Project snapshot
Client
Hopster.tv
Industry
EdTech and kids entertainment
Services
Full-cycle game development, game design, gamification
Platform
iOS and Android
Technology
Cocos2d-x, C#, Spine, Visual Studio
Team
11 specialists (game design, 2 developers, 2D art, Spine animation, VFX, UI, sound, QA, PM)
Timeline
3 months
Overview
Program-Ace built Hopster.tv a cross-platform game that teaches the alphabet to children aged 2 to 6, structured as a hotel with a room per letter and mini-games that build phonics through play rather than instruction, matched to Hopster cinematic brand style.
The challenge
The game had to hold Hopster established cinematic look, stay genuinely usable for children aged 2 to 6 who cannot read instructions, and teach letter recognition and phonetics through gameplay alone, with almost no text on screen.
The solution
Program-Ace built a text-light, hotel-themed game that teaches through mini-games.
A hotel structure with one room per letter.
Mini-games that reinforce each phoneme.
Visual and audio delivery with minimal on-screen text.
Layered backgrounds for depth and a cartoon style for young users.
Analytics built in to track engagement.
Technology and approach
How we built it
Built in Cocos2d-x with C# and Spine for character animation, the game keeps Hopster cinematic style across iOS and Android and teaches almost entirely through visuals and sound, while Google Analytics and AppSee track how preschoolers actually move through each letter room.
Cocos2d-x
C#
Spine
Visual Studio
Results and value delivered
The game lifted engagement and strengthened Hopster against bigger rivals.
A sharp rise in daily active users at launch.
Strong positive reception from parents and children.
A stronger position against YouTube Kids and Netflix.
Global reach across both app stores.
Results and impact
Measured outcomes
35%
Increase in daily active users within 24 hours of release
89%
Positive reviews from parents and children
1M+
Downloads globally across app stores
In the client's words
“Program-Ace were a pleasure to work with throughout development. We quickly established a strong working relationship and delivered quality we are proud of.”
Ryan Courtier
Senior Producer, Hopster.tv
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