Mobile Game Created by Webster Professor, Alumni, Students and Staff Selected as the Game of the Week

"Bearplane," a game created by Webster Game Design Instructor Matthew Burton and several Webster alumni and students, was selected as the top new game of the week by Pocket Gamer, an online magazine that follows the mobile gaming industry. The game is free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and costs $4.99 on Steam (a platform for computer games and the handheld Valve Steam Deck). 

In the game, the player controls a bear with a rocket strapped to its back as it flies through the air, eliminates enemies at a fast pace, and collects various power-ups that improve the bear’s abilities. It is a side-scrolling game with graphics are reminiscent of cartoons from the 1930s and 1940s.

“The idea for the game was inspired by the story of Wojtek, a bear that served in the Polish army during World War II, helped British troops during the liberation of Italy, and was given the rank of corporal. When I discovered this story, I knew I had to make a game about it,” Burton said. “The real Wojtek was trained to carry boxes of ammunition and to entertain the troops, but in our game, he flies, uses weapons, collects power ups, and does it all to a big band jazz soundtrack.”

To help create the visuals and sounds for the game, Burton turned to the Webster community. Those who worked on the game include:

• Jordan Wadell (Animation alumni):  character and item art
• Leo Siebert (Animation alumni): character and item art
• Vinnie Peters (Animation alumni): background art
• Gavin Dudenhoeffer (Game Design alumni): user interaction art
• Grace Park (Animation alumni): blimp art
• Kat Riddle (Graphic Design alumni): user interaction art
• Aaron Kayser (Film and Television Production student): behind the scenes footage and editing
• Leila Huskovic (Film and Television Production student): behind the scenes footage and editing

Burton also turned to Webster staff members and partners for help in translating the game for other markets. Jimmy Crucerey and Francesco Visconti, both employees at Webster’s Geneva campus, helped test the French and Italian translations. Mari Maruyama, who works at JF Oberlin University Tokyo, helped with the Japanese translation. JF Oberlin is a partner with Webster University for the “Mobile Game Design in Japan” course.

For the music, Burton turned to Sean Smith, the son of Webster Communications Instructor Julie Smith, to co-compose and record the big-band soundtrack.

To learn more about Webster’s Game Design and Animation programs, visit the School of Communications page.