Threes’ Epic Developer Diary Tells Hilarious, Awesome Journey

Sirvo LLC has come forth with their quips about the mobile gaming industry in this funny, yet heartfelt blog surrounding the release and aftermath of its hit puzzle title, Threes.

The team behind the iOS and Android numerical puzzle hit, Threes, has released a developer blog that brings a hilarious, critical and inside look at everything that has happened after Threes' success as a puzzle game. While some of these postings are filled with the zany antics of a small group of funny people at Sirvo LLC trying to put together a creative game, other posts are sincere, true statements in regard to the iOS industry as a whole.

Given how closely we follow the iOS industry, many of these statements made by Sirvo hit close to home, because even we have noticed that these things frequently happen. An example would be the observations towards clones and knockoffs flooding the mobile marketplace, such as Flappy Bird and the dozens of subsequent copies that it inspired after its flash flood of success (not to mention Flappy Bird itself took many of its gameplay mechanics and graphical aspects from Piou Piou, which was released years prior).

Sirvo's critique on this blog about rip-offs flooding the mobile market seems honest, observant and apt. One example would be a game called 1024, which was released just three weeks after Threes' Android debut. 1024 shares the same numbers-based puzzle mechanics, its card-sliding gameplay and even its art style. About 10 days after 1024 was released, a new puzzle game called 2048 came out, which was a clone of 1024 but became even more popular than both 1024 or Threes ever were. Afterwards, 2048 inspired its own set of clones and knockoffs.

Weeks later, people found out about Threes through 2048's popularity, and many called Threes the clone or even labelled 2048 as superior, without even knowing that if it wasn't for Threes, 2048 would never have happened. The Sirvo team mentions being able to beat 2048 in one playthrough, while Threes was made to have an ongoing difficulty and was never designed to be truly finished.

The blog itself ranges between seriousness and hilarity as the Threes team goes back and forth about what is on their mind. One post includes a set of drunken text messages going back and forth about how inferior 2048 was and how one of the developers beat the game while drinking at a bar. We honestly suggest giving this intricate developer diary a full read for a great, inside look towards the hardships endured by an indie development team.