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''Joe Danger'' is a
side-scrolling video game '' A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller), is a game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphic ...
incorporating elements of
racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
and
platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...
games, and is the first game developed by
Hello Games Hello Games Ltd is a British video game company based in Guildford, Surrey. The company was founded by Sean Murray, Grant Duncan, Ryan Doyle and David Ream in February 2008 and has developed the ''Joe Danger'' series, ''No Man's Sky'', and '' T ...
. The player controls the
eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...
ous daredevil and navigates time-limited courses, aiming to complete enough objectives to continue to further rounds. ''Joe Danger'' is presented in a light-hearted way, with emphasis on stunts and maintaining speed. It was released for the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
, via the
PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...
, in June 2010, after Hello Games originally chose to publish it exclusively with
Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...
. A "Special Edition" for the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
, via the
Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a digital video game download service available through the Xbox Games Store, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360. It focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent ...
, was released on 14 December 2011; an
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
spinoff was released on 10 January 2013. In April 2015, a version for Android was released through the
Google Play Store Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sys ...
. On its release, ''Joe Danger'' received generally positive reviews; most reviewers praised the accessible gameplay and the ability to edit courses while playing them. Some suggested the game would have benefited from more options, such as sharing and rating user-generated content, and criticised the lack of an online multiplayer mode. Hello Games subsequently released
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
to add features that users and reviewers had requested in the months following the game's release. Using leaderboard statistics, ''Joe Danger'' was estimated to have sold at least 108,000 units in its first three months on sale. It was nominated for several awards, including the grand prize at the 2010
Independent Games Festival The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the independent video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, ...
.


Gameplay

The player controls motorbike stuntman "Joe Danger" and guides him through ten "trials" to defeat his nemeses, the members of Team Nasty. The game uses elements of both
racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
and side-scrolling
platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...
genres, in which the protagonist can move to the right and, by reversing, to the left as well as hopping over and ducking under various obstacles. Although the game is based on a two-dimensional plane, some of its courses are designed with three layers accessible by changing lanes. The bike is controllable in the air, allowing various tricks to be performed, for which points are awarded with higher scores awarded for long trick sequences, and for manoeuvring onto targets. Executing a stunt will build a "boost meter", which is used to increases Joe's speed, but drains the meter. The Select button is used to teleport Joe back to the last checkpoint passed. ''Joe Danger'' level design was directly influenced by the ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' game series, as evidenced by the use of avoidable spikes,
vertical loop The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted. History The vertical ...
s, and springs placed in levels to allow higher jumps. Some elements are designed to hinder the player, such as conveyor belts, which slow the motorbike, oversized
boxing glove Boxing gloves are cushioned gloves that fighters wear on their hands during boxing matches and practices. Unlike "fist-load weapons" (such as the ancient cestus) which were designed as a lethal weapon, modern boxing gloves are non-lethal, desig ...
s, which will propel the player backwards and barricades, which make it necessary to switch to an alternative lane. The primary goal in each level is to collect as many "stars" as possible. A star is collected for completing an objective, and once enough are collected, the next course is unlocked. Critics compared this process to that used in the ''
Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for th ...
'' titles. The player is free to choose which objectives to complete, with the option of replaying a level to earn more stars. The most common objective is to finish a course within a time limit with as many points as possible. Other level-specific objectives include collecting a series of coins, hidden stars or letters spelling "Danger", while in others the player is required to land on every target, or to complete a course in one continuous sequence of tricks. Later levels require the player to do more than one objective simultaneously. ''Joe Danger'' contains a sandbox mode, which allows the player to
drag and drop In computer graphical user interfaces, drag and drop is a pointing device gesture in which the user selects a virtual object by "grabbing" it and dragging it to a different location or onto another virtual object. In general, it can be used to i ...
objects onto the course to customise levels. This mode is integrated into some single-player levels where the game may instruct the player to introduce obstacles such as ramps to access later sections. New levels can be shared online with friends via the
PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...
. The game has a
split screen Split screen may refer to: * Split screen (computing), dividing graphics into adjacent parts * Split screen (video production), the visible division of the screen * ''Split Screen'' (TV series), 1997–2001 * Split-Screen Level, a bug in the vid ...
multiplayer mode for up to four players on a selection of specially-made tracks. There is leaderboard support, initially limited to those on the player's PlayStation Network friend list.


Development

''Joe Danger'' arose from the team's wish to make "something that puts a smile on people's faces" similar to games such as ''
Mario Kart is a series of racing games developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up items. It features characters and courses from the ''Mario'' series as well as other gaming franchises such as ''T ...
'' and ''
Micro Machines Micro Machines are a line of toys originally made by Galoob (now part of Hasbro) in the mid-1980s and throughout the 1990s. Micro Machines are tiny scale component style "playsets" and vehicles that are slightly larger than N scale. The toys Ma ...
''. An
Evel Knievel Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel (; October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007) was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Over the course of his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. Knievel was inducted into the Motor ...
toy was a main source of inspiration for the "Joe" character; the team had fun "firing that stunt cycle out of windows and down halls". Nevertheless, Murray likened work as an independent developer to "the reality of eating ice cream every day for every meal" as the novelty of working for themselves wore off. The team often spent more than 60 hours a week working on the project because of the "unrealistic" time scales for development and with only four team members, each had to fulfil several roles; they had no
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...
representative nor did they have a business manager or a designer. No
software design document A software design description (a.k.a. software design document or SDD; just design document; also Software Design Specification) is a representation of a software design that is to be used for recording design information, addressing various de ...
was made throughout the production of ''Joe Danger'', since the team felt they understood each other's ideas. The game was announced on the developers' website on 23 September 2009 and given its first public showcase in November 2009 at the
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
Expo in
Earls Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...
. The team used this event as an opportunity for extensive
playtest A playtest is the process by which a game designer tests a new game for bugs and design flaws before releasing it to market. Playtests can be run "open", "closed", "beta", or otherwise, and are very common with board games, collectible card games, ...
ing, receiving feedback from those playing the game and creating new
software build In software development, a build is the process of converting source code files into standalone software artifact(s) that can be run on a computer, or the result of doing so. Functions Building software is an end-to-end process that involves ma ...
s for each day of the expo. Murray cited numerous "happy accidents" during development, which led to incorporation of various features into the end product. An example of this was a bug in the programming which enabled players to jump as often as they liked in mid-air; the team decided this was fun and incorporated it as a double jump. Hello Games struggled to find a third-party publisher for the game. Some of the reasons include worries about the lack of potential for
porting In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desi ...
it to other platforms, and comments such as "collecting giant coins feels unrealistic to me", and "we want games that are less about fun right now". One prospective publisher intimated that they might have published the game if the main character had been a monkey. When players were invited to make suggestions for additional characters, there was popular support for the monkey idea; this led to the introduction of a downloadable bonus character, Chuckles the Chimp. After nine months looking for a publisher, the team ran out of money. Murray later came up with the idea of selling his home to help fund development. He explained to Jessica Conditt of ''
Engadget ''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editori ...
'' that he considered the house "like a blood diamond", since it was paid for with money earned at his job with Electronic Arts.


Release

After initially being unsure of the best platform on which to release ''Joe Danger'', the developers announced in March 2010 that they would be releasing the game only on Sony's
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
. This decision enabled Hello to make use of Sony's "Publishing Fund", a scheme which offered advantageous financial terms in exchange for exclusivity. Murray said that the PlayStation Network was the ideal place to release the game because it was the only way they could publish by themselves and branded the
Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a digital video game download service available through the Xbox Games Store, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360. It focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent ...
platform a "slaughterhouse for small developers" due to poor sales figures for independent works. ''Joe Danger'' was released on 8 June 2010 in the North American
PlayStation Store The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable content ...
, with a European release the following day. In October 2011, Eurogamer picked up on an Xbox Live Arcade listing for a ''Joe Danger: Special Edition'' on the
Korea Media Rating Board The Korea Media Rating Board (; KMRB) is a public organization that classifies films, videos, and other motion pictures into age-based ratings and recommends domestic performances of foreign artists. Through these rating systems, the Korea Media ...
. The project was officially announced on 3 November; a
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
-exclusive trailer was released the same day. Murray said that the ''Special Edition'' will include new gameplay modes and characters; another new addition is the "Laboratory" mode, in which the player must complete unique "developer challenges". The edition was released on 14 December 2011 and was exclusive to the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
. Murray stood by his earlier statements criticising
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
's platform; he said, "Obviously a comment like that isn't meant exactly how it sounds. For probably a few years XBLA was basically the only show in town. If you managed to get your game on there it was almost a guarantee of success. I don't think that's the case now. That isn't Microsoft's fault, and it isn't developers' fault. It's just that a hundred games come out there a year, and of those maybe ten break through and make an impact. The rest don't." He stressed the decision to
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
the game "made business sense", and that the team "jumped at the chance without even thinking about the economics of it". Since the release of ''Special Edition'', a spin-off version for
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
and Android devices has been in development. The team decided not to directly adapt the original game for the new device; Murray told Mike Rose of
Gamasutra ''Game Developer'', known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021, is a website founded in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine '' Gam ...
that "simply porting a game is never something I could get excited about, it's soulless work". He explained that the team's aim is to create a game with similar graphics to a console game, while also keeping the
frame rate Frame rate (expressed in or FPS) is the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (frames) are captured or displayed. The term applies equally to film and video cameras, computer graphics, and motion capture systems. Frame rate may also be ca ...
at 60 frames per second. The game is being co-developed by Steven Burgess, who previously worked on
WiiWare WiiWare was a service that allowed Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii S ...
game ''
LostWinds ''LostWinds'' is a 2008 platform video game developed by Frontier Developments and published for the Wii as a launch title for WiiWare. In ''LostWinds'', the player controls a young boy named Toku and the elemental wind spirit Enril (and in two ...
'' with
Frontier Developments Frontier Developments is a British video game developer founded by David Braben in January 1994 and based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. Frontier is known for developing amusement park Construction and management simulation ...
. It was given its first public showcase at the
Penny Arcade Expo PAX (originally known as Penny Arcade Expo) is a series of gaming culture festivals involving tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. PAX is held annually in Seattle, Boston and Philadelphia in the United States; and Melbourne in Australia. PAX w ...
in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts, on 7 April. The iOS version, titled ''Joe Danger Touch'', was listed on the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
on 10 January 2013. A version of the game for the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
was announced on 27 August 2014, containing both levels from the original game and levels exclusive to the PlayStation Vita. It was made available for free on the
PlayStation Plus PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...
Instant Game Collection service in September 2014. There are 25 playable characters available in the game, as well as a modified level editor.


Downloadable content

Since the game's initial release, additional
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
has been made available. The first
patch Patch or Patches may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Patch Johnson, a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'' * Patch (''My Little Pony''), a toy * "Patches" (Dickey Lee song), 1962 * "Patches" (Chairmen of the Board song) ...
for the game, dubbed "The People's Patch", was released in August 2010 adding two features: the ability to upload video replays to YouTube and the ability to share customised courses with those not on the player's friends list. Their absence had been the source of early criticism by reviewers. Other additional features included custom soundtracks, new levels, and alternative costumes. The announcement of the game's expansion coincided with a level-designing competition in which the top five contestants won T-shirts and artwork. Murray said Hello were trying to respond to all suggestions from users, and that they would release a patch addressing "every concern we could". In November 2010, the team announced four new playable characters, each with a unique appearance and range of moves.


2022 re-release

The game was re-released on 27 January 2022 after Hello Games received an email that they said "broke our hearts", from the father of an autistic child, explaining how the game had become an enabling mechanism for his son's social interaction and a coping and reward mechanism for stressful situations, adding that due to changes to Apple's
iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
operating system, the game would no longer run on modern devices. Hello Games said the message "broke our hearts and made us want to set things right", so they rebuilt the game as a "hobby project", upgrading the eight year old game to modern technology.


Reception


Critical

The single-player gameplay mode of ''Joe Danger'' was generally well received by critics. The game's accessibility was a source of praise; according to Eric Neigher of
1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...
, it allows for "five-minute sprints" of gameplay, although more in-depth options take up more time.
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Daemon Hatfield compared the game favourably to
Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
launch title ''
Excitebike is a motocross racing video game developed and published by Nintendo. In Japan, it was released for the Famicom in 1984 and then ported to arcades as ''Vs. Excitebike'' for the Nintendo Vs. System later that year. In North America, it was ini ...
'', and said that ''Joe Danger'' felt like a Nintendo game. Other critics focused on similarities to ''Super Mario Bros.'', such as non-linear level progression (the ability to play levels in any order, providing that the player has earned enough stars to "unlock" the level), the encouragement to play through multiple times to complete every objective, and the use of platforms. Another influences noted with favour by critics was the combo system, which some compared with the '' Tony Hawk's''
series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...
of
skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...
games. Comments were also made on the influence of early ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' titles. The cheerful, cartoon-like nature of ''Joe Danger'' artwork was well received; Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell said "I've worked on games websites for over a decade and not enough games are happy and colourful. This one is. More of this, please, everyone." Opinions were less uniformly complimentary about other modes of the game. Scott Alan Marriott of G4 TV was disappointed with the shortage of options in multiplayer modes, in particular the inability to play against others online. The game's leaderboard feature was another source of criticism, with several reviewers noting severe
lag Lag, or similar, may refer to: Lag * Łąg, Poland * Lag (company), a French guitar maker * Lag (cue sports), a brief pre-game competition to determine which player will go first * Latency (engineering), a slower response time in computing, commu ...
issues. ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' Martin Gaston said "it would also have been nice to see the game give dedicated players the opportunity to study from the world's finest by implementing online replays", an option not originally included; the decision not to allow sharing custom courses with users outside the player's friend's list was labelled "questionable" and "obtuse". Minor criticisms related to the lack of variety in sound design and background scenery. Two months after the initial release, Hello Games' first patch for ''Joe Danger'' contained features to cover most critics' concerns. Before its release, ''Joe Danger'' was up for the "Seumas McNally Grand Prize" and for the "Technical Excellence" award at the 2010
Independent Games Festival The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the independent video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, ...
at the
Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...
, losing to '' Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine'' and ''
Limbo In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...
'' respectively. The game was unsuccessfully nominated for the "Best New Download IP" award at the same year's ''
Develop Develop or DEVELOP may refer to: * ''Develop'' (magazine), a trade publication for the video game industry * ''Develop'' (Apple magazine), a technical magazine formerly published by Apple Computer *Develop (chess), moving a piece from its original ...
'' Industry Excellence Awards in Brighton, instead winning the studio the "Best New Studio" and "Micro Studio" awards. It received a nomination for "Best PlayStation Network Exclusive Game" at the PlayStation Network Gamers' Choice Awards in March 2011 but was beaten by ''
Dead Nation ''Dead Nation'' is a top-down shoot 'em up video game for the PlayStation 3 developed by video game developer Housemarque. It was released on November 30, 2010 in North America, and December 1 in the PAL region, on PlayStation Network. ''Dead Nat ...
''; it appeared in the "Best Downloadable Game" category at ''
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''
Golden Joystick Award The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be voted ...
s in September 2011, but missed out to ''
Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being ...
''. The same month, ''
Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...
'' placed it top of its "50 Best PSN Games" feature, ahead of titles such as ''
Braid A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...
'' and '' The Last Guy''.


Commercial

''Joe Danger'' sold over 50,000 units in its first week on sale on the PlayStation Network. The team announced at the Develop Conference 2010 that they broke even on the day of release. Based on research published by Gamasutra's Ryan Langley, who used the number of unique entries on a game's online leaderboard to estimate the number of sales, it sold more than 68,000 units in its first month of release. In July, the same statistics indicated a further 24,000 units had been sold, bringing the two-month total to over 92,000. The next month saw at least 16,000 new players. Exact sales figures are uncertain because only a limited number of scores can be held within a leaderboard for PlayStation Network games, but on the basis of these numbers the game sold at least 108,000 units in its first three months. Murray said that as ''Joe Danger'' does not allow scores of zero to make the leaderboards, the true quantity sold was likely to be substantially higher than indicated. In December 2011, PlayStation Network's senior director Susan Panico named ''Joe Danger'' the year's third best-selling game to be supported by Sony's Publishing Fund behind ''
Hoard A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
'' and '' Tales from Space: About a Blob''. Sales for the Xbox Live Arcade version were less impressive; Langley's statistics indicate that 8,300 units sold in the first week, and by December's end that figure rested at around 16,800. At least 6,800 further sales were noted with the same technique in January 2012, and by March the overall figure was thought to be least 37,500 units.


Sequel

Several months after ''Joe Danger'' release, Hello Games began to advertise positions on their website, indicating that work was proceeding on a new project. New staff were added and towards the end of the year the organisation moved its offices. After an announcement on Hello Games' website a week prior, ''Joe Danger: The Movie'' was presented for the first time at
Gamescom Gamescom (stylized as gamescom) is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Since 2018, it has been organised by ''game – Verband der deutschen Games-Branche'' (English: Associa ...
in
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
in August 2011. Murray said the game is "kind of" a sequel to ''Joe Danger'', but that he envisioned it big enough to dwarf the original. Renamed ''Joe Danger 2: The Movie'', the game was released 14 September 2012, and was the last of Hello Games' projects to be based around the character.


References


External links


Official website
{{Hello Games 2010 video games Indie video games IOS games Motorcycle video games Platform games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation Network games PlayStation Vita games Racing video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games with 2.5D graphics Video games with user-generated gameplay content Windows games Xbox 360 games Xbox 360 Live Arcade games Video games with Steam Workshop support Multiplayer and single-player video games