Bringing Springfield to Life: More than 7 Years of Recreating the Iconic Simpsons to Mobile
The Simpsons Tapped Out brings the beloved city of Springfield from The Simpsons TV show to the mobile gaming world, allowing players to build and manage their version of the iconic Springfield. Launched by Electronic Arts (EA) and later operated by Broadsword Online Games, the game features a range of characters and environments from the series. Secret 6 was specifically tasked with creating assets for in-game events, focusing on faithfully reproducing these elements to enhance the player experience.
This Is How We Do’h it: Nailing The Simpsons Art Style
When Secret 6 began its collaboration with EA in 2017, our mission was to create 2D animated assets for in-game events that captured the spirit of The Simpsons. Adapting the show's characters and environments for mobile presented several challenges. We needed to preserve the distinctive visual style while accurately representing various character iterations from different episodes. In a project with such an iconic art style, every detail matters. This is where our art team’s ability to adapt truly shone; they thoroughly researched and analyzed all aspects of The Simpsons media to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of each artwork, ultimately establishing ourselves as the preferred creative partners for the game.
Ah, Craftsmanship: The Key to Unwavering Consistency and Quality, Smithers!
We initially began with a few sprints, focusing on a small number of 2D characters and environments. However, our clients quickly recognized the quality of our work and entrusted us with more assets in each subsequent sprint. Impressed by the level of detail our artists achieved, they transitioned our production from sprints to milestones within the first year, assigning us more complex tasks. We effectively accommodated this increase in scope by maintaining clear communication throughout the production pipeline and expertly managing our resources and manpower.
Over the next seven years, our role continued to expand significantly as we transitioned from creating simpler models to being entrusted with high-value art assets for major events like Rise of the Robot (2021), Splash and Burn (2022), and Mirror Mayhem (2023). Each event presented new design challenges, testing our creative limits and our ability to consistently deliver exceptional results under tight deadlines. By the conclusion of the project, we had created and animated over 1,000 characters and 800 environment assets.
A Lasting Partnership
The 7-year collaboration between Secret 6, EA, and Broadsword highlights the strength and impact of a trusted partnership. Our consistent delivery of high-quality assets earned the confidence of our clients, reinforcing our crucial role in the development of The Simpsons Tapped Out. This ongoing success reflects our dedication, creativity, and effective collaboration.
Our work stands as a testament to how commitment and skill lead to remarkable outcomes. The game’s continued success demonstrates the value of our partnership and the impact of our reliable and talented contributions.
