AppStories WWDC 2025: The AppStories Interviews with Apple Design Award Winners
Jun 11, 2025
Nadia Thorne, a developer from Black Salt Games, shares her journey of adapting the game Dredge for mobile, discussing creative decisions and the unique challenges of touch controls. Wout Van Halderen from Playstack dives into the success story of Balatro, recounting how it gained popularity and its evolution from hobbyist to award-winning status. They also explore community-driven technology for disaster response, emphasizing the necessity of reliable information during emergencies, and the vital role indie developers play in the gaming landscape.
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Prioritize Human Efficiency
- Focus engineering efforts on reducing friction for human reporters doing critical work.
- Automate grunt tasks so humans can synthesize complex, ambiguous information for precise alerts.
WatchDuty Offers Rich Disaster Info
- WatchDuty's features go beyond fire location to include evacuation zones, air quality, and emergency resources.
- The app empowers users with comprehensive situational understanding during disasters.
Dredge Began as Lovecraftian Fishing
- The game Dredge started with a pitch called Lovecraftian fishing, blending cozy fishing with dark horror.
- Developers spent significant time perfecting intuitive touch controls, especially for boat navigation and inventory management on mobile.
