Up to four players at once can scramble across roads, rivers and railways courtesy of the latest update to smartphone smash "Crossy Road."
Released in 2014 and building on the classic arcade roots of 1981 hit "Frogger," iOS and Android hit "Crossy Road" has now added a mode for multiple players connected to the same local WiFi network. The addition ups "Crossy Road" chaos as players not only continue to compete for the highest score, but can also bump, barge, and block off routes for their crosswalking comrades. Concurrently, players are encouraged to stick together to better their chances of revival at a teammate's hand should they get accidentally flattened. The mode is available on Android as of April 21, 2016.
Owners of an Apple TV have had access to the multiplayer mode since November 2015, released soon after the set-top box's 4th gen unit debuted. Then, iPhone and iPad versions of the game will net the same update in May.
A game that keeps players coming back
Hipster Whale, the studio behind "Crossy Road," has proven adept at providing successive reasons to return to its viral smash hit. The accessible app built on tried and tested principles contemporized with a clean, distinctive design. But its nonintrusive money-making methods have shown that a considerate commercial angle can still make serious bank. Within two months of its release it had accrued US $1 million via optional video ads. Players can receive a small amount of in-game currency in return for watching an ad. That virtual currency can then be used to buy a random new character from the game's regularly expanding roster. New characters don't change how the
game plays but they can, on occasion, change the way it looks.
At the same time, Hipster Whale has not been averse to big name hook-ups under the right conditions. International popstar PSY was added as a limited edition character during June 2015's update, which was entirely themed around his homeland of Korea. And in March, the Mickey Mouse Costume Chicken was introduced in March, ahead of April 12's standalone "Disney Crossy Road," which at launch contained 125 characters from across the Disney catalog.
