A parent with an autistic child requested that a mobile game be relaunched by a developer.
Hello Games, known as the makers of No Man’s Sky, made stunt motorbike game Joe Danger available to iPhone users on Thursday, years after updates to Apple’s iOS operating system had rendered it defunct.
Founder Sean Murray wrote on Twitter that while the time spent on space adventure title No Man’s Sky meant Joe Danger had been left “unloved”One particular mail that they received inspired them to make it come back to life.
The father of Jack, an autistic boy with autism, speaks about how their bond was formed over the game.
Joe Danger launches iOS today🥳
Remastered with improved visuals, high frame rate, ProMotion and Gamepad… https://t.co/3pRo6IOgDy
— Sean Murray (@Sean Murray)
1643284656
He writes: “Jack LOVES Joe. He loves everything about him.
“He has a collection of toy motorcycles that are his ‘Joe Dangers;’ every motorcycle we see on the street is ‘Joe Danger’.
“One of the first things I hear everyday when I walk in the door after a long day at work is ‘Come on, daddy, let’s go play Joe Danger!’
“Just being able to say that sentence is a MASSIVE deal for a child with autism.”
Jack, Jack’s father, also used the game for coping mechanisms. The game was used by them as a reward when Jack got through difficult and stressful situations.
In his letter, he asked the developers if the game could be brought back online.
It reads: “I don’t even know if it’s something that would be possible, or, if possible, how much time and effort would have to be put into getting Joe back up and running (and riding) with the new versions of iOS, but it would mean the world to at least one little boy.”
A secret shame of ours is that the success of No Man’s Sky left our first game Joe Danger unloved. Sadly since iOS… https://t.co/W1NW1ZaZHQ
— Sean Murray (@Sean Murray)
1643284858
Murray wrote the correspondence via Twitter. “broke our hearts”, adding: “As game devs it’s so easy to underestimate the impact even your smallest games can have.”
He stated that the team had completed a “hobby project”To bring the game back online “slowly rebuilding it piece by piece through eight years of technology changes”.
The updated versions of Joe Danger and Joe Danger Infinity went on sale in Apple’s App Store on Thursday for £1.99 each or £2.99 for both.
“It’s sad that games slowly rot and many disappear,”Mr Murray tweets
“Hopefully this gives Joe the happy life he deserves.”