Hullabalu is finally bringing its well-received iPad storybook to the iPhone, with the same cast of characters and half game/half book sensibilities as its older counterpart. The company, a New York-based app maker and creator of children’s IP, is behind the hit app Pan: The Fearless Bearibolt for iPhone and iPad. The half story, half game app entered Apple’s App Store chart on the book list and surged to number one in its first week. Hullabalu recently announced it has been backed with $1.8 million in investments this year, helping it keep its hit new IP going.
Hullabalu hasn’t released download numbers for Pan. According to Hullabalu CEO and founder Suzanne Xie, average engagement time with the app is around 15 minutes per session, and one in five players will open the book up to four times per week.
What sets Pan apart from other interactive storybooks is that kids have to interact with the screen in order to move the story forward. This required interactivity turns Hullabalu’s app into something that’s more than a book, though not quite fully a game. Still, the app seems an effective way to introduce the idea of games to young children in a form familiar to parents, as a storybook and educational experience.
Source: TechCrunch
