Love Island The Game
About
Love Island The Game was a breakout hit in Summer 2018. Adapting the hit ITV show into a choice-based narrative mobile game, the app achieved over 20 million downloads and an ARPDAU consistently exceeding $0.50 during the three years I worked on it. I was originally hired as a freelance writer at Fusebox Games in 2017 after pitching a game based on the TV show. The studio already had titles based on The X Factor and Baywatch in development, but it was Love Island which established the studio as a mainstay of the choice-based narrative genre.
I directly oversaw development of the first two series of the game, doing everything from writing and narrative design to designing and refining the game’s monetisation. I was eventually promoted to Narrative Director of the entire studio, and by the time I left in 2021 I was running a team of 19 of the best writers in the business, servicing multiple titles. I am incredibly proud of the work my team accomplished on this title - particularly how we pushed for complex, deeply interactive stories where choices had rich consequences and the Villa felt like a living, breathing ecosystem. We also championed LGBT stories and themes in a genre which is not known for great LGBT representation.
The game recieved extensive press coverage (including in the UK tabloids!) but perhaps the best was from YouTuber Joe Sugg who played through Season 1 on his gaming channel and said “I’ve got some of you saying you prefer this to the actual show”. It also drew the attention of Kotaku’s Kate Grey who said “Since playing through the copious amounts of episodes … I’ve actually grown to love it. Unironically.” She also praised the game’s choices, saying “The branching narrative is surprisingly slick, and well-hidden enough that I can’t always tell what the game was expecting me to do.”
