Two Spies

Part game, part app. All fun.

Designed

Strategy, UI/UX

Developed

iOS Native

Shipped

Over 1 million downloads
4.7 rating

A side project exceeded expectations, taught lessons, and won accolades.

A Testbed Takes Flight

At Steamclock, we love trying out new tech. In the early days of Apple’s Swift programming language, we wanted to prototype with it and test its mettle. The most promising of these prototypes was a spy strategy game. A couple weeks of side-project time later, our CEO Allen had developed a fun little demo.

By building a game using many of the same app development tools we use to build world-class business apps, we levelled up our native design and development skills and built a fun side project at the same time.

custom native ui opengl and metal graphics programming distributed performance testing web service hosting & administration realtime bluetooth communication agile & kanban workflows advanced swift development video production node.js mvvm patterns continuous integration systems advanced crash reporting lottie animation engine scaling backend services analytics-informed product iteration realtime networking usability and user experience testing branding & art direction error monitoring and alerting
the Two Spies UI in it's earliest prototype focusing on actions instead of appearance the Two Spies UI after receiving an upgrade to the view on an older iPhone the Two Spies UI on a new iPhone after receiving a clean UI update to increase user experience the Two Spies UI in it's earliest prototype focusing on actions instead of appearance the Two Spies UI after receiving an upgrade to the view on an older iPhone the Two Spies UI on a new iPhone after receiving a clean UI update to increase user experience

Prototype a UI. Try it with users. repeat.

Welcome to Berlin

Two Spies is a turn-based spy strategy game for iPhone and iPad. Players find themselves in cold war Europe, using simple game mechanics and surprisingly deep gameplay to control the map, outwit one another, and take out enemy agents. The game has no pay-to-win mechanics or consumables, just a storefront for cosmetic upgrades and a non-renewing Season Pass for players who want to earn online ranks and view their gameplay stats.

Attention all agents

To support the launch, we designed an array of promotional material: a standalone microsite, a launch trailer, a Twitch channel, social media graphics, and a whole brand for Royal Pixel Service – the sister company we created specifically for launching side projects like this.

Check out PlaySpies.com
Accolades from the App Store

Accolades and Attention

Despite its humble ambitions, Two Spies achieved remarkable praise from users, press, and Apple itself. Having now surpassed over 1 million downloads, the game has maintained a stellar 4.7 rating, with countless glowing reviews from users around the world.

Recognition has included receiving iOS Game of the Year from the Upgrade podcast, and multiple features as Game of the Day in the App Store worldwide. The App Store editorial team called Two Spies a “thrilling game of espionage” with “deceptively deep” strategy.

A thrilling game of espionage.

Apple’s App Store Editorial Team

Two Spies is available on the App Store.

Download on the App Store

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