Toronto startup Team001 makes game development easy

Have you ever had a great idea for a video game but couldn’t build it because you lacked the coding skills? Well, Toronto-Engine 001 Screenshotbased startup Team001 has created the solution to your problem. Their product, 001 Game Creator, is a development engine that makes building a video game so simple that even a kid can do it.

In fact, many kids who have used their product have already made games similar to Mario and Diablo-style point and click adventures. Tony Tie, who heads up Business Development for Team001 says that “our product allows anyone with a great idea to create the next ‘Angry Birds’ without needing any coding skills.”

How does it work?

  • Download the 001 Game Creator engine to your desktop
  • Create 2D graphics (i.e. backgrounds and characters) and import them into the 001 Game Creator tool, using a drag and drop interface
  • Program events by pointing and clicking on objects and create rules via “if…then” statements in the form of a flowchart
  • You can then export your game to PC, or host and share it online

001 Game Creator is free to use. You only pay a $10 per month subscription if you plan to sell your game. You can use the engine to create RPGs, fighter games, space shooters, point and click adventures and more.

Team001 has become rather popular and the website is getting roughly 6,000 to 10,000 users per month. Tie tells me that the game development engine “has a cult-like following. Our users are so dedicated that they answer each others’ questions, and share feedback on how to resolve issues.”

What is truly inspiring about the Team001 story is that the founder, Mike Weir, is legally blind and coded 001 Game Creator using a 42-inch monitor.

The company recently signed a book deal to provide training on game development for schools. On September 2nd, they will invite 2D animators for a weekend to compete to create an iPhone game using the 001 Game Creator engine.

Team001 will be launching a mobile platform for the iPhone in two weeks and for Android in four weeks.

It will be interesting to see if the next “Angry Birds” will, in fact, emerge out of this new game development platform.