digiDingo was founded in June 2011 by Jann Sigrist, Jörg Sigrist, and Thomas Iten, with a focus on developing games and applications for iOS and Android. I joined the company in October 2011 as a Game Designer and all-around artist, embarking on a journey filled with exciting challenges and creative adventures until my departure in January 2014. Our most successful title was Grooh!!, but we worked on many other inspiring projects, some of which remained unreleased or hidden behind the scenes.

Explore the timeline below to uncover the stories, secrets, and unreleased material from my time at digiDingo!

In September 2011, digiDingo offered me an incredible opportunity: a full-time position as a Game Designer. Recognizing this as a dream opportunity, I eagerly accepted the offer with a big YES! In October 2011, I officially joined the team as their Game Designer and all-round artist. That month was especially meaningful to me, as it also marked the birth of my ♥daughter♥ in late October. Despite the joyous occasion, we quickly got to work on our first major project - the award-winning Grooh!! - which was released on iOS and Android in February 2012.

For more details about Grooh!!, feel free to check out my dedicated page, which is packed with fun facts and information!

Robi the Rhinooh was a game prototype developed for iOS and Android, following the release of Grooh!!, in March 2012. This collection of various minigames starred Rhinooh, an adorable rhinoceros. Grooh made frequent appearances in the game - sometimes aiding the player, at other times competing, but mostly serving to add an element of confusion. The prototype was rich with visual nods to well-known or classic video games, including Frogger, Space Invaders, Pong, Pooyan, Assassin's Creed, WipeOut, Sonic the Hedgehog, Excite Bike, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Final Fantasy.

Regrettably, the game was never completed. With the commencement of the London 2012 Summer Olympics in July, we strategically redirected our efforts towards Athleticooh, a casual Track 'n Field game.

Polymanga has been the largest Swiss event on pop culture, video games and manga since 2005, welcoming more than 50,000 attendees in 2023. I was representing digiDingo there in 2012, showcasing Grooh!! and our future projects. I also did a speech on stage, along with David Heim (founder & CEO of Polymanga), Bob Lennon (a french YouTube and Twitch personality) and Rinaldo Wirz (a great all-round artist that studied in the same multimedia school as me), talking about my multimedia works and hobbies in front of a large crowd.

Fun fact: Bob Lennon's presence brought the large crowd, not my speech I'm afraid :D

When Athleticooh was completed, Jann Sigrist suggested developing a puzzle/tile-matching game codenamed "GridMania". I began designing cheerful creatures called Colorooh and their environment, and two months later, in October 2012, the game was released on iOS.

You can read the backstory of Colorooh here.

Christmas Grooh!! was an expansion of Grooh!!. It was released on December 20, 2012, and boasted 60 new puzzles, fresh game mechanics, an entirely new soundtrack, and, of course, an abundance of snow!

Check here for more info and fun facts.

In March 2013, we released a 7-page press kit showcasing the digiDingo games we had launched up to that point. The kit also offered a sneak peek at Buffalooh, a puzzle game that would be released a few months later. This press kit served as a promotional tool to highlight our past projects while generating excitement for our upcoming releases.

Buffalooh was the fifth major game release from digiDingo, a puzzle game featuring buffalos (also known as American bisons), launched on iOS on November 27, 2013.

You can read the backstory of Buffalooh here.

Elarooh was an iOS game led by Philomena Schwab and published by digiDingo. Players could use the magic of ancient spirits to switch between day and night or even control the elements. The team behind Elarooh consisted of five students who contributed all of their knowledge and spare time towards this project. It was a work of passion, a game that blended together the ideas and visions of five young and motivated game designers.

My job was to create a trailer for the game, using a few gameplay videos they sent me, and inserting the descriptive texts and music. It was a simple and straightforward project. I did the trailer in January 2013, but the game wasn't officially released before 2014.

Farm Pop was a puzzle game prototype that was close to completion but was never released. It was heavily inspired by Bejeweled and LINE POP: Brown's Cookies.

The gameplay involved strategically connecting and matching animals of the same species to clear them from the board. Players aimed to achieve high scores by creating larger combos and utilizing special animals with unique abilities. With charming visuals and engaging mechanics, Farm Pop allowed players to purchase boosters using in-game currency at the beginning of each play, along with a Daily Pick feature, enabling players to win a special booster each day. Boosters included enhancements such as a +20% score, additional playtime, or stronger combos. Additionally, players could collect animals for high scores and trade them with Uncle Joe for in-game currency.

Visually, the prototype was complete to the best of my knowledge. All the sounds were finalized (many of which used my own voice to imitate the animals :-D ), and I even crafted a small video teaser to promote the game. Unfortunately, much like Robi the Rhinooh, Farm Pop remained in the prototype state indefinitely.

Fun fact: Grooh makes a brief appearance in the trailer when Uncle Joe is tearing through on his tractor like a madman: look to the right!