The Final Hours of Titanfall, a news app that goes behind the scenes into the development of this year's blockbuster video game, is now available on multiple platforms.
It's available for sale at the Tunes App Store (iPad), Windows Store, Origin (PC/Mac), Google Play (Android), Steam (PC/Mac). A free sample chapter is available on Medium.com.
The app demonstrates what's possible for long-form journalism on the tablet, where users tend to be more focused and more engaged than when viewing content on phones or websites. Unlike HTML websites, tablet apps deliver immersive, multi-touch experiences that can be accessed anywhere once downloaded, making devices like the iPad — and now the Surface — unbeatable for storytelling.
(Update: One day after launch The Final Hours of Titanfall is the top grossing News app in the iTunes App Store. Our previous titles, The Final Hours of Portal 2, The Final Hours of Mass Effect 3 and The Final Hours of Tomb Raider, are also in the Top 20. Our success in creating revenue-producing journalism on the tablet goes a long way toward refuting the argument that apps are dead.)
What makes The Final Hours of Titanfall very much alive:
• A 25,000-word manuscript packed with exclusive content about how the creators of Call of Duty overcame a billion-dollar lawsuit, toxic office politics and creative struggles to build the next great video game franchise.
• Dozens of behind-the-scenes photographs and videos, including portraits of the Respawn team by Art Streiber. Streiber’s photography frequently appears in Vanity Fair, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, Wired, Fortune, TIME, ESPN and Rolling Stone.
• A working video game called Wall Run Gauntlet that helps gamers understand the key concepts behind Titanfall, leveraging the touch interface of the tablet (iOS only).
• A Which Titan Are You interactive quiz that lets fans identify which of the game characters best matches their own personality.
• Concept artwork showing the development of key characters, weapons, vehicles and environments.
• An in-app community where gamers can interact with Geoff and each other about The Final Hours of Titanfall. (iOS only)
• Real-time polls that allow users to weigh in on Titanfall and compare their responses with those of other fans.
It is the fourth app we’ve designed and developed with Geoff Keighley, host of Spike’s GameTrailers TV. The first, The Final Hours of Portal 2, was described by Fast Company as “pushing the limits of storytelling” in the early days of digital publishing. Subsequent apps about Mass Effect 3 and Tomb Raider pushed the genre even further.
The Final Hours of Titanfall is available on Windows tablets including the Microsoft Surface.
Microsoft is betting big on Titanfall, bundling it with their new game systems (and watching Xbox One sales soar 96 percent during the first week of Titanfall's release). The app is available for iPad and Windows tablets, including the Microsoft Surface. It is the second app we've developed for Windows 8.1 using Adobe Digital Publishing Suite. The first was the Official Super Bowl XLVIII Interactive Game Program created for the National Football League.
"Joe Zeff Design once again shows what's possible for digital storytelling on our Microsoft Surface tablets," said Anthony Morgante, Business Development Manager for Pro Sports at Microsoft. "The Super Bowl app and Titanfall app will surely inspire others. We look forward to working with JZD on more apps for Windows 8.1."
In addition to iOS and Windows, there are versions of The Final Hours of Titanfall for PC/Mac, Android, Kindle and Audiobook.
A gallery of screen captures from the app:
Learn more about Joe Zeff Design.