This local video game developer has hit the global stage

• Hyper Hippo created Dungeon Dwarves
• It's an idle game meaning progression never stops
• Released in 15 languages in over 190 countries

A global video streaming juggernaut is getting into the gaming world, and a Kelowna-based developer is among the first to be on the platform.

Hyper Hippo, whose founder Lance Priebe was one of the co-creators of the massively successful Club Penguin, which sold to Walt Disney Co. in 2007, have launched a new mobile game on Netflix Games.

“Dungeon Dwarves is an idle game where you take control of a team of five dwarven warriors with different abilities and mechanics,” Omar Chapa, a senior developer at Hyper Hippo, told Kelowna10.

Players explore dungeons, battle enemies, and collect loot along the way to update the dwarves, abilities, and weapons.

The game was released on Feb. 1 after months of work and is one of only a few mobile games to be distributed through Netflix in 15 languages in over 190 countries. The streaming company is venturing into gaming and users simply need to have an active subscription to play.

“It’s really a great experience to be part of the start of that platform,” Chapa said. “We are hopeful to keep working with them in the future with new titles and updates for the game.”

An idle game means progression continues even when the player doesn’t have the app open on their phone. Chapa said part of developing an idle game is creating a loop that is entertaining for players since they have long lifespans.

“A challenge is creating good mechanics, a good balance of the difficulty of progression, but we are lucky at Hyper Hippo that those are the kinds of games that we build,” he explained.

As one of the senior developers, Chapa works on building the actual mechanics of the game. The designers and other team members build off of his core work.

“I started making the prototype that eventually became the idea we have now with Dungeon Dwarves,” he said. “It’s a really rewarding experience to see someone playing your game and players actually caring about the experiences and products that you produce.”

Although the game has already been released, Chapa said the team is constantly working on updates and new features for the app.

Other titles developed by the team at Hyper Hippo include AdVenture Capitalist, AdVenture Communist, and AdVenture Ages.

Dungeon Dwarves is available on the App Store, Google Play, and Netflix Games.