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Teenage Programmer Bursts Rovio's Bubble with New Top Free App

A new game has knocked Angry Birds Seasons from its perch at the top of the App Store’s list of the most popular free apps. It’s called Bubble Ball, and it is the brainchild of 14-year-old Robert Nay, an eighth grader from Spanish Fork, Utah. Since its launch on December 29, Bubble Ball has been downloaded more than 2 million times.

"I was pretty astonished," Nay said in a recent interview with ABC News about the game's incredible success. "When I released it, I didn't think it would do so well."

For those of you who don’t already know, Bubble Ball is a physics-based puzzle game that challenges players to balance the use of objects and gravity to guide a bubble to its goal. Players use the wood and metal pieces provided to move their bubble over and around various obstacles, and can gain power-ups for speed boosts and reverse gravity effects in each of the twenty-one levels.

Nay, who created his first website in the third grade, also taught himself how to program. He was encouraged to develop a game of his own by friends, and inspired by some of his favorite iOS games. After doing some initial research at his local public library and trying out several different tools, Robert ended up using Ansca Mobile’s Corona SDK (software developer’s kit), which allowed him to write and publish Bubble Ball for both Apple and Android devices. Although Nay’s mother Kari drew some of the levels of the game, Robert came up with the concept and did all of the coding himself. Kari Nay also helped her son submit the game to the App Store and Android marketplace.

The more than four thousand (and counting) reviews posted in the App Store are overwhelmingly positive, although some users complain that the game’s touch controls can be sluggish or unresponsive and that there just aren’t enough levels to hold their interest. In response, Nay is already making plans to add more levels to the free game and even to monetize it with in-app purchases.

Robert Nay is also hard at work on creating a second application. Details are scarce so far, but he has hinted that users can count on it being a paid app, capitalizing on the first title’s runaway popularity. Critics have suggested that the young developer is exploiting the novelty of his age, but Nay is only doing what any other publisher with a smash hit on their hands would do -- update and improve the existing product, and get to work on the next big thing. And to that, I can only say: Well played, sir.

Have you tried out Bubble Ball? How do you think it stacks up against Angry Birds? Share your opinions in the comments below.