, of course, and we hope you'll enjoy the Pocket God and Journey to Uranus updates as they come out!

2011 was a good year for us -- among all the updates for Journey to Uranus, our biggest one, "Decapithon," seems to have been received pretty positively! The iOS many updates included "Battle of the Gods" multiplayer and all the idols contained therein. The "Two and a Half Pygmies" brought a whole host of Android updates into one. (We haven't forgotten about Android or WP7, you can bet on it!)

On top of that the Pocket God comic provided by APE Entertainment has enriched the PG universe with a tribe of female pygmies which will take the comic into amazing and adventurous new directions!

There's more we could mention, but we don't want to brag, just reflect a little! We're looking forward to creating more and more goodies for you, because even though this is a lot of work, it's also a lot of fun. If it weren't for you, it wouldn't be possible to combine work and fun this well.

Seeing us out are two funny Youtube videos. First of all, a cute 2-year-old attempts the Pocket God Update Song with a great deal of enthusiasm:

Second... REAL LIFE POCKET GOD? Oh, we're all in trouble. This video's really funny and clever; way to go, guys!

Many thanks to BigsbyTremolo and Nikaoto for those videos!

Happy 2012!

Merry Christmas from Pocket God!

2011-12-25T00:09:00.000-08:00

Hey folks. Hope you're enjoying your December 25 this year! Today, Allan and Dave are taking some time away from creating newer and more twisted things for you to do to Pygmies to be with their families. In the meantime, if you've woken up this morning and thought "Oh no! I forgot to get the Pocket God fan on my list a present!" .... why not visit the Pocket Shop? Even if that Pocket God fan on your list happens to be yourself! You deserve something cool with a Pygmy on it too, so check it out!

> > Visit the Pocket Shop! < <

White Fishmas - Pocket God Facebook's latest Global Quest!

2011-12-22T21:46:00.000-08:00

A new idol has appeared in the Pocket God Facebook store -- the Father Fishmas idol!

Looking like a chubby, frozen Santa Claus, this idol has mistletoe on it. If you drop two pygmies below the mistletoe, they get all gushy and mushy and kiss each other. The goal is to get 1,000,000 pygmies to kiss before December 28. If this goal is accomplished, all Pocket God players who participated in the quest get a special reward!

A new power has also been added -- chilly snow! Activating the chilly snow power will cause dark clouds to appear, and light snowflakes will fall from the sky. Some are small and white, and others are slightly larger and bluish. If a pygmy stands under a white snowflake, he will look up in awe at it and then stick out his tongue to taste it. However, if he tries that on a blue snowflake...

...he freezes! And should another pygmy approach the frozen pygmy, he will stick out his tongue and stick to the pygmy! Watch what happens when the pygmy tries to get loose... and see what happens when you move the frozen pygmy around! Experiment with that new god power, there's some funny stuff happening here!

Finally, Frima has added the ability to send a Candy Cane to a friend! If a friend sends you one, it will appear at the top of the screen. When you click on it, a Candy Cane will spawn one on the island. A Pygmy will then eat it and you will gain eight devotion points. You get three Candy Canes just for participating in the Fishmas Global quest, so get those pygmies a-kissin'!

Episode 42, Bone Soup, now available!

2011-12-20T19:08:00.000-08:00

Here it is, the last Pocket God update of the year!

A new pyramid idol has appeared underwater, with strange icons imprinted on it. When you hit the symbols in a certain order, you can activate five special powers: fire, ice, acid, oil and air. Fire, ice and acid have obvious repercussions, but oil is a little unusual, and air... well, we'll just let you see for yourself!

Included is the Candyland skin pack, which turns the island and all the skinnable elements associated with it into a series of sweet, tooth-rotting delights! Change a meteor into a donut, a fish into a gummi bear, and the outhouse into a giant frosted cupcake!

And finally, the Fishmas pack has a new addition: the Pygmies singing the "Twelve Days of Fishmas" song! See just how jolly your Pygmies can get... before you lead them to the underwater pyramid, of course.

Watch "Bone Soup" in action here:

Pocket God comic Issues 12 AND 13 now available!

2011-12-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

As promised, here's your Christmas surprise... TWO issues of the Pocket God comic released at once!

Issues 12 and 13 complete the "Quest Called Tribe" story arc. The Pygmies meet more of Sun's tribe. The two tribes develop an uneasy alliance as they travel to the mysterious ruins to find the secret of Newbie and the Gem of Life. In the meantime, Nooby has found allies of his own. Klik is forced to confront his beliefs about the nature of their world while electrifying dangers claw at our heroes! Once this adventure is over, neither tribe will be the same!

Also included in this update is Pygmy Peril 12, featuring the Little Green Men and the Dev-Corner. As you can see, there's a lot to enjoy, so check it out!

And don't forget, later today, Episode 42 of the iOS Pocket God app, "Bone Soup", will debut, so keep checking in!

Episode 42, Bone Soup, debuts tomorrow!

2011-12-19T16:27:00.000-08:00

Bone Soup, our last update for Pocket God for 2011, involves more underwater craziness! A powerful Pygmy-punishing pyramid gives you new abilities, if you hit the icons just right! 148Apps has a preview of gameplay, along with a sample of the new Candyland skinpack and the "Twelve Days of Fishmas" dance. Check out some of the goodies we're going to have for you tomorrow!

> > Click here for the 148Apps preview! < <

In addition to the above-mentioned update, we're going to have a massive new Christmas surprise for you to unwrap tomorrow, so don't go far away!

And, last but not least...

> > Read Dave's State of the Island here! < <

Merry Fishmas! Here's a sneak preview of "Pocket God: The Runs!"

2011-12-18T09:32:00.000-08:00

Allan toiled hard this year to bring you a new Fishmas card -- "The Twelve Days of Fishmas!" If you're not bestowing some of the gifts mentioned in the song to your pygmies, Santa may have to come and fish-slap you. The pygmy dance will be included in the next update for the iOS Pocket God, coming very soon.

Also is a sneak preview of our next ALL-NEW game, "The Runs." This'll give you an idea of what gameplay will be like. Enjoy!

Note: Sorry, Allan chiming in here....there was some confusion in the text before about it being part of Journey To Uranus. The Runs is an all-new game. If you notice, the Pygmy design has been tweaked a little. You may wonder "why did they tweak the pygmy design? Well, we had to revisit the Pygmy design for a new function we are introducing in the Runs....can you guess what it is?

Oh, and the Twelve Days of Fishmas was performed by Liz Radford and Gavin Courtie (http://www.2inabar.com/), who brought you Very Merry Fishmas. Additional video editing and effects courtesy of Scott Young.

IGN features preview of "The Runs!"

2011-12-14T23:32:00.001-08:00

IGN has given a sneak preview of "The Runs," our new iOS game that's set to debut early next year. This has been expanded from the mini-game included in Episode 32's "Crack is Wack" into a multi-level run-and-jump adventure. We've been working very hard to give it all the action and craziness that you expect from a Pocket God game. Until the final version is completed and ready to go live, though, we gave IGN an early version to preview.

> > Read the IGN Preview -- with screenshots -- here! < <

Pocket God reviewed at Electric Playground -- and introducing the POCKET SHOP!

2011-12-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

Electric Playground, G4's foremost video game news show, has featured Pocket God on Reviews on the Run! While Dave has been on Electric Playground before, this is the first time they've done a full review of the game. And it's a mind-blowingly cool review, too. Thanks, Shaun and Marissa!

> > Check out Reviews on the Run here! < <

Also in the news... the Pocket Shop goes live today! Featuring T-shirts, comics and the Pocket God figurine, this is a great place to explore if you need to get your Christmas shopping done... or if you just want a little of that PG swag for yourself.

> > Visit the Pocket Shop today! < <

The end of the Comic app promotion brings a preview of Episode 42 idol!

2011-12-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

The Free Pocket God Comic app ended last night, and we hope that everyone who took advantage of it is now getting into the tribe's crazy adventures. Really quickly, we'd like to make a shoutout to all the people who put all those comics together:

Jason Burns, writer extraordinaire; Rolando "Rolo" Mallada, penciller of worlds; Aroldo, inker of pencils; Paul Little and Diego Rodriguez, providers of color; and Nick Deschenes, master of lettering.

On top of that, there's Weldon Adams, Editor, Isaiah Samson, Assistant Editor, and, of course, the two big kahunas: APE Entertainment co-founders David Hedgecock and Brent Erwin.

All these people come together to bring the Pocket God comic to digital form (and print form too!) and thus have earned their supersized kudos. On top of what they've already done, they're working hard to provide a special surprise regarding Issues 12 and 13, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, we're still laboring over PG in its various forms. To show you some of the fun stuff you have to look forward to, we're providing a sneak preview of the idol that will come with the next Pocket God (iOS) update, at the top of this entry! Enjoy!

More mentions for the Pocket God Comic app!

2011-12-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

The Pocket God comic app continues to get more mentions across the web!

First of all, Comic Book Resources features an article about the success of the comic, coupled with a free preview of Issue 11:

[APE Entertainment,] known best in the direct market for its Kizoic kids comic line with titles like Richie Rich and Strawberry Shortcake has over the past year take the digital comics world by storm thanks to a partnership with smart phone game developer Bolt Creative on the ongoing Pocket God comic series.

> > Read the Comic Book Resources article here! < <

148Apps has also featured the Pocket God comic in an article of their own:

It’s amazing how certain iOS games can just explode into our culture, isn’t it? ... The sadistic little app from Bolt Creative about the lovably doomed island of pygmies has also been bitten by the success bug.

> > Read the 148Apps article here! < <

LevelUpNews has a lomg and complimentary article written about the Pocket God Comic, mentioning the original App as well:

[The] success of Pocket God comes from a combination of endearing characters, unique art style and an incredibly fanatical community of followers.

> > Read the LevelUp article here! < <

Remember (and I can't stress this enough, honest) if you haven't discovered the wonders of APE Entertainment's fine work on the Pocket God Comic, this is your chance to get the Comic App (which includes issue 1) for FREE, until December 11! That's only three days away, so take this opportunity now!

> > Click here to get the Pocket God comic app for free! < <

Thanks, folks. If it weren't for the "incredibly fanatical community" (or as we like to call them, "cool people") like yourselves, Pocket God wouldn't be the success it is now.

New Kotaku article on Pocket God - featuring a sneak peek at Issue 12!

2011-12-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

Kotaku has just featured Pocket God in one of today's top stories! They're also featuring a sneak preview of part of Issue 12, so go on over there to check it out!

> > Click here to read the Kotaku article! < <

Remember, Issue 1 of the Pocket God comic is free until December 11. If you've been putting off reading the comic, there's no better time to start than now!

> > Click here to get the Pocket God comic app for free! < <

Issue 11 is out! Plus, Pocket God Issue #1 is FREE for limited time!!

2011-12-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

Hello again, folks! Issue 11 of the Pocket God comic is out! This continues the "A Quest Called Tribe" story arc. If you'll recall, Sun has led our brave Pygmies underwater to a mysterious temple. However, dangers surround the temple, some more mysterious than others! On top of that, the Pygmies make an important discovery about the Gem of Life... and about Newbie as well. There's a serious amount of action in this issue... and once again, Nooby is at the center of a new plot point he barely understands.

If you haven't actually had the chance to read the Pocket God comic, we have good news for you. Until December 11, 2011, the Pocket God comic app is FREE which includes the first issue (free also). This is a great way to get yourself hooked on the little oval-headed guys' adventures, so don't wait! Get it now!

> > Click here to get the Pocket God comic app! < <

By the way, we apologize for the delay getting this out but Issue 12 and 13 are coming fast behind, we're hoping before the Christmas holiday.

"Say Your Prayers" - Harvester Challenge on Facebook!

2011-11-25T14:22:00.000-08:00

Hey folks! We're a little late here with this update but there's still plenty of time to explore the new Harvester challenge on Facebook!

For the next five days, you can buy the new Chubby Turkey power. When you buy this power, a turkey will fly by periodically. Strike the turkey with lightning and it will fall to the island, whereupon a hungry Pygmy will eat it.

When THAT happens, revenge is swift! Two new turkeys fly to the island, and peck their Pygmy tormentors to death! The turkeys then travel to the opposite side of the island, pecking whatever unfortunate Pygmy is in their path. When they reach the end of the island, they fly away, and the cycle begins all over again.

The global challenge is to sacrifice 550,000 pygmies in the next five days. So far, there have been over 50,000 sacrifices made. If everyone reaches that total goal, every Facebook player will win another idol!

Go over to the Facebook app today and give it a try. For extra fun, see how many Pygmies you can have the two turkeys peck before they fly away. Click on the Harvester icon on the left of the Facebook app to see how far people have come.

Dave on BBC Podcast about Steve Jobs!

2011-11-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

Hey again, folks. Long time no blog!

Again, we can only apologize for the long silence. But there hasn't been much to report recently: we're still working hard on the new update, sometimes putting in sixteen-hour days to get things right. (Allan and Dave would love to put in more, but there's this annoying thing called "sleeping" that they have to do.) We're still waiting for Issue 11 of the Pocket God comic to come out, as well.

We should have some interesting articles on the blog coming up within a week or two, so stay tuned! And, as always, the minute any news happens, you will hear about it here.

In the meantime, Dave has made an appearance on a BBC podcast about Steve Jobs. It's called "Upsetting the Apple Cart - The Genius of Steve Jobs" and he appears at about the 0:35 mark.

<< Click here for the podcast! >>

More Decapithon reviews... and a comic preview!

2011-11-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hey again! Hope everyone had a good Halloween, eating candy and destroying Pygmy zombies. And speaking of the latter, Decapithon has had some more reviews come in:

>> The Appera has a positive write-up here! <<

>> App Advice gives a solid Decapithon rundown here. <<

And Gamezebo mentions how the Decapithon carries on in the tradition of the platformer "Ghosts 'n' Goblins":

We’ve had a chance to fool around with this new mode, and from zombie Pygmies coming out of the ground to the very deliberate arc of the axe-throw, there’s no question that the folks at Bolt Creative put this together as a loving tribute to one of the toughest platformers of all time.

>> Read the Gamezebo review here! <<

Also, the above art sample indicates that Issue 11 of the Pocket God will soon be surfacing for the public to see! This, of course, continues the "A Quest Called Tribe" story arc, just as APE Entertainment, of course, continues its tradition of rich, quality art. I won't give away very much about the story, except to say that Nooby always seems to discover the most interesting mysteries, even if he can't fully understand them!

New update: Journey to Uranus: Decapithon!

2011-10-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

At last, the iPad game receives its long-awaited update.

>> Read Dave's most recent State of the Island regarding Decapithon! <<

"Decapithon" introduces a bizarre new portal for Graveyard Island, which transports pygmies to the Horror Dimension...a dimension where the walking dead terrorize the living!

Upon crossing over, you become a pygmy with an infinite number of axes at your disposal. Your job... to decapitate the zombies who cross your path, so you can make it to the end of the level. See if you can beat all eight levels; it's not all that easy!

To make your hero move back and forth, just tilt the screen. Tap the arrows in the lower corners in order to jump, and to throw your axes, you tap anywhere else on the screen!

Besides the familiar blue Zombie Pygmies who use their own flying boomerang arms as weapons, you have many other horrors to confront: the acid-spitting Moon Witch, the Zombie Pygmy-headed Vampire Bat with his eerie sonar attacks, and the boss himself, Big Booga, who has a special talent of causing fiery skulls and bones to rain down upon you. There are gates that will prevent you from going further until you've eliminated all the zombies in your midst, so your aim had better be good!

Don't despair, however: regeneration graves are dotted across the landscape to give you a health boost if you need it, and if a ghost should cross your path and you absorb its energy, you'll gain a longer life.

Cross over to this new dimension of fast-paced horror and make heads fly, just in time for Halloween! Watch the video below to see Journey to Uranus: Decapithon in action.

The reviews are already streaming in. Christopher Park at Softonic has given us a great review:

Pocket God: Journey To Uranus contains a lot of variety and the consistent updates makes the game a must-have.

>> Click here for Softonic's Decapithon review and be sure to leave a comment! <<

Jennifer Allen at 148Apps has given an especially glowing review:

Decapithon is just the kind of game that would easily work as a $0.99 title so as a free update for owners of Pocket God, it’s an exceptional addition. It’s been touted as one of the most ambitious updates for the game yet and quite rightly so.

>> Click here for 148Apps' Decapithon review and be sure to leave a comment! <<

As you can see, this is a big deal, and we're quite excited about it. Please leave feedback at the above sites! Also, we hope you'll spread the word via Twitter, Facebook... maybe even telling all your friends face to face! Let the world know!

Finally, we'd like to give some shoutouts:

Chris Kennet designed that stylish poster up at the top. Visit his site at http://crikeyboy.blogspot.com !

Grammy Award winner Chris Tin provided us with another excellent music piece. You can visit his site at http://www.christophertin.com .

Plus, Sam Washburn and Robin Harbron of P1XL Games gain Big Booga-sized kudos for their awesome programming! Visit them at http://p1xl.com !

(One last note: the Moon Witch is based on an upcoming character in the Pocket God comic. We won't reveal any more, apart from the obvious fact that she's not going to be sweetness and light.)

IGN Article about Journey to Uranus: Decapithon!

2011-10-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

The new update for Journey to Uranus is right around the corner, and IGN has already done a cool article about it, complete with screenshots!

>> Read it here and read it now! <<

Two Halloween updates!

2011-10-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

October 31's creeping up on us, but fortunately we have two Halloween-themed Pocket God updates: one is live right now, and one will be arriving very soon!

For PG Facebook, Frima introduces "Attack of the Killer Pumpkin"! A magic pumpkin is now available in the store, under "plants." With this pumpkin, you can grow a pumpkin plant that will help you to sacrifice more pygmies. If you pick a pumpkin and let a pygmy eat it, he will immediately turn into a pumpkin himself that another pygmy can eat. Cannibalism at its finest!

On the other hand, you can also pick a pumpkin, let it grow larger, and use it to squash other pygmies.

In fact, take the Jack-o-Pymgy global challenge: if everyone sacrifices 250,000 pygmies altogether, everyone will gain the special Jack-o-Pygmy idol. So invite your friends, and see your collective progress towards the ultimate prize! Also, be sure to spawn your friends in order to sacrifice them to the pumpkin god! After you sacrifice them, click the RIP icon on their picture and taunt them on their Facebook wall!

However, the time to get busy is now, because this idol is only going to be there for a limited time. And it's possible this idol might be useful in the future... you can never tell...

>> Check out PG Facebook now and rise to the challenge! <<

(By the way, if you don't see the pumpkin in your Facebook store, either refresh the screen or back out and return to it.)

Meanwhile, on Pocket God Uranus, we have our biggest update yet coming out soon... the Decapithon! This update was submitted last week and we hope it will be live within a matter of days. Keep an eye out for it!

"I Sting the Body Electric" now in Apple iTunes' new and noteworthy section!

2011-10-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

From the comments, it looks like our latest update is going over well. On top of it all, Apple iTunes has decided to honor our clear but deadly jellyfish with a huge new ad. We're also featured in the new and noteworthy section! We definitely appreciate the extra attention, and couldn't have gotten it without your support.

Of course, we're also proud of the iOS5 multiplayer functionality and iCloud storage. Dave talks about this, as well as what iOS5 and iCloud will mean to game developing in the future, in a recent Pocketgamer interview.

>> Read the interview here! <<

"I Sting The Body Electric" is out... and we introduce the iOS5 Battle of the Gods Multiplayer!

2011-10-11T21:34:00.001-07:00

Hey again, folks! Plenty of news today. Before we get to the new update you've been waiting for, we have an exciting new announcement about "Battle of the Gods" and the iOS5 system.

>> Read about it at Kotaku! <<

To sum up, the new iOS5 system will allow multiplayer turn-based gaming. You can now go head-to-head with other Pocket God players on their devices! Just go into the battle arena and, in the battle selection screen, tap "MULTIPLAYER" to sign up. You can even save your progress on the iCloud! We feel the multiplayer aspect adds a cool strategic dimension to the game -- it's more important than ever to choose the right idols when you play!

And now, for another answer to the ultimate question of "Where Is The Update?"

Our 41st update is called "I Sting The Body Electric." Introduce your pygmies to a new underwater area, a coral reef inhabited by deadly jellyfish! They swallow, they sting, they even form a ring of death... and if you take the challenge and find all the jellyfish features, you can collect the Jellyfish Idol!

To top everything off, we have a new Underwater Skin Pack available for only 99 cents! You can make your island an underwater paradise, with flying dodo fish and sponge doodlers who in no way resemble Spongebob Squarepants. Okay, maybe a little.

>> Dave reveals more in his State of the Island on TouchArcade. <<

And check out all our new features here:

Dave quoted in Venturebeat article about the iCloud!

2011-10-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article in Venturebeat about Apple's new iCloud. Dave is the only game developer mentioned in the piece, and he discusses the potential the iCloud has for games like Pocket God:

>> Read it here! <<

Pocket God Facebook: Now With Unicorns!

2011-10-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

Hey again, guys. It's about time we put up some news about the Facebook game.

Pocket God Facebook has been undergoing some changes. After having some crashing problems, Frima put a huge amount of time this last summer into making sure PG Facebook is stable and can handle a large amount of users. They also beefed up the pygmy customization options; now you can have alien pygmies, cowboy/girl pygmies, prince and princess pygmies…not to mention customizations that you enable you to build pygmies right out of the Pocket God comics! It's a whole lot of variety for such a tiny island.

They've also gone and added a unicorn. Seems like an awful nice thing to give the pygmies, isn't it? It just makes you feel all magical inside...

... except that he literally FARTS rainbows! I know... we're classy. Especially when you consider that this rainbow gas dissolves pygmies on impact. Well, that's what rainbow farts do, it's been scientifically proven.

Of course, that's not everything the unicorn does. He has other talents that make it worth climbing the Facebook game levels to obtain him. The Games Blog was nice enough to write an article that goes into more detail about it.

>> Read the article here! <<

So with Pocket God Facebook finally stabilizing with its influx of users, and all this new cool stuff on top of that, why not have a go at it?

>> Play Pocket God Facebook now! <<

Issue Ten - A Quest Called Tribe debuts

2011-09-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

The new issue of the Pocket God comic is here, launching the new story arc, "A Quest Called Tribe." The mysterious new female pygmy Sun convinces the tribe to help her on her quest to find the rest of her missing tribe mates. Although Ooga doesn't trust her, Klik has his reasons for wanting to help, relating to the shadowy figure who has possessed his dreams. This adventure whisks the pygmies off to an exotic, mysterious place outside their comfort zone, and Ooga doesn't like it one bit. Is he right? Is he wrong? Will Nooby ever get a clue about anything?

I hope you can tell by the images above how APE Entertainment has really outdone itself with the artwork! Plus, the comic includes the usual extras, including the Pygmy Peril newsletter and an exclusive re-mastered version of the first Pocket God animated short.

>> Get yourself Issue 10 now! <<

Closing things off, we're flattered to discovered that the Facebook Apple App store has named "Pocket God" as one of its "Addictive Games"!

>> See it here! <<

Thanks, Apple!

Bleeding Cool talks about Pocket God sales!

2011-09-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Here we are again, letting you know we're still alive (more or less) and continuing to expand the PG madness behind the scenes!

Some good news.. the new iOS Pocket God update is nearly finished! Allan and Dave have furiously been laboring to bring our shiny new addition to life. It's going to be interesting, it's going to be fun, and it's probably going to be messy. Watch out!

Also, the "Decapithon" game is still in progress for Pocket God Uranus. We've been working so hard over this we're starting to feel like we're ON Zombie Island. Though we're glad that Big Booga already seems to be a hit with people! Wait 'til you see him in action.

As to the Pocket God comic, issue 10 has been at last submitted, containing the first part of the "A Quest Called Tribe" story arc. And speaking of the comic, Bleeding Cool has noticed that the digital comic has hit a milestone:

>> Read it here! <<

Just for perspective: Pocket God comic readers outnumber the entire population of Casper, Wyoming. Not that we have anything against the town of Casper, Wyoming; it's just a town we picked at random. But it makes ya think, doesn't it?

Fix available for the recent "Two and a Half Pygmies" Android update!

2011-09-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hey, folks! Apparently some people have had crashing and/or sound trouble with the new Android four-in-one update so ngmoco now has a fix available (Version 1.3.1) that should clear that up.

>> Click here to get the fix! <<

If you still continue to have problems with Pocket God for the Android, contact ngmoco at support.ngmoco.com with your device information so they can assist you.

As always, thanks for being patient and understanding!

Slow News Week: What's going on?

2011-09-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

So, once again we've hit a lull in Pocket God world. That is not to say we aren't extremely busy behind the curtain with updates. We hope to get one out in the next two weeks and then the other soon after. We're not sure which update will come first, PG Uranus or PG proper, but here's a quick blurb on each project.

Pocket God: We are adding yet another new area to the map! However, it might not be what you expect and it will have a new creature. I am still actually animating the creature, but this part should be done pretty soon. Dave's been upgrading Pocket God code (again) and we will be using some new technology, so a bonus feature will soon be added to Battle of the Gods. What is it? Well, I'm told not to reveal it but it's gonna be cool!

Pocket God Uranus: The second part of our Zombie Island addition is taking a bit more time. It actually has THREE new characters in a brand new game (above is a sneak peek of Big Booga)! And I'm going to go ahead and clue you in, it will involve zombies and is called "Decapithon". Use your imagination on that one!

Pocket God Comic: Well, we caught some heat for our cross-over. While we made an attempt to write a story that will be important to the Pocket God world, it is, admittedly, an odd issue. However, the next story arc "A Tribe Called Quest" is on its way and is more in line with the first two arcs... except (we hope) BETTER! The adventure is bolder, the stakes are higher and the cast of characters continues to grow. As the tribe gets to know Sun, they resolve to help her. This takes the pygmies on a new journey that hints at their mysterious past and alludes to future conflicts with mysterious forces. And as we learned at the end of Tale of Two Pygmies, Newbie (Nooby's allegedly evil clone) is somehow involved! Check out this sneak peek of Issue 10!

Pocket God Facebook: As some of you may be aware, we had some growing pains starting in the spring. As the community grew, it strained the servers and technology behind it, so we've gone back to the drawing board a bit. Frima has been working hard all summer to stabilize PG Facebook and we're gearing up to make a big push for new players again! Meanwhile, it has been chugging along and there have been some new additions. This deserves its own blog entry so more on this later.

Top Secret Pocket God Project: Still top secret! Hence the name! Of course you could point out how ridiculous it is to call it top secret when it can't be THAT secret if I'm writing about it. But let's just say it's Top Secret and not Top Top Secret. Or we could just forget about it for now and move on to the next item...

Pocket God Merchandise! Items we've been promising all year (turns out merchandising is HARD!) are on their way and we will definitely have new stuff to sell before Christmas! More on THIS later!

Speaking of merchandise, the above pygmy plushes are fan-made by MJDIllusion!

>> Check out MGDIllusion's Deviant Art page! <<

So that's quite a bit of news for a slow news week! I hope it whets your appetite. Since it's probably not practical to invite everyone into our homes to watch us work, you'll have to take our word for it that everything we've mentioned is on the fast track to becoming a reality. Stick around!

Two and a Half Pygmies for the Android... four updates in one!

2011-09-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

At long, long, long last, your patience is finally rewarded! ngmoco has finally completed the latest update for the Android, "Two and a Half Pygmies"! Despite the title, this actually combines four of the iOS updates in one fell swoop:

Episode 32: Crack is Wack

Drag your finger along the island to create a crack in the Earth. Cracks formed under pygmies will send them plummeting to the Earth's core, and initiate the new mini-game "The Runs" (an homage to the awesome app store game, "Canabalt").

Episode 36: Konkey Dong

Place a pygmy in the grip of the gorilla idol on Ape Mountain (be sure to have the banana tree turned on) and the mini-game will begin. When the game starts, tilt the device to go left and right, tap the right to jump, tap upper left to climb up a ladder and lower left to climb down a ladder.

Episode 37: The Moron Pests

The pygmies, through their dreams, access the "Island of Misfit Crossovers", a surreal dreamscape where anything can happen. In this particular case, it's a misfit crossover with the Moron Test! Drop the snake on the Pygmy, and the snake will swallow him whole, taking you to the mini-game "The Moron Pests." Like the Moron Test, you are forced to answer seemingly easy questions, but in this, correct answers help the Pygmy run faster as an angry turtle chases him! See how far you can get!

Episode 38: TWO and a half PYGMIES

The first ever guest-pygmy visits Oog Island. He's a mysterious stranger who babbles about winning, and does weird things like turn into a tiger and slice other pygmies in half. Who is he? He's a total freaking rock star from Mars, that's who he is! Oh, and he calls himself Charlie.

>> Click here to receive the latest update, TWO AND A HALF PYGMIES, on the Android! <<

Thanks for being so patient. We know it's been a long time, but we hope you'll find it was worth the wait!

A comic review, an article, and Legos

2011-09-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hey again, folks. Hope you all had a great three-day weekend! As for us, we've spent Labor Day... laboring on updates. We're dedicated, what can we say?

We've come across a review of the first four issues of the Pocket God comic. It's a pretty positive review, adding some nice things about Jason, Rolo and Paul, the diehard team at APE Entertainment who help to put the comic together!

>> Read the Comickazee review here!<<

Speaking of APE, Dave Hedgecock describes his involvement with the comic in this article from July. It's pretty interesting seeing how the comic came to be from his point of view!

>> Check out the article at Pipe Dream Comics!<<

And lastly, on the lighter side of things, here's a homemade Lego pygmy. Don't you wish you had one of your own?

Crazy Mike is crazy

2011-08-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hey, kids! It's a bit of a slow news month. Our heads are down, and we've been working 24/7 (and sometimes 25/8) on the next updates for Pocket God and Pocket God Uranus on the iOS. Meanwhile, ngmoco has been working on updating the Android app. They are lumping several updates together (these updates are already on the iOS) so it's going to be a big one! We'll let you know when it's out.

In the meantime, we thought we'd post this review from Crazy Mike's Apps. He has this to say about the Android version of PG:

This Android app allows the user the opportunity to torture, torment, and yes at times be nice to their very own race of pygmy peoples in various environments (island, underwater Atlantis, and north or south pole you figure out). Pocket God is the ingenius idea of the “crazy” guys over at Bolt Creative and this classic iOS game is just as fun on the Android platform.

>> Watch the video review here! <<

Thanks, Mike!

Battle of the Gods video tutorial!

2011-08-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! For those who are visually-oriented, there's a brand new video tutorial by JKDabomb for our latest update:

As much as we appreciate the compliments, we appreciate more how well it shows the workings of the game! Check it out! And thanks, JK!

In other WITU news, we're still working hard on Pocket God's next updates. Pocket God's next update in particular promises to have some sting to it. And we could say that Pocket God Uranus will show you how to cut your problems in half. We could say that, but we won't.

As for the comic, the next story arc is called "A Quest Called Tribe." On this journey, the pygmies find out more about Sun's background. Hint: it's full of secrets.

That's all for now. Keep reading the blog, there's bound to be more news happening.

Episode 40 - Battle of the Gods is out!

2011-08-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

"Battle of the Gods" finally out! I was a bit taken aback how much anticipation there has been, but the wait is over.

Now, on God Island, you can enter the battle arena. All you have to do is earn at least four god idols and set them on the four pedestals to open the temple. Drop a pygmy into the temple to enter the game.

Here you have a chance to go up against every episode's god; there are forty so far. In the battle, both sides get four idols that have certain attributes and powers. Choose the right idols at each turn to win the battle. It plays like a two-tiered rock-paper-scissors, and each idol has a chance of damaging the opponent's health.

At each turn, both sides picks an idol which has two attributes, Realm and Attack Type.

Realm:

There are 5 Realms: Oceanus, Aeris, Animus, Infernus and Pax. If you win the realm, you will activate the idol's special power. Each Realm's idol has a special power which might include protecting you, damaging the opponent, inhibiting the opponent's powers, or some other helpful ability. Then, the attack happens.

Attack Type:

There are 3 Attack Types: Strong, Fast and Counter. If you win the attack type, your pygmy makes the successful attack that will inflict damage upon the opponent. But the special powers can affect the amount of damage, so this doesn't always mean you're the most successful in this turn. Choosing the right idol will make a lot of difference.

Dave describes the update in his "State of the Island" on Touch Arcade.

If this sounds complicated, just begin the game with any four idols, but make sure there is one Strong, one Fast and one Counter idol in the four. This way you can play the game while pretty much choosing at random. The first few levels are fairly easy and it's only later battles that require some strategy!

Thanks, guys, and enjoy!

Also included in this update is the Mafia Pack. Change the island statue into a pygmy with cement shoes, the igloo into a casino, the doodler into Scarface and more! It's an offer you can't refuse at 99 cents.

Finally, the awesome "Battle of the Gods" poster at the top was created by the fantastic Josh Ellingson! Check out his site!

Issue #8 is here!

2011-08-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

Hey again!

At last, the final chapter of the "Tale of Two Pygmies" storyline arrives at the app store, and it's got some major stuff going on. The tribe is divided against itself, and accusations, rocks and spikes are flying. However, things aren't what they appear to be. If you thought you knew who took the Gem of Life, you were probably wrong, unless you had psychic powers. And like the pygmies themselves, mysteries die... only to regenerate once again.

Ape Entertainment has done an excellent job yet again. Check it out, why don't ya.

Episode 40 FINALLY Submitted!

2011-08-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. Really sorry for the delay. Dave pointed out that it is getting kind of cliche for us to say this is "the most complicated update so far." But we did get a bit ambitious! We really hope everyone likes it because this is nearly a whole new game added to the game. It really is a fitting 40th update celebration, because it expands on the Challenge of the Gods and adds what kids have been requesting for a while...pygmy fighting! AND this game is right up Dave's alley. He loves strategy and RPG elements in games. He really worked hard on the rules and we went back and forth on how to present it. And yes, while it is very strategy-based, but you CAN play it just by guessing at first until you pick up on the rules...then in later battles that get harder, you have to strategize and pick idols with purpose. The mechanic is basically a two tiered Rock-Paper-Scissors but each idol also gets a special ability that keeps things interesting. Dave will probably explain it better in his state of the island. But part of the delay is that we wanted to make sure that with more complexity in game play, we made it flow nicely and I think we did. And of course we kept it funny too. I had fun doing different pygmy fighting animations. We decided that sometimes it would be with weapons, and others, something more like anime Dragon Ball Z powers. Then of course we had to have a very Pocket God final death at the end of each battle.

We've decided the next update is going to much more of a traditional PG update closer to Monkey See Monkey Chew or March of the Fire Ants. I'm a little behind on the blog. We've decided to recruit help because we just have too much on our plate to be consistent about communication... Besides working on PG and PG Uranus, Dave and I monitor and approve all PG projects including the comic and Facebook....so it's getting too hairy to handle everything ourselves, so we've been finding new people to help us. I will still add entries, but will have someone else fill people in in between.

BTW, I'm not sure why I'm still having to approve some of the comments. I'm not supposed to have to any more. If your comment doesn't come up right away, I apologize. Again, hopefully I can get the blog running smoother with help!

Pocket God at 2011 San Diego Comic-Con!

2011-07-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again, kids! This week we're headed to San Diego to attend the infamous Comic-con. This time around we're loaded up with swag. We'll have the usual poster give-aways, but for sale will be PVC figures, t-shirts and of course, COMICS! Dave and I will be hanging with the Ape gang at the Ape Comic Booth (#1804) every day from 1 to 3...so come by, say hi (don't be shy, we're chatty), check out the stuff, and we'll sign a poster for ya! The big question for this year is: will the code-word "summer squash" get you anything? You'll have to stop by and find out...but if I were you, I'd do it early. Oh, and we can demo the slightly-delayed Battle of the Gods. It's almost there but we need another week to polish it up. Here is Ape's schedule:

Overdue blog post! Where is the update?

2011-07-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! Vacation time! To complicate matters, we're working on the craziest update "Battle of the Gods" we've ever worked on. The plan was to have it done before I went on vacation but after working hard on it, it became clear that it needed more love. The reality is we're trying to make a game design that would take most companies several months to a year and squeezing the production into a month (ok, a little more). There's quite a game behind that battle arena! I'm back but it needs some more animations from me now. But mostly we need to work on the game mechanic a little more.

In the meanwhile, Journey To Uranus now has zombies! And you can do more than create them. you can take them off planet or have another pygmy fight them! We also have more planned for the zombies for the next update, so I know it looks like not much is happening but we are working hard.

To make matters a EVEN MORE complicated, Dave and I will drop by Comic-con this coming week. We're trying to submit beforehand, but I'm concerned we won't. So, vacation is over and it's back to work!

More coming!

By the way, the awesome poster above was created by Aaron Blecha of Monstersquid.com.

Pocket God Forums 2 Year Anniversary!

2011-06-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Liam, a.k.a. SaintsAlive, a fan of PG from the almost the very beginning, contacted me the other day to let us know that the Pocket God Forums have just hit their two year anniversary! He and a few friends started the forum as an alternative to Touch Arcade, where they could freely discuss updates, suggest features and share art for Pocket God and other apps that they appreciated.

Saints shares admin duties with PocketCow, who has been instrumental in keeping the forums up and running, and are helped by Tigermouse and Jamesbond007.

So, to celebrate the 2 year, they interviewed Dave and I about the current state of Pocket God.

>> Read PG Forums Interview Here! <<

And while you are there, be sure to check out the rest of the forums. Of course my favorite part is always the fan art, especially the comics. They are often hilarious and have me laughing out loud!

Thanks SaintsAlive, Pocket Cow, Tigermouse and Jamesbond007! Keep up the good work!

I had to remove the animated gif at the top (by Pygkid104 a.k.a. Failboat103), because I just linked it to it's photobucket location and apparently we've exceeded the maximum views. Will put it back when I get a copy and put it on my server.

Update on Comic Issue 7!

2011-06-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

We have an update on the PG comic. So it looks like the latest issue (Issue 7, Tale of Two Pygmies Part 2) is showing up on the app now! Still a few glitches that iVerse is working fast and furious on the update to correct. The most obvious of which is that the cover for issues 7 (Ooga and Klik staring each other down), on the menu is showing the cover for issue 1. But you see the correct cover once you open the comic. This will be fixed very soon.

Bottom line is, you SHOULD BE ABLE to download the latest issue now! And if you are having technical issues and can't read something you purchased (or is otherwise free)....we WILL fix this pronto. We're on it! Be on the lookout for updates that improve the functionality as well as the look and feel of the app. Believe us, it means a LOT to us to create the best pygmy story we can and have people get into it. Dave and I have been so focused on working with Jason Burns and David Hedgecock to create an epic adventure, filled with mystery, drama and of course our evil sense of humor. We probably weren't watching the app development as closely as we should have. But we are now! So thank you for your patience. And btw, if you've read issue 7, feel free to post your reviews here and speculate on what will happen next! I bet you can't guess!

Pygmies All Over the App Store Charts!

2011-06-11T10:21:00.001-07:00

So, this last week (comic issues aside) has been an amazing week for the inhabitants of Oog Island. Once we released the update of PG Uranus as universal app, it zipped up the charts! Sure we still are bested by that pack of ticked off avians, but we'll take it! This morning, it dawned on me. Pocket God is currently at #1 in Entertainment, PG Uranus is at #3 in Games and Overall Paid, and Pocket God, the Comic is #2 in books! And that's not counting the iPad charts. It's a perfect Pygmy storm! So guys, one LITTLE nudge could put the comic at #1, and one MASSIVE nudge could put Uranus at #1 Overall! Tell your friends and family, give the Pygmies a chance!

Pocket God Episode 40 Sneak Peek

2011-06-09T15:01:00.001-07:00

So I wanted to take care of the comic bug controversy this morning and held off on the Sneak Peek at episode 40 that I promised if Uranus went top 3 (and btw, it's now in top ten grossing). Then Dave sent me an angry touch arcade post form Jakerocksalot16 calling us on it, so whoops! Better get on it! At the moment, the art section is still being produced independently of the game engine, but here is some art for ya!

That looks like one angry Pygmy!

What's Up With the Comic?!

2011-06-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. This morning I was psyched to hear the comic was approved only to find out that the new issue isn't showing up....and the new issue of the Pygmy Peril is causing some people to crash. Darn it! After all the production delays...artist getting sick, iVerse being backed up...we finally get it out and it doesn't even show up on the app! I am excited for everyone to see how this arc turns out...there are a few surprises and has a great cliff hanger for the next arc....which takes the Pygmies off their island on a new epic adventure with new mysteries, characters and settings.

If we can just get out this $%! Issue! Well, we'll post on the blog any news, but hopefully it gets submitted and expedited by Apple for the weekend, but we can't count on it.

So, I promised some sneak peeks if Uranus got to number three (and it DID, woohoo!!!). So for that reason, and begging forgiveness for delays, here you go!

Three whole pages of Issue 7 Tale of Two Pygmies (part 2)
(click the pages to see the readable version!)

Panel from Issue 8, Tale of Two Pygmies (part 3)

Rough pencil from Issue 9 (super secret epic adventure) AFTER ToTP

Stay tuned for a sneak peek at the next Pocket God (the app), episode Battle of the Gods!

PG Uranus Cracks Top Ten!

2011-06-08T10:38:00.001-07:00

Woohoo! Thanks to everyone who bought it right away! But we need your help! It's been a while since we had this kind of momentum on iTunes so we want to take advantage of it! Be sure to rate us high on iTunes and leave a great comment! Tweet, blog, Facebook the heck out of it for us. Name your Pygmies and make them do funny things in space and post a screen shot. Get creative... We're watching! And especially awesome posts/images/etc. could earn you a reward!

And to sweeten the pot, see if we can push us into the top 3. If you do, we will post a sneak preview of the next PG update, plus a sneak preview of the next three issues of the comic! And eh, maybe we'll still do it if we don't crack the top 3 but see that there was an EFFORT. We're softies.

Again, thanks for your purchases and support!

Journey To Uranus Now Universal!

2011-06-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

You heard me right! We heard the request for Uranus to play on iPod Touch and iPhone...so rather than create a separate version, we decided just to take the original and make it work on both. It wasn't easy because we designed it to take advantage of the iPad screen and processing power. But Dave, along with Robin and Sam, spent a bunch of time optimizing and altering the programming so the scenes would look great on all sizes. So if you bought it for iPad, it should still look and run the same (maybe even better) but you'll also be able to play the same app on smaller devices without buying it again. And yes, once again, we marked it down to 99¢, and if it goes back up, will only go to $1.99.

Since this took the majority of our time, we decided to create a simpler mini-game that takes advantage of the existing space location, Quantum Entanglement. It was partly inspired by my nephews who requested a scavenger hunt in space and their love for memorization games...so thanks, Brad and Wes! Basically you drag a pygmy to the atom floating in space, and then you have to hunt down a trail of other entangled atoms. You touch one, and another one appears. The trail is always the same, so the more you play it and remember the trail, the further you'll get! You can watch particles to get a hint of the direction of the next atom as well. You also have limited time between atoms (and get extra points for saving time), so go as quickly as you can. But don't accidentally drag a Pygmy over a black hole or the game ends!

>>Read Dave's State of the Island Touch Arcade Post <<

>> or better yet just go get it! <<<

And I want to point out that we were really happy that Challenge of the Gods was received so well! We are now in full production of the Battle of the Gods, where you will be able to use the idols you've collected....plus there will be the opportunity to add a few more to the arsenal, but more on that later.

For fans of the comic, we have had one issue ready for a couple weeks now and the one after that is almost finished, but for some reason there have been major technical problems delaying the release. It's killing me because the first issue of the arc barely hints at the crazy things that go down in the next two issues...so thank you for your patience! The comic has been such a success that Ape put a bunch more resources to produce the comics faster (and we've worked out a huge ongoing story)...but the original app was only built for a short run, so it's taking time to build in the structure for lots more issues.

And as for the next Uranus update, let's just say we heard the request for more classic Pocket God powers!

Meet Paul Vasquez a.k.a. Yosemite Bear, the Double Rainbow Guy!

2011-05-31T23:37:00.001-07:00

In the Fall of 2010, we decided to pay homage to famous "Double Rainbow" video that became a sensation on the internet with phrases like:

"Double rainbow, oh my god! It's a double rainbow all the way!"
"Oh my god, it's full on double-rainbow all the way across the sky!"
"Whoa, so intense"
"It's starting to look like a triple rainbow!"

Naturally, it fit into our app nicely and was a big hit. But we were surprised to learn that a few people who thought WE originated double rainbow phrases on Pocket God and and made comments on his YouTube video saying so. Well, we want to give credit where credit is due!

Meet Paul "Yosemite Bear" Vasquez. One day, he was out taking video and came across a huge double rainbow in the forest and uttered the words soon to be known by all. He posted the video on YouTube and quickly became an overnight viral hit, racking up almost 30 million views and has made him a celebrity. He is a lover of nature and now a public personality. He's up to all sorts of things, including: traveling the world, visiting Jimmy Kimmel, shooting commercials, selling t-shirts, and even running for president!

>>Check out his site, Yosemitebear.net to learn more! <<

Moreover, he may be part of an ancient Cree Indian prophecy involving rainbow warriors. Read more about The Cree Rainbow Indian Prophecy on Wikipedia!

We thank him for lending his voice (yes, that's his voice, but digitally doctored) and words of inspiration to Pocket God!

Keep up the good work, Yosemite Bear!

Pocket God Facebook Wins Best Social Game at Canadian Game Awards

2011-05-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, Pocket God Facebook was awarded "Best Social/Casual Game' at the Canadian Video Game Awards! Frima Studio, the team behind the growing game, has done an awesome job of taking Pocket God and making it a fun social version that keeps getting better with each new episode. We thank them for their titanic efforts! The artists, game-designers, and team-leaders are fantastic to work with. We are working hard to keep improving the game!

>> CHECK OUT POCKET GOD FACEBOOK TODAY! <<

And in other news, we've submitted the latest update for Pocket God Journey To Uranus last night! Woohoo! What was THIS update about? Well, we took a major step based on popular request...but it might not be what you think.

Challenge of the Gods is out!

2011-05-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

This is the big update we've been working on. We've decided to celebrate the fact that we're nearing Episode 40 by encouraging players to go back and refind, or find for the first time, the various god powers, interactive situations, mini-games, creatures, islands, traps, etc. that we've added over the last two years!

A new Startup screen appears (and you can turn it off, if you prefer to ignore it) that has a button "View Challenges". There you can see the familiar list of icons we've created for each episode (except we had to add two from the beginning). Tap the icon and you view the episode challenge screen. This will be where you monitor your progress for that episode. Click "Activate Challenge" and then try to complete the Challenge Tasks for that episode. They are hidden for those who don't want the hint, but it's there if you need it. For instance, activate the episode "A Storm is Coming" and then go practice your lightning powers! The active episode icon appears on the corner, that you can tap to go back and view your progress. Complete all the tasks for that episode, and you will acquire a God Idol for that episode. There are 39 to collect...but once you have at least four, you can go to God Island and place them on the pedestals to open up the ancient tomb. What happens inside the tomb? Well, there's a hint there, but you'll have to wait for Episode 40 to find out! And anyone who reads the comic might recognize the ruins on God Island.

While we want to maintain the sand box free for all of Pocket God, we wanted to figure out a way to encourage people to go find all the stuff we've added, and this seemed like a fun way to do it! Plus, the God Idols add a new dimension to PG and will be useful in the future. Much of this plays off of issues we are planning for the Pocket God comic series as well as the Facebook game.

Another thing we've wanted to do for a while is to offer a Custom Pack for shark! We also have customizations for the laser attachment for the underwater area! As always, the update is free, but the optional custom packs are 99¢. Thanks to everyone who has been purchasing them and helping us continue to evolve PG.

>> Check out Dave's State of the Island on Touch Arcade for more on this episode! <<

Check out this video created by a behind-the-scenes Bolter, Pepijn Gooiker to see this episode demoed!

And the awesome marketing poster above was created by Junko Mizuno.

Oog Island is Infested with Zombies!

2011-05-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, thanks to Ape Entertainment and IDW publishing, the Pygmies are participating in IDW's Infestation Comic Series.

"INFESTATION is IDW’s hugely successful comic series that infects the TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE, Ghostbusters, and Star Trek universes with legions of undead. This unparalleled, never-before-seen event is now available digitally through the Apple App Store in the INFESTATION Comics app, made specially for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Readers can view full size pages, or read panel-by-panel simply by turning the iPhone or iPod touch horizontally. The app includes all the issues of the IDW event, as well as special features, such as a cover gallery and character designs."

In the Pocket God issue, Britt, a vampire/zombie soldier set on spreading the undead virus across universes, crosses over to the Pocket God universe. She sees the power of the Gem of Life (which allows the Pygmies to die and regenerate) and wants to steal it for herself. In the comic we learn of Nooby's shameful secret, met the zombie t-rex and zombie monkey, fight an army of undead pygmies, and more!

We WILL be releasing it on the Pocket God Comic app, but not until after the Tale of Two Pygmies 3-issue arc (that's when these events occur), but you can get it early on the Infestation Comic App (the app itself is free)...

>> Check out the Infestation App Today! <<

Busy Month! Much Needed Blog Post!

2011-05-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. Sorry for neglecting the blog. We still run pretty lean and mean here, so if I'm not blogging it's because I work day and night on designing and animating the next update! So let's do a check-in one by one...

Pocket God- Episode 39 (sneak peak of new island above) was submitted last weekend and we are awaiting approval. This episode adds a new twist to all the Pocket God functions and pays homage to all 39 episodes. It also sets PG up for a great new mini-game that will require -gasp- strategy! That should be out by next week at the latest.

Facebook Ep. 7 - Supersize PygME is now live! You can now buy magic mushrooms which the Pygmies can eat...causing them to enlarge! We couldn't do this on the iPhone because of graphic size constraints, but it works great on Facebook! And we have tons of new features planned...as well as optimizations (for game play and faster loading) so stay tuned...If you haven't already, join today! It just gets better and better!

>> Check out Pocket God Facebook, Episode 7: Supersize Pygmy <<

Pocket God the Comic - Part 2 of Tale of Two Pygmies is just about finished in the coloring process. Our artist was down sick, so it is a bit delayed, but we have hired more artists to help speed up the issue release...and this is thanks to awesome sales! We were on a phone call with Ape Entertainment and not only is the next story AFTER ToTP nearly written, with art already in progress, but we are mapping out THREE more 4 issue story arcs after that. And we group them into 4 -issue sagas, but there is an over-arching story that expands and explains the Pygmies' world. Can't wait to see how it comes out! Hopefully we will get the system in place where they come out faster!

But in the meanwhile, the Pygmy Peril #6 has arrived (Pygmy Perils are all free with purchase of app)! Ape's new editor, Matt Anderson, gets his first taste of the Pygmy World...and Dave writes about how to program games, as well as the usual letters to the editor.

>> Check out Pocket God the Comic <<

Journey To Uranus - We're currently working on the next update which should be done by next week....but the central focus of this update is NOT what you think! More on this later.

Also, we have a few other irons in the fire but I do want to address something I've seen mentioned. There has been grumbling we never quite got our plushes off the ground. We had some major problems lining up a competent manufacturer, and it just turned out to be too difficult and time-consuming for us to do on our own. But the solution is on it's way! More on THAT later as well.

State of the Island! Pocket God AND Journey To Uranus!

2011-04-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! So it was a big day...Pocket God Ep 38, Two and a half Pygmies came out this morning and Journey To Uranus, Ep 3 Mercury Rising was just released as well! Two and a Half Pygmies is somewhat like the Double Rainbow update and is more of a mini-update while we work on a really big update. Mercury Rising adds a whole new planet and mini-game to Uranus! But why describe it here, when you can read Dave's Touch Arcade posts...

>> Read Dave's Pocket God State of the Island here <<

>> Read Dave's Journey To Uranus SOTI here <<

Oh, and on each entry there is a demo video!

Again, the great graphic at the top was done by the awesome Chris Kennett!

Kotaku Carrying PG Preview

2011-04-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

The next mini-update is called "Two and a half Pygmies"... plus there is a Pimp Skin Pack! and you can see a sneak preview!

>> PG Episode 38 preview on Kotaku <<

It should be approved tomorrow!

A Tale of Two Pygmies Available On the App Store!

2011-03-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! The latest adventure for the Pygmy's begins today! "A Tale of Two Pygmies" begins a few weeks after the events in "The Gem of Life" and "X-Mas Marks the Spot". The Pygmies have fallen back into their normal routines. Klak and Booga still obsess over food, Dooby just "chills", and Ooga still plays practical jokes on the simple-minded Nooby (that results in his temporary death), and argues with the uptight Klik. Since the events in the "Gem of Life", Klik has grown resentful toward Ooga for his "communion with the gods". Although Ooga asserts "the gods aren't what you think they are, Klik" he still revels in being the most important pygmy on the island. They take out their rivalry on the Squidball Court with hilarious consequences. Shortly after, however, Klik is confronted with a new mystery that gives him hope that he might have a connection with the gods after all. But will his petty jealousy become his undoing?

This is the first part of a three-part series that introduces a major new character and sets the stage for the tribe's biggest adventure yet! While you can start here without much confusion, If you haven't caught up on the Pygmy's story, be sure to start with the "Gem of Life" and "Xmas Marks the Spot"!

>> CLICK HERE TO GET POCKET GOD THE COMIC <<

As usual Ape Entertainment has done an spectacular job. Jason Burns writes the cool stories, Rolando Mallada pencils amazing art, Paul Little inks and paints the beautiful colors and David Hedgecock and Brent Erwin make it happen! Thanks guys!

And don't forget, also included with a purchase with at least one comic, bonus reading material known as the Pygmy Peril. There, we include answers to letters, behind the scenes articles on PG, and interviews with Pygmies! And as an extra bonus, the remastered version of the animated short "Pocket God Fishmas Special" is included in the Pygmy Peril section!

In the meanwhile, we submitted two updates last week for Pocket God and Journey To Uranus. So hopefully they will be approved soon! Pocket God Facebook, episode 4 "Archipelago-go", will also be up on Facebook soon as well!

Everything you ever wanted to know about Pygmies but were afraid to ask...

2011-03-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! So, we're working our butts off on two (actually three) updates at once. We have a cool new planet for Journey To Uranus: Mercury! the preview is in an earlier post. We are also working on TWO updates at once for Pocket God. One of them is pretty extensive, so we're getting the art ready for that and plan on putting out a mini-update in between to tie people over. Hopefully we'll have that submitted by early next week, with the other update part way done so there won't be a big gap between.

Anyway, so we need something to blog about and I wanted to point out something I stumbled on in Internet land...I was already aware that fans were maintaining our Wikipedia page, which is awesome! I can't believe this stuff just gets done for you without you having to make an effort! But also, there's another site called Wikia, where it looks like the wiki watchdogs are a little looser, and there are pages and PAGES of Pocket God info and trivia! This includes all PG projects...Facebook and Comic included! I was chagrinned to see that it pretty much takes note of all details, no matter how small (or logic-defying)...case in point: The Pygmy entry said you can have a maximum of seven pygmies on the island. I think "whoops! They got a detail wrong! Of course the number is six!" Then I read the bullet points on how to get 7 pygmies and was amused to see the entry was actually right! There is a way!

Want to know how to do it? Well, you gotta visit the wikia Pocket God "Pygmy" entry!

>> Click here for the Pocket God Wikia Page! <<

>> Click here for our Wikipedia page. <<

And thanks to whoever is taking the time to write all that! Its awesome.

Oh, and a note. Because Blogger seems to have better Spam protection now, I've decided to open up commenting to anyone who feels like it. Signing up for Blogger and waiting for my approval seems to deter conversation. But this is just a test. If I get tons of spam or unsavory posts (feel free to critique Pocket God, but keep it family friendly please!) I'll revert to the old way where I review comments.

Journey To Uranus on Sale for 99¢!

2011-03-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well, iPad 2 has been released and to celebrate (i.e.,influence new buyers), we're running another super sale. Until Sunday, Journey To Uranus is only 99¢! So if you've held out, now's the time to go get it!

We're currently working on delivering a new update, Ep 3. Mercury Rising. It will include the planet Mercury. Apparently millions of years ago, in the Pygmian era, the planet Mercury was covered by a sprawling technological city, with inhabitants who are obsessed with speed (not of the Charlie Sheen variety, but more of the Keanu Reeves-on-a-bus-without-brakes way). The inhabitants even keep statues of the GOD Mercury around that have the ability speed up time...which might be a good thing for Mercurians, but bad for Pygmies! Also, they are crazy drivers with badly kept roads...thus the new game "Hover Jump" (inspired by the game "Bump and Jump") where the pygmy is thrust into the seat of a hover car and must race down Mercury highways, making jumps and avoiding crazy alien drivers. Looks like we will submit this coming Monday.

Here are a few sneak images!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO URANUS!

We're also working on a big update for Pocket God which will add a whole new dimension to our little "game". But it requires a bunch of new art and programming, so we may insert another mini-update beforehand. More on that later!

Be the It Pygmy!

2011-03-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

At long last! Not only does POCKET GOD FACEBOOK now have female Pygmies, but now you can customize them (the boy Pygmies too)! Customizable pieces include hair color, hair bone, boney tail, top and skirt! Give your tribe a whole new personality! Check out the fashion I've ~~inflicted~~ adorned on my tribe...

And more accessories and options to come! If you haven't joined Facebook Pocket God yet, why not? And be sure to invite your friends!

>> Sign on to Pocket God Facebook! <<

The Moron Pests is Out!

2011-02-23T18:35:00.001-08:00

Yup! Its up! Go get it and see how many oogles you can run! Remember, you can only get to the Island of Misfit Crossovers in the Pygmy's dreams!

And don't forget our custom packs! If you appreciate all the free content, show your support and buy a pack today! This time around, you can make your barking spider, an actual barking spider-dog, among others!

Dave and I are currently busy working on the next update for Journey To Uranus....we're adding the planet Mercury, which will include its own interactivity AND a brand new mini-game! We've enlisted the help of new artists to help us get everything done, and so far it looks awesome!

And hey, guys. If you want the updates to keep coming, please tweet and post on Facebook how much you love this update and want them to keep coming! Click one of the buttons at the bottom of this post. Who knew it was going to last this long, but if sales dry up, we may have to work on a new app, and then our episode days are numbered. Let's try to get to episode 50!

Also, the above Moron Pests promo image was created by Chris Kennet!

Dave Talks Pocket God on Electric Playground

2011-02-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hey, why's Dave standing around doing interviews when he could be updating Pocket God? Just kidding. Kids, we all need to mix it up now and then. Our butts get sore. But check out this slick interview on Electric Playground!

Dave's State of the Island

2011-02-21T11:17:00.001-08:00

Last week we submitted the latest update "The Moron Pests", the long-promised crossover with the Moron Test! We weren't sure how it was going to turn out but we think it came out great! It also involves a new island!

>> Read Dave's State of the Island Here <<

Valentine Pygmy Killing!

2011-02-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

What better way to send Valentine love than to kill your friends (at least their pygmy versions) on Pocket God Facebook! So Pocket God Facebook (Beta) is coming along, and has 160,000 Monthly Active Users to date. We're not Citiville yet, but its a great start! Frima is working really hard to evolve it in our usual way, one episode at a time! Currently up is Episode 3: The Birds, which of course, has added the dodo. As with most Facebook games, you gotta keep playing to get all the cool stuff, so you better get on it!

As extra motivation, we are currently holding a Valentine challenge to gain points. Join in and kill your Pocket God friends to add to the Valentine's Day slaughter and you can win extra experience points and pocket change (the currency you use to buy cool Pocket God powers and idols). You can also send and receive LOVE to and from your friends to bestow devotion bonuses, which increases the amount of pygmy sacrifices you can make to earn even more points. So show your sadistic love, quick, before time runs out!

CLICK HERE OR THE PYGMY ABOVE TO CHECK IT OUT!

And by the way, you can now name your Pygmies, and select their gender, click my screen shot below to see who I most like to smite.

Next up will be Pygmy customizations!

First Update for JTU Approved!

2011-02-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

We were just notified the update for Journey To Uranus was approved and should be up soon! The graphic says it all, but Dave also describes the update in his Touch Arcade Post:

>> Read Dave's State of the Island Here <<

He explains the update and reveals the next planned Uranus update!

P.S., the above awesome graphic was created by Chris Kennet!

Christopher Tin makes our loops, and is a Grammy Nominee!

2011-02-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

So, the first few loops (background music) on Pocket God were cobbled from stock music and were lucky finds. But by the Ice Island, we realized we weren't going to be able to rely on stock music. Plus there was the fact that now we had a budget! So I went to a guy I'd worked with in the past, and knew was awesome, Chris Tin (tinworksmusic.com or christophertin.com). And he's been banging out our loops in between his bigger gigs ever since. He's worked on compositions and recordings for major movies and games, but still makes time for us! And now, he was just nominated for, not one, but TWO Grammies! Obviously its not for Pocket God. But we are really happy for him!

He stepped it up for Journey To Uranus. Click these to hear a couple examples:

Pygmies in Space
Dragons On Uranus

I thought I'd try something new and post an Q&A with Chris! Read on...

How did you get started in music? Did you go to school for it?

It was something that I'd always done from an early age... piano lessons, followed by learning trumpet, guitar, joining choir, joining jazz combos, etc. I didn't go to school specifically for music initially, even though I eventually wound up majoring in Music. However, when I got accepted to a Master's in Composition program at the Royal College of Music in London after college, I finally decided that I would make a run at a career in music.

Do you play instruments?

Play some piano and some guitar.

What kind of projects have you made music for? Which ones got you a nomination for TWO grammys?

I've done almost everything. I've scored feature films, commercials, video games. I made a demo song for Apple's 'Garage Band' software. I also co-created a startup song for Microsoft's 'Surface' operating system. I also release my own albums... in fact my debut album 'Calling All Dawns' has been nominated for two Grammys: 'Best Classical Crossover Album' and 'Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists' for the opening song, 'Baba Yetu'. Getting nominated is a thrill, but to win I have to get past Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin. A tall order.

How do you compose your music? What software do you use?

Generally a combination of writing it out by hand, and using Apple's Logic sequencing platform. I usually use Pro Tools to record and edit audio, and Sibelius to notate scores.

Do you play video games? If so, what kind? Any favorites?

Much more of a casual gamer than anything else, so it tends to be various Wii games with my girlfriend: Super Mario Wii, Rock Band Beatles, NHL 2K10, etc. The game I turn on the most, however, is definitely Pocket God. I play it all the time (mostly Ooga Jump... highest score 4400 Oogles.)

Do you have any personal pet projects we should know about?

I'm co-producing an electronica album right now, called Stereo Alchemy (www.stereoalchemy.com). We've taken a bunch of Renaissance and Romantic Era poetry and turned it into gothic, trip-hoppy electronica. We're very excited about our album release, which will hopefully be in the next couple months.

Thanks Chris for all your great work and good luck!

And by the way, Journey To Uranus, episode 2: Electric Booga-Loo was submitted lat week and hopefully will be approved soon. Dave and I are currently working on PG Episode 37: Moron Pests...it will contain a whole new island, and mini-game! Oh, yeah, and its also a cross-over...but you probably already figured that out.

Pocket God Number Three on Apple's Top App List!

2011-01-17T10:04:00.000-08:00

I had to screen shot this because I was totally surprised at our placement. Its obviously not sales because although Doodle Jump and Pocket God have been around longer, its pretty obvious Angry Birds has probably sold the most of anyone. Dave speculates it might be based partially on longevity, or the percentage of iTunes users at the time, etc. etc. But who cares! We made another list! Woohoo! Oh, and I have to stop and actually be kind of blown away by that number. 10 billion is a pretty darn BIG number. If they get to a trillion, I've got to be wondering how many apps you people have on your iPhones/iPods/iPads!

Pocket God Figure Unboxing

2011-01-08T20:25:00.001-08:00

Happy new year everyone! Thanks to all who have bought our first venture outside of updating Pocket God, Journey To Uranus! We're excited to keep making the game even cooler, and we're working hard to get our first update of that out soon! But also, thanks to everyone who went and bought a Pocket God figure! Hopefully this is the first of several toys that we will produce of the Pygs! Its definitely a learning experience for us. AtomicGamingVideos ordered one and unboxed it on YouTube which is sweet! He dug it...Believe me, Dave LOVES his toys, and got really crazy on the manufacturer about making sure it was cool. Thanks for posting AtomicGamingVideos!

Have I mentioned, I personally designed the box! Oh yeah I know, BIG DEAL... but hey, I never did a box design, so I tried to make sure it was something you wouldn't just toss out.

If you want to get one of your own CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE POCKE SHOP!

And yes, as soon as the PG Uranus update is wrapped, our next priority is still Pocket God PROPER. More on that update later!

Pocket God on Wired and Inside Social Games lists!

2010-12-31T11:12:00.000-08:00

So we haven't even started the new year, and I'm already working on the update for Journey To Uranus which will involve adding some favorite Pocket God features but with a spacey twist, and soon after that the next Pocket God update (will it ever end?) which I think will go down in history as the weirdest update so far. And with Pocket God, that's saying something. The people at Frima are still hard at work getting ready for the next episode on the Facebook. Just want everyone to know we didn't take THAT much of a holiday vacation...in case you were wondering!

But in the mean time, we were surprised to see our new games pop up on a couple lists! The Facebook one is a big surprise because it just came out and is in very good company! Congrats to Frima Studios for making that happen!

>> The 19 Most Wired iPhone and iPad Apps of 2010 <<

>> Inside Social Gaming best of 2010 List <<

Pocket Shop up and running!

2010-12-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

Well, its a little late for Christmas but its going to be a brand new year, and we finally have our online store up and running! Turns out its kind of hard to set up to sell things (legally) on the internet, but we finally did it! The first major item is the Pygmy Figure, only 14.99! I personally designed the box! We will also are selling actual hard copies of the Pocket God comic. They will have extra stories not in the digital format (like the origin of the Laser Shark)...Soon we'll get the plushes up for sale, so either click on the link in the margin or the link below:

>> CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE SHOP! <<

24 HOUR SALE OVER

2010-12-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, guys! 24 hours have passed and we've put the price back! You may have a couple minutes to get it before the price return takes, but basically, its over. Some people were pretty upset with us, but we were backed into a corner. If we didn't do something to improve ranking, it was going to drop out before Christmas. So it was a calculated risk on our part to compete with the likes of ...well, I won't say their name, but they tend to go by two vowels. We probably shouldn't be this transparent, but that's what happens at Christmas with sales and we were caught in the middle. And a game that has some awesome stuff and will only get awesomer cost you about the same as a happy meal. We invested tons of time and money into getting the space part right so it would feel great, and be flexible enough to add tons of stuff in the future. Plus there are THREE fun games in it (as opposed to the normal ONE)

Thank you for buying at either price! We are already planning our next update and will make it a priority for the new year. We're going to add some fun interactivity and have some really awesome ideas! And we're listening to the comments, but as usual, we tend to take a person's idea and add our own spin to it.

And incidentally, we are going to start talking about the big Facebook changes as well! There's a great forum on the facebook app page (link in the margin) where people are making their suggestions!

Take note! We are quietly opening up the Pocket Shop! Its still in infant stages but you can finally buy yerself a Pygmy figure!

Thanks guys!

24 HOUR URANUS 99¢ SPECIAL!

2010-12-21T17:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, so to compete with the big boys...you know who they are.... and the glut of apps on the store, we are offering a VERY LIMITED TIME SALE. If you haven't picked up Journey To Uranus yet because of the price, now's your chance! Please note: if it says 4.99, it hasn't activated yet...the sale should be active tonight some time! Believe me, even if you spent 4.99, this will be the app that keeps on giving...tons of free content is coming down the pike... so its important for everyone that we sell a LOT. Spread the word on Twitter and Facebook. And everyone who bought early, we thank you for your support!

Pocket God Fishmas Special!

2010-12-20T00:52:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, we're proud to present our "christmas card" to you, the Pocket God Fishmas Special! People keep saying "huh?" when we mention Fishmas...but its what the Pygmies celebrate. Its a lot like Christmas, but with fish! The piece is heavily inspired by the comic we've made with Ape Entertainment. We recruited Peach Nova Productions, who are fantastically talented and have worked on projects such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Larkmart, and they did an amazing job. This was especially fun for me, because I am a full grown adult who still gets up to watch Saturday Morning cartoons. Enjoy!

P.S. Konkey Dong will be released tomorrow, and Facebook Open Beta begins as well, so now you don't need a code to play! Woohoo! We HAD to wait on Konkey Dong because it contains a link to the Facebook Game, and we didn't want people to go to a game they couldn't yet play. Sorry about that!

Journey To Uranus out Tomorrow!

2010-12-15T15:37:00.001-08:00

But we gave Kotaku a sneak peak.

>> See their demo of it here. <<

Go there, and do us a favor, sign up and comment, tweet it, or both! Help us spread the word! The better it sells, the faster we'll update!

The regular PG update, Episode 36: Konkey Dong, will be out tonight or tomorrow as well! Be sure to let us know what you think of both!

Dave's State of the Island

2010-12-11T13:03:00.001-08:00

So Dave and I spent a bit of last week recovering from an extremely grueling November (and part of December) finishing up Pocket God Journey To Uranus and Episode 36: Konkey Dong (see image above!). I don't want to make anyone feel bad or anything, but one day I literally worked around the clock. 8AM - 6Am (22 hours). I still shudder to think of it. It was these two projects in conjunction with the Facebook game and Android (which we are pitching in with ngmoco who ported Pocket God) that nailed us.

>> Read Dave's State of the Island Here <<

Which reminds me, we haven't made much of the port, which we partnered with ngmoco to create, which we were super excited about. The reason? There were some hiccups with some devices. Unlike the iPhone there's a bunch of different devices with slightly varying operating systems so it crashed on a few...and PG is a little large...20MB. There's a ton of stuff in there, so its kind of unavoidable. So ngmoco did some fixes and solved some of the issues, but it might take a couple iterations to be stable on every device. And we are getting creamed in the comments because of it! Despite that fact, its still selling because most people CAN play it and we are getting positive reviews on the sites.

The other thing we haven't made much of....and is coming soon: We decided to make a fun animated short as a holiday card and that is wrapping up in the next few days! The subject? Well, it would be Christmas, but since the pygmies technically live in prehistory, they never heard of it. But by coincidence they have their own peculiarly similar holiday called Fishmas, and that is what the short is about! They even have their own Fishmas carol! We also included the song in the update as part of a free custom Fishmas Pack! Look forward to both the animated short and Fishams Pack coming your way soon!

Oh, and there will be MUCH more on PG JTU coming, so stay tuned!

Issue 3 of Pocket God the Comic is on the app store!

2010-12-02T17:13:00.001-08:00

Not sure what the hold up was, but Issue 3 is finally out. 5 of the 6 original pygmies are still alive (well, Booga is barely hanging on), and on the run from a host of dangers on the new island, including that pesky T-Rex. Will they ever find the temple to restore the Gem of Life? If so, how many of them will make it? If you don't know what I'm talking about, go check out the awesome digital comic brought to you by Ape Entertainment (with a little help from us).

>> CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT <<

In other news, this is going to be a busy month for all pygmy-lovers. Dave submitted Pocket God Journey To Uranus yesterday (which turned out amazing if I do say so myself), and we're wrapping up the last of the Ape-inspired trilogy, Episode 36: Konkey Dong! I'm sure you can guess what inspired this episode! And wait, of course, there's Pocket God Facebook. We're still contacting beta testers so if you haven't received an email, it may still be coming. There's more...but I'll hold off for another post!

I Wanna be a Beta Tester!

2010-11-26T11:51:00.000-08:00

Okay guys! Wanna be a Pocket God Facebook beta tester? Click here to subscribe: Sign up form.

NOTE: We collected all the emails send to contest@boltcreative.com, so if you signed up that way already, you don't have to do it again!

Request a place for a beta tester and we will send you a code, and 5 other codes to give away to friends and family...or anyone you want (if you want to give them away on facebook or twitter, etc.)

First come first serve! So hurry and send before space fills up!

Anyone who participates will get some extra goodies in the game when it goes live!

Win A Pygmy Figure (or other stuff) at Appmodo!

2010-11-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we finally have the first pass of a pygmy figure with the box, and though we aren't quite ready to sell it, we have a few to give away, and so we gave a couple to Appmodo for the holiday contest! We also provided some of our famous posters. And they have tons of other stuff so check it out!

>> THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING EARLY TO APPMODO <<

Be the first on your block! Everyone will be jealous :)

Pocket God coming to Facebook!

2010-11-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

The poor blog. Time to resurrect it like a zombie pygmy.... Well, its been tough because besides creating the next PG update and iPad game, Dave and I've been working closely with Frima Studios to put the pygmies on Facebook!

The third "Bolter" (kind of like the fifth Beatle), Jean Matthews, arranged a meeting last Spring at one of those game conferences to talk about a Facebook version. Dave and I had our eye on it, but knew we couldn't do it alone. We met Frima and they were great and their studio has mad skills when it comes to animation AND social gaming. We decided to go for it and took a short trip to their home base, Quebec, Canada, to kick it off and check out their facilities. We had a great time and were impressed by their staff.

Then, for the next 5 months I was forbidden to blog about it. I guess that is how it works in real-bizness-type world. Very frustrating!

Anyway, you can read about the details here on Mashable:

>> Pocket God is coming to Facebook <<

One thing the article doesn't mention is that the Facebook game will have....drumroll please....FEMALE PYGMIES!

The first phase we are just getting the game play and basically functionality together but it will have the episodes we've come to know and love, and soon to follow will be the ability to customize them. And if you think you're going to leave the iPhone version and just play Facebook, keep in mind the Facebook version will be MUCH different! Its a social game as well and will have similar elements but won't be identical.

In the first closed beta where we try to work out the most serious kinks will be coming soon and we will invite 500 fans to join. Let us know. are you interested?

And my holiday goal is get back focused on the blog with all the new stuff coming out. We've been hunkering down for a big holiday push, but we're almost there and more surprises are coming!

Slow News Month! Double Rainbow and the big Holiday Push

2010-11-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

Really sorry guys! I was on vacation when the last state of the island came out so I didn't blog it.

>> BUT HERE IT IS NOW <<

So, as it you have already seen, we've done a take-off on the YouTube viral sensation "Double Rainbow". The truth is we meant to put in a rainbow at some point or other, but this was a good opportunity....and a stop-gap between the last bigger updates and the next big one we are cooking up for the holiday. We've also added text labels to the menu to guide people (you can turn it off in the settings menu).

Also included is a medieval skin pack, which will make the island look all medieval and stuff! And don't forget to check out the story in story mode. You can create your own double rainbow story, with all the catch phrases as well!

We are swamped getting together everything we want to have ready for the holidays, which includes the next FREE update to Pocket God, and the Ape Mountain conclusion, "Konkey Dong" mini-game! Journey to Uranus is in its final stages (as final as the first version of a Pocket Game can be, anyway). And we've been working with Ape Entertainment to have the fourth installment of the Pocket God comic, plus a Holiday extra! AND we will have more holiday surprises in store.

So, the third issue should be submitted this coming week, but here's a couple panels to tie you over.

There are also a couple of things we are getting ready to announce in the world of Pocket God so be on the look out....In the mean time check out this Double rainbow video!

I like how you can hear someone snickering in the background! Thanks tbdonberg!

Leora Creates Update Song Video

2010-10-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

Found this on YouTube. Love the glam pygmy outfit, Leora!

Where Did We Go? And Heads Up For Some Sneak Previews!

2010-10-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Sorry for the disappearance! But we've been working double time on the next PG update and the iPad game which is getting close! So here is the latest on our current projects...

Pocket God - will be submitted this week. This is sort of a mini-update to tie people over until the next mini-game update just before the holidays which I think will be very cool. This update is more for comedic value and is a parody of a viral video! The above image is a close up of a pygmy looking at ....something!

Journey To Uranus - We are working fast to submit at the end of November. It is taking a while because we have been trying to put out updates and deal with other top secret projects at the same time. But its getting close! Need more? Okay, here are a couple evil robots from another dimension!

Pocket God Comic - I notice people are upset about Klik dying in the second comic (whoops, spoiler!). Well, this is the part of the story where others will have to start stepping up and not letting Klik boss them around as much! Everything's for a reason! Also, we have submitted the second issue of the Pygmy Peril (free to anyone who has purchased the comic). So that should be up any time. Issue 3 will be submitted soon as well. Here is a sneak shot of some of the action....

Hopefully this has made up for our disappearance? No, you say? What? Where's the update? Sigh!

Issue 2 of the Comic out on the Store and number one in books!!

2010-09-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

We tried to time it so that both came out at the same time (which is why we included the link in PG). But it came out just yesterday, and went to number one in books in a New York minute! In this issue, the Pygmies leave the island in search of a legendary temple to restore the Gem of Life (that enables their immortality). They set sail in an empty turtle shell, but of course, nothing is ever easy for the pygmies!

Also, at no extra charge, if you've purchased at least one issue of Pocket God, you should be able to read the supplementary magazine "The Pygmy Peril". This issue has exclusive art (a limited edition comic cover that I created)...as well as interviews and replies to "letters" (a.k.a. comments) from Ape Entertainment! But wait...there's MORE! Ape is including their own personal comic "Little Green Men" as bonus content! Its hilarious so even if you don't get issue 2, check this out!

I want to give props to Jason Burns, the fantastic writer of the series, Rolando Malada, the amazing artist, and Brent Erwin and Dave Hedgecock, the (enlarged) brains of Ape, for producing such a quality comic. If you don't believe me, just check out these reviews...

"I hadn't heard of this property until the first issue but in just two issues it has become a highlight of the year in any genre of comics. With two issues left I hope that doesn't mean that it is the end of Pocket God because it is a property with immense potential and hopefully one with legs on it." David O' Leary, Comic Related

>> Read the rest at comicrelated.com <<

"There was a lot more meat to the story than I was expecting from a first look at the cutesy style of the book. I imagine if I was familiar with the game there would be nuances that I didn't catch on to, but independent from the game this was a genuinely fun book to read and also one I'd be quick to recommend to kids as well." Amanda McDonald, Newsarama

>> Read the rest at Newsaram.com (scroll down) <<

And thanks to everyone who bought one or both issues! I notice some kids were surprised to be charged another 99cents for the second issue. We knew that was going to be a concern, so if you pay 1.99, you get the remaining 3 issues (which means one is free). Keep in mind, a physical comic is 3-4 dollars, and digital comics don't tend to give you every issue for a one time charge of 99cents! And hey, Ape has to pay their fantastic team! Don't forget, we will have four installments of the Pygmy Peril at no extra charge that includes issues of Ape's awesome "Little Green Men".

Monkey See Monkey Chew is Out!

2010-09-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Took a bit longer than I expected, but the update was released today. As stated a few times already, this one features monkeys that are up to no good. Check out Dave's State of the Island for details on this update!

And thanks for everyone Tweeting and Facebooking (Fbooking? Fooking? Faking?) the Update Song Video...its racked up over 16,000 views so far and we're hoping to rack up more now that the update is out! Please help us push it more if you haven't Tweeted, commented or favorited. Dave's crazy idea of having a song written about our app is just another one of our attention-getting schemes to be the first at something (first episodic app, first comic book, first song, etc.) and see who follows suit :)

One of the favorite comments for the song is "why were they working on this video instead of the update?"....But guys, the video is just footage OF the update, particularly the dance pack too, since the song is included with guitar-playing pygmies! So there!

I made some screen shots, but this is the most difficult update to screen shot. The monkeys are unpredictable, its like taking a picture of a hyperactive child!

Plucking bananas from the banana tree attracts the monkeys. You can get up to 3 monkeys.

Monkeys like to ride the backs of the pygmy, but it always ends badly.

Drop a pygmy on a monkey and if there is another monkey on the island, they play catch. Then you can drop other pygmies into the game and see how many they can juggle!

The Dance Pack Too also includes the tasteful fart dance with lots of fun sound effects.

Lastly, we've done some menu rearranging. Here is the key:

Map - changes location

Island Menu - allows you to enable and disable island-specific features

Global Menu - allows you to enable and disable global features

God Power Menu - allows you to enable and disable god powers

Custom Menu - Gives you access and altar customizable elements, including the Custom Store, the Tribe Stat screen, Story Mode

Community Menu - Gives you access to community features such as Open Feint Achievements and Challenges

Settings Menu - here you can mute sounds, turn on and off gravity, turn on and off name lables, etc.

Hopefully this is cleaner than it was. There is a bit of debate if some features fit on the global menu and god power menu, but hopefully this makes it easier!

Dave's State of the Island!!!!

2010-09-19T20:45:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone. Dave did his latest recap on Touch Arcade. Lots of stuff going on, so it was a biggee. One of the more off the wall things we've had in the works was the above Update Song! We had planned a dance update and Dave got it in his head to get Jonathan Mann (songatron.com), the perpetrator of the infamous i-Phone 4 Antenna Song, to write a song for us ...and to the fans who hound us about updates! And it was awesome. So my job was to animate the first pygmy boy band to perform it. Its part of the dance pack, but we decided to make a little video as well...as you can see above. In the video, there's a sneak preview of Monkey See Monkey Chew and some of the other dances from the dance pack.

Anyway, Dave explains it all, so go check it out and the latest icon!

>> Read Dave's State of the Island on Touch Arcade! <<

P.S. If you turn on Closed Captioning, you can see the lyrics!

Pocket God "Best God Game on iPhone"

2010-09-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. So, this week has been rough. Dave and I were up until 4 am pushing through Monkey See Monkey Chew. There was some unexpected coolness that we discovered as we were playing with the monkeys. It was akin to how we discovered then when you bounced a coconut on Pygmy's heads you could attempt to keep the coconut in the air by lining the pygmies up and seeing how many times the coconut would off their skulls. However, this unexpected feature turned out to be difficult for Dave to work out the bugs, but we thought it was cool enough to integrate as part of the update, so we went back and forth on that trying to make it solid. Then around 4 am we had a somewhat heated discussion about marketing graphics. Then I went to bed and I think Dave kept working. So if it wasn't submitted some time around 5 am, then it will be today!

What kept me super busy over the last two weeks was a new dance pack...and it has a cool surprise, but I'll wait for Dave to post his state of the island to let everyone know.

During this, we've also been working on the iPad game as well. And I'm going to focus on that for the next week or two.

While PG has been flailing in the rankings, we are still lucky enough to have some new press....

>> Dave is interviewed on TheStreet (MainStreet) <<

Cnet's Tap That App named us best "God Game"....and the third game "Fingerzilla" in the list is interesting...I hadn't seen that yet!

And the Winner is....

2010-09-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

Louis Forie of Burnaby, British Columbia! He was our randomly chosen winner (we used random.org to pick). He took the picture at Tazmanian Comic Connections! Congratulations Louis! And thanks to everyone who entered! Pictures have been posted on Flickr below..

The latest comic, by the way, has been submitted and is in approval. The next update will contain a free newsletter called "The Pygmy Peril" (even if you don't buy the latest issue), including answers to comments, an article about the T-Rex update, and some free comic content from Ape Entertainment. And going forward, we will try to add a free newsletter between the remaining issues of this series, which will also have Pocket God mini-stories. And in the works is a Pocket God comic with a story geared to the holidays....but of course with our own twist to it.

Again, thanks everyone! We are getting close to finishing the next episode "Monkey See, Monkey Chew"...and we are putting in a couple surprises that we think everyone will love.

By the way, we posted all pictures. Some took pictures at multiple comic shops and some sent duplicates...or ineligible entries, or photoshopped strangeness...But they are all posted here anyway!

The Pygmies Land On Verizon!

2010-09-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

A version of Pocket God is now available on Verizon BREW-based phones! This version of Pocket God has many of the features of Pocket God iPhone that you've come to know and love, but with a few new twists. As a vengeful god, you have control of an active volcano, lightning storms, hungry animals and much more. Or give gifts to the pygmies in the form of fish, coconuts, dancing, etc. This version uses different controls but requires the same exploration, and you must unlock god powers as you go. Hints guide the way as you discover all the god powers available!

The Verizon phones have different screen sizes and the resolution is a bit more limited than the iPhone, but we think Bight did a great job...

So, if you iPod Touch users happen to have a Verizon phone or know someone who does, be sure to check it out!

>> Get Pocket God on Verizon's Media Center! <<

Comic Shop Contest Almost Closed! Plus random news!

2010-08-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Deadline for the GET POCKET GOD IN YOUR COMIC SHOP is August 30. In case you missed it in some of our posts. We've loosened up our requirements to include local book stores that hopefully carry comics! Get your picture taken next to the comics, or graphic novel section!

Also, I've been very busy this week. Working on marketing graphics and best of all, the Pocket God figure box! I'm crossing my fingers that everything goes well with the figure. We've seen the prototypes and moulds and examples of past work so we're hopeful we won't have another manufacturing blunder!

As for the comic, above is a sneak preview for issue 2. The Pygmies venture away from the island in an overturned turtle shell. If you read the comic, you'll know that a blunder caused damage to the "gem of life" which enables their perpetual resurrection, so they decide to travel to a legendary temple to fix it. But guess who's waiting for them in the water?

For everyone who purchased the digital comic, we have a surprise for you! Between the issues Ape is going to submit updates that will include a magazine called the Pygmy Peril. It will include replies to comments on iTunes, various articles, exclusive art and more. Be on the look out!

I haven't had a chance to recap the Wizard World conference. The guys at Wizard World were really awesome to us. And we were happily surprised at how many people stopped to talk to us, buy comics and get signed posters! Here are some images!

Blagojevich stopped by the booth!

Some fans dropped off art! This is a cool map created by Austin Stengel, explaining the location connections!

Adults, teens and kids stopped by the booth, but a few were too cute not to photograph

Buy the comic, get a free poster!

We gave out prizes for beating Dave at the Runs!

Dave gave a presentation with one of his clever titles. I made him a slide.

Back From Wizard World Chicago!

2010-08-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

Dave left from Chicago to visit with family, but I just came back tonight and have a bunch of things to post. We had a lot of fun at the Wizard World convention and were shocked to completely sell out of the Pocket God comic! We didn't have the plushes (we had a lot of 'splainin' to do) but because we felt so guilty, gave away a ton of posters, urns and figures until we ran out. I have a lot of photos and fan art to post soon...but I saw this on Twitter from Bleedingcool.com and thought I'd post it. By the way, if you took a picture at the convention send a note to boltcreative@gmail.com and we'll blog it!

And by the way, I was keeping up on signing comics for kids and had NO idea Dave was being interviewed on video which is why I look like a deer caught in the headlights :)

P.S. There have been a lot of kids writing in about the contest saying they don't have a comic store nearby. We are going to loosen up and let you take a picture in a book store with the flyer. Just be sure to leave the flyer with a worker at a cashier!

Wizard World This Week! and uh oh, Pocket God Plush delay

2010-08-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, just a reminder for all who will be in Chicago and/or be at Wizard World, Dave and I will be there promoting the PG comic, giving out posters, and even holding a panel to talk about the whole Pocket God story....the panel is called "A-Hole in Time, Pocket God's Past Present And Future" or something like that!

Okay, there are a lot of twitters out there about the Plushes being available at Wizard World, but we've hit a manufacturing snag and it looks like we are showing up empty handed. We'll have the samples, but none to sell :( We are really bummed about this, but we are kind of new to this and are finding out the pitfalls of toy production.

We will definitely have free posters for signing and the Pocket God comic, which has content not on the digital version!

Oh yeah, and update on the next update, I think we're calling it "Monkey See, Monkey Chew"...I have been animating monkeys, monkeys, monkeys and they are doing all sorts of mischievous, and perhaps somewhat inappropriate things. Dave is hooking it up while I work on another custom pack....There won't be as much of a wait this time around! Also, we've seen all the art for the next Pocket God comic and it looks amazing. We've also seen some "thumbs" for issue 3 today when their adventures get really crazy....and I got really stoked on how awesome the whole mini-series is coming out. More later!

Pygmies Invade the Trenches!

2010-08-10T20:47:00.001-07:00

Its been a while since we've had a cross-over, so we've teamed up with Thunder Game Works to send the Pygmies to Western Europe in their hit Tower Defense Game, Trenches! Its totally hilarious, so if you haven't gotten this game yet, now you have an excuse. You can read more about it on Slide To Play.

>> Go get Trenches and start killing Zombie Pygmies! <<

Slide To Play Interview

2010-08-10T10:47:00.001-07:00

Tim Rattray interviewed Dave and I and posted this great article on their site, talking about the comic, Journey to Uranus and regular ol' Pocket God!

>> Click Here to Read Article <<

And again, thanks to everyone who purchased the comic. It hasn't gone unnoticed. In fact, we're discussing adding free content between issues to tie people over, including artist sketches, concept art, interviews, and who knows what else! More on that later!

Early Comic Reviews

2010-08-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who bought a comic in the last week and brought it until the top 25! It was one of iVerse's fastest rising books and is currently number one in the book apps section.

And people are starting to send in their comic book shop pics, which is awesome. We'll catch up on that very soon. Someone will be collecting them every few days and we will start posting them on our flickr account.

In the mean time, here are a few reviews of the comic (either from a advance copy of the print, or digital) we've found so far!

App Advice: 4.5 out of 5

"The art style is amazing with such fine detail packed into every panel building so much upon the simplicity of the app. Every pygmy has its own style that fits their personality perfectly, and it’s great seeing them interact from panel to panel. "

>> Read full review here <<

Comixtreme: Surprisingly Good

"Jason M. Burns has taken this simple concept and woven it into a really funny comic book... Rolando Mallada totally sells the comedy in this issue through his artwork. "

>>Read full review here<<

Richard Vasseur: 5 out of 5

"These cute little guys and girl are wonderfully delightful characters. You will love following their adventures.
The adventures these little people have on their little Island are so much fun. And the lazer shark and octopus really give this a added punch."

>>Read full review here<<

ComicNews: check this one out!

"Jason M. Burns makes this a very interesting and funny comic book. The artwork of Rolando Mallada does a wonderful job of complimenting the story. Simply some very good art here!"

>> Read full review here <<

Newsarama:

"Jason M. Burns has proven time and time again, that he has a knack for fun, all-ages type stories and this book continues that trend. While it may seem pretty brutal with the notion of killing these characters over and over, it's no more violent than a Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote cartoon (and who doesn't love those?).... Ronaldo Mallada has a great style and captured the essence of the game with his environments, and the pygmies themselves. He can also draw one mean laser-shark. "

>>Read full review here<<

So have you bought the comic yet? No? Click here to get it! Its only 99 cents!

A note on the contest. A few people say there are no comic shops near them. If that is the case, then a book store of some sort will be ok...hopefully with a comic section! And I'm not sure if its clear in the original instructions, but the code that is on the Pocket God comic poster will also be sent to anyone who emails a picture.

Episode 33 FINALLY Out

2010-08-03T11:23:00.001-07:00

This is by far the biggest delay in an update, but in conjunction with the release of the comic, its out! This update includes a new area, Ape Mountain, where you can perform a terrible sacrifice ritual to bring out the giant ape...and then its feedin' time! We've also added another skin pack, where you can change various items to pay homage to old school video games.

But the big news is the PG comic is now up on iTunes....help us get it in the rankings. Its only 99cents (US) which is lower than we initially expected! Thanks guys.

>> Go Get the Pocket God Comic! <<

And check out the post below this (or click the margin graphic), to find out how you can enter a drawing to win a $1,000 Apple Gift certificate, and get the unlock code for the jet pack in Ooga Jump!

Get Pocket God in the Comic Shops! CONTEST CLOSED

2010-08-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE A WINNER! CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT IT!

Hey guys! The digital comic has been released, but now a print version is available for order to comic store owners. The print comics will have extra content and stories not found in the digital version! But we need to increase awareness, so we've come up with this promotion. If you participate, we'll give you a special code that unlocks a Jet Pack in Ooga Jump! Also, you'll get the chance to win a $1000 Apple gift certificate!

All it takes is a camera, a flyer, and a visit to your local comic book store! Here's what you do...

Print out this FLYER. If you don't have access to a printer, just draw your own version on paper.
Bring it and a camera to your local comic shop.
Take your picture holding the flyer somewhere in the shop where we can tell its a comic store. Near the comic racks, in the front, etc. Wait...do they have the Pocket God promo poster up? Get that in the shot!
Leave the flyer with the cashier at the register. The flyer should say it all, but tell them you are fan of Pocket God!
While you are there, look for the Pocket God promotional poster. If it is up, the unlock code for the Ooga Jump jet pack is on it!
Send us your picture to this email.... contest@boltcreative.com! Please include your name, the city and the name of the comic book shop. We will automatically send you the Jet Pack unlock code and enter you in a drawing to win a $1000 Apple Gift Certificate!
You may enter for every (different) comic book shop you submit! Don't know where a comic shop is near you? If you download the digital comic, a comic shop locator is included with the app!
Deadline for entries is Aug 30, 2010.

>> CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE DIGITAL VERSION NOW ON iTUNES!!! <<

Dave's State of the Island!

2010-07-28T10:45:00.001-07:00

Dave talks about the delays, next update, skin pack and asks people's opinion on the next episode's title!

>> Dave's State of the Island on Touch Arcade <<

Back From Comic-Con

2010-07-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hey guys. Dave and I came back to San Francisco from San Diego yesterday after spending four days at the ever-popular Comic-con trade show! This was my first time and it is truly and amazing event. CROWDED but amazing. Ape had two booths and we did our signing at their new off-shoot brand "Kizoic" every day for two hours. We brought posters as a give-away, and Ape had produced the first issue of Pocket God for us to sell! We gave posters to everyone who bought a comic and signed everything. We also previewed the Pocket God plush prototypes, created by Alix. We are in the process of producing the standard Pygmy, but decided the next one to produce HAS to be the Zombie Pygmy. We also showed people the initial version of Journey To Uranus, which still needs a lot of work, but got a lot of approval for it. It was a lot of fun for us and want to thank everyone who stopped by! It made our year!

As for the update....why is it taking so long? Well, to be honest, we were hoping to line up a bunch of promotions at the same time to get people to buy the comic, but some of it may or may not happen. I was actually a little confused myself and thought it was submitted a while back and we were holding it for the comic and promotions to go through..but again, everything is taking too long but it looks like the comic will be approved soon. So we decided to just submit it last week and release both, no matter what, on August 3, promotions or not. Sorry for the delay, but Dave took that time to optimize the game more and it runs MUCH faster even on slower devices. He also cut a bunch of time off the initial load...so at least we used the time. I used the time to work on "Journey to Uranus" but now will go back designing the next update which will involve......more primates!

If anyone reads this blog and received the comic at the Con, feel free to give their review in the comments...We want to hear 'em good or bad!

If you are in Chicago in late August, be sure to come to the next convention "Wizard World". Dave and I will be doing more of the same there, but will also have more exclusive stuff to give away and will even have plushes for sale!

Here are some pics that were snapped at the booth...

Comic-con Schedule

2010-07-19T22:42:00.001-07:00

Oh boy! There is a lot of frustration about waiting for the update in the comments. I'm really sorry I haven't gotten to responding to them. I'm, actually, just as frustrated as you are and just trying to push through the pile of Pocket God work. There is some somewhat unfortunate stuff going on behind the scenes that I can't go into. Every time I hope we can move forward something is in the way. Thanks for everyone's patience! Dave has done some awesome work optimizing, so the next version will not only run faster, but he has fixed it so we can cram in yet MORE content to the Pygmy's world.

So, yes, going to San Diego, will interrupt my progress on Episode 34 (the next one, not the one in the queue)...but I am really looking forward to Comic-con. I've never been and I hear it is a blast. Plus we will be hanging with dudes from Ape Comics and they are really good guys. Dave and I will have our laptops and will be working during the off-times...but I'm going to want to get in some comic and toy shopping!

So, Ape basically has us scheduled to do a signing every day and we urge you to come by! We will be giving out posters, comic samples (I think), and if you say the code word "Summer Squash", we will give you a Pocket God figure (till supplies run out)! No, its not the plushes, but those are in production.

We will be at the Kizoic/Ape Booth, and our signing times:

Thursday, July 22, 2PM - 4 PM
Friday July 23, 4PM - 6 PM
Saturday July 24, 1PM - 3PM
Sunday July 25, 11AM - 1 PM

Stop by and say hi!

Back from vacation and the chaos begins

2010-07-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of blog entries. We're incredibly busy, but I just came back from a week-long vacation, and before that Dave and I traveled for a Pocket God related meeting. Here's what's going on...

The comic is in the approval process and the update is submitted as well. Should be out any minute now. I am working on getting art to the programmers for Uranus. I worked on much of the preliminary art months ago, and now am getting my head back in it. Uranus will involve some 3d elements which is looking great! Dave is working with the guys to solidify the game mechanic. Once I give them enough to keep them going. I will work on the art for the second part of our Primate trilogy...which will involve monkeys! These monkeys will be of a smaller variety.

Dave and I will fly to San Diego Comic-con next week to support the Pocket God comic.

In the mean-time, Diamond Publishing has posted an 8-page preview of the PG comic. Check it out!

>> Read the Comic Preview Here <<

The cool art above is from elbetor.

Journey To Uranus coming to iPad

2010-07-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Remember that teaser image we put up a while ago.... well, finally, we're unveiling the next Pocket God project, "Journey To Uranus", coming this Fall to the iPad! It won't be a remake of Pocket God or even "Pocket God II", but Pocket-God spinoff set of mini-games centered around being able to take Pygmies to other worlds. All the interactivity will focus on the strengths of the iPad, namely the bigger size, the extra screen real estate and multi-touch.

>> Read CNN Article Here <<

This doesn't mean we are stopping Pocket God "proper". We have recruited the programming team (Paul Pridham and Elias Pschernig) to help us out while we still work on PG updates. We are already working on the next update as part of our primate theme. And the current update "A Pygmy A Day Keeps the Ape Away" is ready to go...We just have to wait a bit for the comic to be reviewed so we can time both to come out at the same time! As usual, sorry for the wait!