The Skillz marketplace helps developers build multi-million-dollar franchises by enabling social competition in their games. Skillz provides game developers the platform, tools, and support services to scale their business with higher player engagement, retention and revenue. More than 20,000 game developers have registered on the Skillz portal to download our SDK and get help from our team to turn their mobile game into a competitive esport.

 

Skillz recently sat down with the makers of 2048 Super Solitaire, Boston Trudeau Studios, to learn more about their experience as game developers. The team recently published a new build on the game, making the beginner tournaments more fast-paced and exciting.

 

Q: How did you initially get into game development? 

A: I began my developer journey in 2016 as a graphic designer. Looking to make the leap from being a professional carpenter to a game designer, I came across Buildbox, which made me fall in love with creating mobile games. I started exploring how to build my own titles, and have never looked back. Our studio eventually transitioned to developing in Unity as well, which I think is a more robust environment for game developers. 

 

Q: What’s the origin story behind Twenty48 Solitaire (Android) or 2048 Zen Cards (iOS)? 

A: Almost three years ago, I sat down at a table with a deck of cards, playing through countless rounds of solitaire trying to find an interesting spin on the classic card game. Around that time, I also started noticing a lot of number merging games on the App Store – so I took the original concept behind 2048 and converted it into a card-merging spinoff. I then created a mock-up in Illustrator and sent it over to my developer partner, who got a prototype back to me. We spent a lot of time polishing the game, creating an awesome player experience, experimenting with colors and designs, and undergoing a lot of trial and error to see what we could improve. The end of that journey is the hit game we have today – Twenty48 Solitaire. 

 

Q: How did your partnership with Voodoo come about? 

A: Publishing a game as a solo developer was a challenging process, and we sent our game prototype to quite a few publishers. At the end of the day, Voodoo was the one to get back to us. After a few months, we secured a great deal with Voodoo, and their publishing team helped us get on our feet. They were proactive, genuinely excited about working with us, and moved things quickly. 

 

Q: What does your team currently look like? 

A: We have a small office based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada with one developer and a part-time designer – however, it’s primarily still a family business run by me and my wife. Our latest “team member” is our first child, who just turned one and a half!

 

Q: Why did you choose to bring Twenty48 Solitaire to Skillz?

A: Skillz has always been on our radar, since the platform provides a polished, competitive element that we’ve wanted to incorporate into our games. We love the concept of features like leagues, and it’s awesome to provide your players with an opportunity to improve, progress, and win prizes through competition. We also saw it as a chance to extend our game’s longevity and improve our player engagement. 

 

Q: What features do you think helps 2048 Super Solitaire stand out? 

A: What makes our game stand out is the high level of polish, along with a unique game mechanic that’s new and engaging. A lot of games out there often try to clone other titles, resulting in poor player experiences. Our studio spent a lot of time ensuring our game was as smooth as possible for players. We also tested a lot of gameplay features, resulting in the creation of great gameplay moments like what we refer to as the “waterfall” where you finally stack the right numbers and merge a 2048 card. 

 

Q: Any plans for the future? 

A: We’re going to keep pushing Twenty48 Solitaire to become the best game we can make. We’re also looking into making more Skillz games – we love the competitive aspect of the platform, and we want to continue creating more experiences for the platform. One day, we’d also love to be the leading indie games studio in Canada with a successful catalog of games! 

 

Download and play 2048 Super Solitaire here!