With 2024 being an US Election year, it’s worth looking back to one of Unity Developers early successes in gaming Apps, and seeing how well this earlier title did as a commercial venture.

The Challenge

Do you believe that you possess the qualities necessary to become the President of the United States?  Are you capable of winning the two hundred and seventy congressional seats that are required to win the election in the United States? If you do, then TwoSeventy could be the perfect game for you.

Back in 2016, Apps were a booming business, and the App and Play stores were briming with eye-catching, games themed on just about any subject you could think of.  The distinction between these software packages generally ranged from simple games to useful productivity and business orientated apps. Of these subsections, gaming tends to be the most popular by far, and a well-constructed games can attract huge interest, and even with free to download games, that an be an excellent revenue stream with in-app purchases.

When US-based game company Political Games, Inc wanted a topical game that would put the user in a simulation, they turned to Unity Developers to create it from scratch. It was agreed early on that the App would need to be able to return life-like results through simulations, and would need some level of Artificial Intelligence to make that happen.  Because of those constraints, it was decided that Unity software would be the best platform to design the game on.

The Solution

Unity Developers investigated the growing games market and started to look at an angle that didn’t exist at the time. Additionally, unless there is some marked difference from similar experiences, many Apps become quickly forgotten. To ensure that the new App remained relevant, Unity Developers decided to focus developing a simulation experience that was tied to real-world events.  Since the client had a background in American politics, the obvious area was the American presidential elections.

Occurring every four years, the Presidential elections are markedly different from those in the UK.  Unlike our Prime Minister, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP), the US president is simply the chosen head of the political party – either Democrat or Republican – and is not a member of Congress themselves. Therefore, to become President, that party simply needs to gain a certain number of Congress members.

The new App was to be called TwoSeventy – the number of seats in Congress that is required for a party to win the election – to reflect the spirit of the carnival that is the US elections.  As a simulation with a political element, Unity Developers chose to base the game on the actual machinations of the real elections, and developed graphics to suit. The game allows the player to have all manner of identifiable political ‘celebrities’ You can incorporate Barrack Obama, Joe Biden, Donald Trump and many of the Kennedy clan into your game.

As with any political simulation game, it was decided that TwoSeventy would need to mimic the real event to a large extent, and would need to have a high degree of automation in its operations so that the result could not be rigged by the user. Part of the joy of this kind of game is to be able to build up your party and help get it through the primaries and caucuses (the in-party meetings where the prime candidate is selected) and onto the campaign trail for real.

In the game, as in real life, each State holds a different campaign value, driven by the number of electoral college votes to be won. The US Congress has a total of 538 seats, though there are only fifty States, so each State has a number of representative positions. A high level of skill was introduced by requiring strategic thinking by the user to make the best decisions when it comes to selecting States to contest.  Pick well and you can progress quickly, but poor decisions can seriously hinder your progress.

It was essential that the App was placed in the App and Play Stores for free download, but could be monetised via in-App purchases, allowing a player to level up at a low cost. Selecting the right people to appeal to your voters and special interest groups became a leading player in US politics.

TwoSeventy was designed in Unity with eye-popping graphics that captured the spirit of the large-than-life characters and pomp of the US elections. The power of the Unity software made the game eye-catching, exciting to play, and sufficiently unpredictable so that it could be played to its conclusion again and again. With an election looming, why not download and play TwoSeventy, and live the action, rather than just reading about it.

If you have an idea for a game or App, and would like to discuss developing it, why not contact use and let’s get talking.