Pixel Gun 3D

Last updated

Pixel Gun 3D
Pixel Gun 3D Logo.png
Developer(s) Lightmap
Publisher(s) Cubic Games
Platform(s)
iOS
Android
Release
May 2013
  • iOS, Android
  • May 2013
  • Windows Phone
  • before January 2014
  • Windows
  • April 2, 2024
Genre(s) Battle royale, first-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Pixel Gun 3D is a 2013 first-person shooter game developed by Lightmap and published by Cubic Games for iOS and Android. Players choose from a variety of single-player and multiplayer modes, with single-player revolving around fighting enemies and multiplayer putting several players up against each other in competitions. These competitions range from attempting to get the most kills, to being the last person standing in battle royale. A single-player campaign is available, which puts the player in the role of an unnamed protagonist investigating the sudden "square-ification" of the world and the outbreak of numerous monsters.

Contents

The game was originally developed by Alex Krasnov and was first released in May 2013. Ports for Windows Phone and Amazon Fire tablets followed. A version of the game for Steam released in April 2024. Pixel Gun 3D has received positive reviews from critics, with most highlighting the game's multiplayer modes, though some criticized its controls and technical performance. According to Cubic Games, the game has surpassed 165 million downloads and generated $200 million in profit as of October 2023.

Gameplay

An old gameplay screenshot of Pixel Gun 3D, showing the player engaging in combat with a horde of zombies in the campaign mode Pixel Gun 3D Gameplay.png
An old gameplay screenshot of Pixel Gun 3D, showing the player engaging in combat with a horde of zombies in the campaign mode

Pixel Gun 3D is a first-person shooter game with a pixelated art style reminiscent of Minecraft . [1] Players are able to select up to six weapons, ranging from traditional guns such as sniper rifles to flamethrowers and spellbooks. Additional equipment can be equipped by the player as well. This equipment ranges from gadgets that serve specific purposes (such as a grenade or a jetpack), pets that fight alongside the player, or armor with unique abilities (such as allowing double jumping) an be utilized in battle as well. [2] Players can also create their own assets in the game, such as skins, [1] [3] [4] as well as join clans with other players. [5]

The game features different modes, including single-player campaign and survival modes, local and online multiplayer, [2] and a battle royale mode. [6] In the campaign, the player is placed into a level and tasked to kill every enemy inside, defeating some sort of boss at the end. [2] In survival mode, players fight off against an endless wave of enemies for as long as possible. [1] [2] Multiplayer modes put the player up against others worldwide, competing in different objectives such as attempting to get the most kills. [1] In battle royale, a large number of players are placed onto a large map that gets smaller over time, with the last player standing winning. [6]

Players can receive items in-game via either unlocking them through playing the game normally, [7] or by purchasing them with in-game currency. The in-game currency itself can be purchased with real-world currency, with prices ranging as high as $100. [4]

Plot

In the game's campaign, an unnamed protagonist investigates the sudden "square-ification" of the world, which occurred at the same time as an outbreak of various monsters. Attempting to solve both mysteries, the protagonist travels across different worlds after his house was attacked by zombies. He traverses throughout the countryside and reaches a facility known as Area 52, where a researcher tells him the outbreak originated from a portal in an elementary school. Going through the portal and traveling to a different dimension, he meets an unnamed survivor who travels alongside him before the group reach the Hell Castle, where a dragon takes them to another world. The protagonist and survivor reach a metropolis and discover the cause of the "square-ification", the result of an error in the game developer's code. After using virtual reality to fight the error (known as "The Bug"), the protagonist becomes trapped within the internet and becomes The Bug. After floating around the internet, he is found by a ship under attack by droids. After he defeats the droids, it is revealed that the protagonist is trapped inside of an online game known as Cubic Revolution, and the protagonist begins plotting on how to escape the internet for good.

Development and release

Pixel Gun 3D was originally developed by Alex Krasnov, [1] [4] but it is currently developed by the company Lightmap and published by Cubic Games. [8] The game was released for iOS and Android devices in May 2013 for free, [9] but early versions for iOS and Windows Phone cost $0.99. [10] [11] In its first three or four months, the game was titled Pixlgun 3D. Early versions doubled as an unofficial character designer for the PC edition of Minecraft and included references to the game such as creepers. [11] [12] The game is also available on Amazon Fire tablets. [4]

Around August 2013, the game was updated with local multiplayer and quickly rose to No. 1 on the App Store, [12] where it stayed until at least September. [11] A major update in June 2014 allowed the game to be playable on lower end devices with only 512 MB of memory, as well as adding new game modes such as "Capture the Flag". [13] After the game's release, Cubic Games was purchased by Nexters, a company based in Cyprus, in January 2022. [8] Nexters later rebranded to GDEV Inc. in June 2023. [14]

A version of Pixel Gun 3D for Steam was first announced in October 2023. This port was developed in collaboration with Samustai, another subsidiary of GDEV. [9] [15] Players of the mobile versions of Pixel Gun 3D are able to play with users on Steam via crossplay. Additionally, mobile players can link their accounts to Steam, transferring their progress. [16] According to Cubic Games, over 200,000 users added the game to their Steam wishlist before its release on that platform. [9] The port released on April 2, 2024. [17] [18]

Reception

Pixel Gun 3D has been met with positive reviews since its release. Most of its praise was directed towards its multiplayer modes, which were highlighted. [1] [5] [6] [19] [20] Mike Deneen of 148Apps wrote that multiplayer was where the game "shines", believing it to be the reason the game was popular and what most players focused on. [1] Chris Morris of Common Sense Media and Felipe Vinha of Techtudo believed the game to be fun in short durations of time. [4] [3] Vinha considered the amount of content available in the game to surpass the offerings of other free games; [3] AppGet concurred, writing that each of the game modes had enough content for a standalone game. [2] Deneen described the single-player modes as "bland" compared to the multiplayer. [1] Several outlets have considered Pixel Gun 3D to be one of the best shooter or battle royale games for mobile devices. [5] [6] [19] [20]

Some reviewers were critical of the game's controls. Deneen described the game's controls as "frustrating", though wrote its problems to be more apparent in single-player modes than multiplayer. [1] Morris was neutral on the game's controls, writing that they had similar limitations to other mobile game's. [4] Rich Edmonds of Windows Central echoed similar thoughts. [10]

Some were critical on the game's technical performance and monetization practices, with a 2015 article identifying the app's add-on features were substantially higher than other apps. [21] Vinha criticized the game's bugs, which included the game suddenly crashing. They additionally criticized the game's advertisements, which they described as disrupting gameplay. [3] Deneen thought the monetization made the single-player campaign frustrating, specifically where the player was forced to purchase more ammo with real money in order to progress. [1] Ian Boudreau of PCGamesN reported user complaints about the game's monetization model upon Pixel Gun 3D's release on Steam. [16]

Sales

In January 2022, during its acquisition by Nexters, Cubic Games reported that Pixel Gun 3D had been downloaded over 100 million times, with 10 million monthly active users and 1.5 million daily active users. [8] They additionally claimed in a press release that Pixel Gun 3D was the third most active first-person shooter on mobile devices. [22] In October 2023, Cubic Games reported that the game had been downloaded 185 million times and generated $200 million in profit. [9] According to Boudreau, the game reached the top of the trending games chart on Steam upon its release on that platform. [16]

Related Research Articles

The 2010s was the fifth decade in the industry's history. The decade was notable for producing the first truly "3D" games and consoles, introducing cloud gaming and virtual reality to consumers, and the rising influence of tablet-based and mobile casual games, including a boom in freemium titles. The industry remained heavily dominated by the actions of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. The eighth generation of video game consoles was released, including the Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, and PlayStation Vita. Notable games released in the decade included Minecraft, Fortnite, PUBG: Battlegrounds,Grand Theft Auto V, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Last of Us, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Red Dead Redemption, Marvel's Spider-Man, Dark Souls, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Batman: Arkham City, BioShock Infinite, Dishonored, Halo: Reach,Mass Effect 2, Disco Elysium, Undertale, Overwatch, Super Mario Odyssey, Red Dead Redemption 2, L.A. Noire,Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Far Cry 3, Destiny, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, The Walking Dead, Persona 5,Dragon Age: Inquisition, Portal 2, Diablo III, Horizon Zero Dawn, Journey, Shovel Knight, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Death Stranding, Titanfall 2, Xenoblade Chronicles,Cuphead, Alien: Isolation, Fallout 4,God of War, and Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning.

<i>Minecraft</i> 2011 video game

Minecraft is a 2011 sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios and originally released in 2009. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being fully released on November 18, 2011, with Notch stepping down and Jens "Jeb" Bergensten taking over development. Minecraft has become the best-selling video game in history, with over 300 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active players as of 2023. Over the years following its release, it has been ported to several platforms, including PC, mobile and various consoles.

<i>3D Pixel Racing</i> 2011 video game

3D Pixel Racing is an arcade-style racing game developed by Vidia and released in 2011. The game was released as a downloadable game on WiiWare and in the App Store for iOS devices. 3D Pixel Racing heavily capitalizes on its graphical uniqueness. Unlike most 3D games, every object in 3D Pixel Racing is made of multi-colored voxels that are reminiscent of old 8-bit games from the 1970s and 80's.

<i>0x10<sup>c</sup></i> Cancelled sandbox science fiction video game

0x10c is an unfinished sandbox science fiction video game previously under development by Mojang AB. It was announced on April 3, 2012, by Markus Persson, the game's lead designer. The game was indefinitely postponed because Persson found himself burned out and demotivated after so much early effort were spent into planning and designing the game, up until the point that it "sucked out any fun from the project". Persson then stated he will instead most likely continue to work on smaller projects for the rest of his life, rekindling the reason he loves programming games in the first place. The game was later cancelled.

N.O.V.A. 3 is a science fiction action-adventure first-person shooter touchscreen video game developed by Gameloft Bucharest and published by Gameloft as the third instalment of the N.O.V.A. series, released on the App Store and Google Play on May 10, 2012 for iOS, BlackBerry 10 and Android devices, with later releases for the BlackBerry PlayBook and Windows Phone 8 devices in 2013. Unlike its predecessors, N.O.V.A. 3 was more heavily inspired on games like Killzone, Call of Duty and Crysis 2. The game's main influences prior were the Halo series.

<i>Prison Architect</i> 2015 video game

Prison Architect is a private prison construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Introversion Software. It was made available as a crowdfunded paid alpha pre-order on September 25, 2012 with updates that were scheduled every three to four weeks until 2023. With over 2,000,000 copies sold, Prison Architect made over US$10.7 million in pre-order sales for the alpha version. Prison Architect was an entrant in the 2012 Independent Games Festival. The game was available on Steam's Early Access program, and was officially released on October 6, 2015.

<i>StarMade</i> 2012 video game

StarMade is an effectively infinite open-universe space simulation sandbox game in development by Schine for Windows, macOS, and Linux. StarMade is currently in alpha and is free to play, during alpha.

<i>Unturned</i> 2014 video game

Unturned is a free-to-play survival game by Smartly Dressed Games, a studio consisting solely of Canadian game designer Nelson Sexton. It was released for Windows, macOS, and Linux in July 2014. Unturned allows players to create custom maps using an in-game editor. Cosmetics and mods can also be created using the game's Unity engine, which allows them to publish creations on the Steam Workshop. A retail version of the game was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One by 505 Games in November 2020.

<i>Cube Life: Island Survival</i> 2015 indie sandbox video game

Cube Life: Island Survival is an indie open world sandbox survival video game developed and published by Cypronia. It was released for Wii U in June 2015. An HD remake was released for Steam in April 2018, for Android and iOS in August 2018, and for Nintendo Switch in December 2020.

A battle royale game is an online multiplayer video game genre that blends last-man-standing gameplay with the survival, exploration and scavenging elements of a survival game. Battle royale games involve dozens to hundreds of players, who start with minimal equipment and then must eliminate all other opponents while avoiding being trapped outside a shrinking "safe area", with the winner being the last player or team alive.

<i>Survivalcraft</i> Sandbox video game

Survivalcraft is a 2011 open sandbox video game developed by Marcin Igor Kalicinski under the brand Candy Rufus Games. Following early test versions, it was released on 16 November 2011 for the Windows Phone, and is also available for Android, iOS, and Microsoft Windows. The game is set on a deserted island in an open world, where the player collects resources and items that can be made into survival tools. The game has six different game modes: Survival, Challenging, Cruel, Harmless, Adventure, and Creative. The first four involve the player gathering necessary resources to stay alive. The Creative mode gives the player unlimited items and health, and the Adventure mode is used for quest and parkour maps.

<i>Surviv.io</i> Browser-based battle royale video game

Surviv.io was a browser-based multiplayer online 2D battle royale game created by Justin Kim and Nick Clark. It was released in October 2017 on its website for desktop browsers, and in October and November 2018 respectively for iOS and Android devices. Similar to other titles in the battle royale genre, players battled against other players on a large map from a top-down perspective, scavenging for supplies and weapons. The game also supported two or four player team modes, and could be played on mobile browsers as well.

<i>Rules of Survival</i> Online battle royale video game

Rules of Survival was a free-to-play multiplayer online battle royale game developed and published by NetEase Games. It was first released via beta access in November 2017 and released globally on May 31, 2018. By October 2018, the game had reached 230 million players worldwide.

Fortnite is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in six distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: Fortnite Battle Royale, a free-to-play battle royale game in which up to 100 players fight to be the last person standing; Fortnite: Save the World, a cooperative hybrid tower defense-shooter and survival game in which up to four players fight off zombie-like creatures and defend objects with traps and fortifications they can build; and Fortnite Creative, in which players are given complete freedom to create worlds and battle arenas, Lego Fortnite, an open world survival game, Rocket Racing, a racing game, and Fortnite Festival, a rhythm game.

<i>Hytale</i> Upcoming video game

Hytale is an upcoming sandbox game by Hypixel Studios. Production began in 2015 by developers from the Minecraft multiplayer server Hypixel with funding from Riot Games, who later bought the studio in 2020. It is scheduled to release for Windows and macOS as well as consoles and mobile devices.

<i>Wrath: Aeon of Ruin</i> 2024 video game

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is a first-person shooter developed by KillPixel Games and Slipgate Ironworks and published by 3D Realms and Fulqrum Publishing. Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is built on a modified version of the Quake engine, making it the first major game release on that engine in nearly 20 years. The first episode was released on Steam Early Access on November 22, 2019, and was fully released on February 27, 2024.

<i>Call of Duty: Mobile</i> 2019 video game

Call of Duty: Mobile is a 2019 first-person shooter video game developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Activision for Android and iOS. Released as a free-to-play title, it was one of the largest mobile game launches in history, generating over US$480 million with 270 million downloads within a year. Call of Duty: Mobile was published in other regions by Garena, Tencent Games, VNG Corporation and TiMi Studio Group.

Free Fire is a free-to-play battle royale game developed and published by Garena for Android and iOS. It was released on 8 December 2017. It became the most downloaded mobile game globally in 2019 and has over 1 billion downloads on Google Play Store. In the first quarter of 2021 it was the highest grossing mobile game in the US. In November 2019, it surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenue. As of 2021, Free Fire had surpassed 150 million daily active users.

<i>Crab Game</i> 2021 video game

Crab Game is a free-to-play video game developed and published by Norwegian indie developer Daniel Sooman, also known as Dani. The game was initially released for Linux and macOS on Itch.io and for Windows on Steam on 29 October 2021; the Linux and macOS editions were later released on Steam on 16 November. Based on the Netflix series Squid Game, players compete with each other in minigames in order to be the last one alive.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Deneen, Mike (10 September 2013). "Pixel Gun 3D Review" Archived 18 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine . 148Apps. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "オンラインのプレイヤーと時に協力、時に戦闘、時に競争！豊富なルールで競い合うピクセル3DFPS" Archived 18 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine [Sometimes collaborate with online players, sometimes fight, sometimes compete! Pixel 3D FPS competing with abundant rules]. AppGet (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Vinha, Felipe (30 March 2015). "Pixel Gun 3D traz mecânica parecida com Minecraft e fórmulas originais" [Pixel Gun 3D brings Minecraft-like mechanics and original formulas]. TechTudo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Grupo Globo. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Morris, Chris. "Pixel Gun 3D App Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Top 25 best shooting games for Android phones and tablets" Archived 18 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine . Pocket Gamer . 16 December 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Avard, Alex (26 August 2019). "The best mobile battle royale games to download and play on iOS and Android right now" Archived 18 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine . GamesRadar+ . Future plc. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  7. ↑ Lightmap. Pixel Gun 3D. Cubic Games.
  8. 1 2 3 Orr, Aaron (27 January 2022). "Nexters acquires 3 mobile studios for $100 million". pocketgamer.biz. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Takahashi, Dean (5 October 2023). "Cubic Games' Pixel Gun 3D surpasses 185M mobile downloads". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  10. 1 2 Edmonds, Rich (28 January 2014). "Minecraft inspired Pixel Gun 3D brings multiplayer FPS action to Windows Phone". Windows Central. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 QMI Agency (10 September 2013). "'4 Pics, 1 Song,' 'Pixel Gun 3D' once again top apps". Toronto Sun . Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  12. 1 2 Walker, Jason (13 August 2013). "Pixlgun 3D review: Cool blocky graphics, but gameplay is lacking". CNET . Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  13. ↑ Edmonds, Rich (9 June 2014). "Pixel Gun 3D receives massive update with 512MB RAM support and more". Windows Central. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  14. ↑ Morris, Iwan (22 June 2023). "Hero Wars developer Nexters to restructure as GDEV Inc". pocketgamer.biz. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  15. ↑ "Pixel Gun 3D to Debut on PC in Q1 2024". Yahoo Finance. 5 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 Boudreau, Ian (4 April 2024). "This free multiplayer FPS looks like Minecraft with guns". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  17. ↑ "Pixel Gun 3D: PC Edition on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  18. ↑ Pixel Gun 3D: PC Edition - Official Launch Trailer - IGN. 2 April 2024. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024– via www.ign.com.
  19. 1 2 "Top 15 best shooters for iPhone and iPad (iOS)" Archived 13 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine . Pocket Gamer . 16 February 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  20. 1 2 Langshaw, Mark (13 May 2018). "The best battle royale games on mobile" Archived 25 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine . Gamezebo . Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  21. ↑ Guo, Ruijiao; Papatla, Purushottam (29 April 2015). "Base + Add-on Pricing in Extremely Competitive Categories". Customer Needs and Solutions. 2 (2): 134. doi:10.1007/s40547-015-0049-9. hdl: 10.1007/s40547-015-0049-9 . ISSN   2196-291X. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  22. ↑ "Nexters enters agreements to acquire three gaming companies investing $100 million to expand in midcore genres". GlobeNewswire News Room. 27 January 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.