Pound Sand, a group of combat game veterans, is launching its first iOS game, Fantastic Plastic Squad. The title is a third-person shooter game that will run on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. It’s an interesting test about whether shooter games, a multibillion-dollar market on the consoles and PCs, will work on mobile devices.
The El Segundo, California-based Pound Sand has been working on the free-to-play game for about two years. Greg Goodrich, the chief executive of Pound Sand and the creator of titles such as Medal of Honor, told me back in September that the team optimized a version for Apple TV, and it created separate versions for iPhone and iPad devices.
“We really wanted to go after touch devices and make it run at 60 frames a second,” Goodrich said. “It feels like a slick, smooth shooter. We want it to be playable any time, anywhere. The consumer can decide where they want to play it.”
It supports the Apple TV remote as well as third-party gamepads. A “game assist” mode has its artificial intelligence can take over the game and perform missions for you. You can also play with game assist turned off.
Fantastic Plastic Squad got some attention back in September after Apple demonstrated it working on the Apple TV at a press event. The game brings to life action toy figures from the 1980s. You play as a 5-inch tall toy character such as a Glamazon and wander around a home as a toy-sized character. You have to battle enemies for control of the house. You can customize your weapons and accessories. It has both single-player missions and asynchronous player-versus-player multiplayer combat.
DropForge Games, the mobile arm of World of Tanks maker Wargaming, is the publisher. An Android version is in the works.
Starting in the summer of 2013, Goodrich partnered with entertainment media moguls Billy and Fernando Rovzar to create the company and the game. Goodrich said they gave the company enough support to get the game just right.
Members of the team include Paul Ohanian, founder and technical director, and co-creator of Battlefield 4 and Medal of Honor; Andy Cheren, founder and director of business development; Torin Kampa, lead programmer and co-creator of Battlefield 4 and Medal of Honor; Leon Brazil, animation director; Greg Farren, design director and co-creator of Medal of Honor, Star Wars Battlefront I and II; and James H. Dargie, art and creative director.
Here’s some gameplay in the video below.