What inspired the decision to bring DREDGE to mobile platforms? Was this always part of the roadmap, or did player feedback influence the decision?
We first started thinking about a mobile version of DREDGE not long after the game launched last year. Initially, it was more of a design challenge we were curious about, but it didn’t become a serious project until about a year later. The volume of players asking whether DREDGE would be coming to mobile hit a point where we realised we needed to consider it more seriously. Player feedback absolutely played a key role in our decision to move forward with the mobile version.
What were some of the biggest challenges in adapting DREDGE for mobile devices? Were there any unexpected obstacles during development?
One of the biggest challenges was implementing touch controls, particularly with DREDGE’s spatial inventory system. Moving fish and items around, swapping them, is such a big part of the gameplay and it has to work smoothly on mobile so we played around with various controls and UI layouts before fully diving into development.
We know the mobile market is different from the PC and Console market and the reason for playing games on a mobile is different in many cases, so we had to take all of that into consideration when we were designing this adaption; making sure we support cross-saves for players who might be likely to have a tablet and a phone or two, on in the case of our Apple players who could have a Mac and an iPhone/iPad. Players may not have access to a controller so support touch input and making sure it is optimised is critical.
How did the team optimize the game for both smartphones and tablets?
Smartphone screens are thinner and wider, while tablet screens are squarer than we’ve supported before. This required us to update the UI to ensure all elements were accessible and properly displayed on different devices. We had to make sure the game looked good and remained functional across varying screen sizes, without compromising the experience.
Did you have to make any significant changes to the game mechanics to fit mobile devices?
Our goal was to ensure that the mobile experience was as close to the original as possible. The biggest change was implementing touch controls, but in some ways, this added to the experience. For example, manually placing fish into your cargo with your fingers felt satisfying and intuitive. However, there were adjustments to account for how players hold their devices and considering button placement, understanding what would be hidden under our player’s thumbs.
How did you approach implementing touch controls while maintaining the game’s original feel?
In DREDGE, you control the camera separately from your boat navigation, which translates well to mobile. We split the screen between navigation and camera controls: the left half features an on-screen joystick for navigating your boat in 360 degrees, and the right half allows you to control the camera. This setup allowed us to keep the fluid, exploratory nature of the game intact, allowing players to look around and take stock without the time progressing as it does when they move which is another really important aspect of DREDGE.
Mobile games often need to balance performance and visual quality. How did you ensure DREDGE looks and runs great on mobile without compromising performance? Can you explain the customizable visual settings and adaptive performance features?
To ensure the game looks and runs great across different devices, we introduced customisable visual settings. Players can turn off reflections or reduce graphical effects to prioritise battery life and performance. Additionally for some devices we’ve implemented adaptive performance features that automatically scale certain aspects of the game based on the device’s capacity, ensuring players can enjoy their DREDGE experience regardless(somewhat) of hardware limitations.
Were there any unique technical optimizations or tools used to ensure smooth gameplay across a wide range of mobile devices?
We used a combination of performance profiling tools to identify bottlenecks and have definitely cleaned out a few skeletons. Some key areas have been optimising the game’s audio and texture streaming and memory management, as well as reviewing all of our models, shadow casting and LODs.
Battery life is always a concern for mobile games. What steps did the team take to ensure DREDGE runs efficiently without draining too much battery?
We took several steps to reduce battery drain. By giving players control over graphical settings, they can disable certain effects like reflections or shadows that may be more battery-intensive.
The mobile version supports both touch controls and external controllers. How did you approach designing the control scheme for both?
We already had controller support for the PC and console versions of DREDGE, so that part translated well to mobile. The main challenge was touch controls as they required new glyphs, alternative tutorials, and button layouts that are suitable for smaller screens. We worked hard to make sure the touch controls weren’t frustrating to use, especially when playing on smaller phones so we tweaked the interface so that key actions are easy to tap and execute.
Can you tell us more about the Try Before You Buy feature on the Apple App Store? Why did you decide to include a demo for mobile?
We decided to include the demo because DREDGE is a game that you sink deeper into the longer you play. We’ve had demos on our Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox versions that have been well-received so we wanted to bring a similar experience to mobile players. In the demo, players can explore the first area of The Marrows for free. If they enjoy it, they can purchase the full game and continue their adventure across four additional biomes. For players wanting even more our DLC expansions, The Pale Reach and The Iron Rig are also available as an in-app purchase.
How does the team hope players will experience DREDGE differently on mobile compared to other platforms?
We’re excited to bring DREDGE to more players, especially those who may not have access to traditional consoles or PCs. With the addition of mobile and MacOS, and with support for more languages, we hope that nearly everyone who has wanted to check out DREDGE will now have access to it. We also think the portability of mobile gaming will allow people to enjoy Dredge in new environments, whether they’re commuting or just relaxing at home.
What feedback are you most excited to hear from players who try the game on mobile for the first time?
We love hearing about players’ first experiences with some of the happenings in DREDGE. There’s always a lot of excitement when players encounter something unexpected for the first time, and we hope to see a whole new wave of mobile players sharing their thoughts, theories, and discoveries as they dive into the game. We can’t wait to hear what they think!
