iPhone Gaming Buddy: Discover new games + countdown widgets (& more)

[nemecek_f]

Hello,

I am super happy to introduce my newest app for gamers everywhere who look forward to new games or want to quickly glance at what is coming out.

The app "Gaming Buddy" features a curated list of upcoming games, an "Upcoming" list that lists all future games (if they have a release date), and there is also a search to find games quickly.

Games you like can be favorited for easy access and are available for widgets.

Widgets:

• Release countdown: Countdown widget for a single game
• Up Next: Lists your upcoming games, the soonest one is the most prominent
• Calendar: Shows games for the current month in a calendar grid

Initially I built these features for my SwitchBuddy app, but many folks got in touch and wanted to have widgets for all upcoming games, not just those coming out for Nintendo Switch.

The app is free without limitations if you want at most three favorite games at any time. Otherwise, there is an "Unlimited" subscription currently priced at 5$ /year (to reflect that the app is v1 and more features are coming in the future).

Gaming Buddy is available for free pre-order. It will be available May 24 2023.

EDIT AUG 3: Renamed the app from "Game Widgets" to "Gaming Buddy"

 

[pacorob]

It looks really nice.
Some questions:

1) What kind of platforms will be supported? Is iOS/iPadOS also one of them?
2) Will it also be possible to filter on platform + pay once (so without in-app purchases with gems/coins) / except for ones where you buy the full game or remove ads (without a subscription) by paying once with an in-app (or upfront).

 

[nemecek_f]

It looks really nice.
Some questions:

1) What kind of platforms will be supported? Is iOS/iPadOS also one of them?
2) Will it also be possible to filter on platform + pay once (so without in-app purchases with gems/coins) / except for ones where you buy the full game or remove ads (without a subscription) by paying once with an in-app (or upfront).

Thanks!

1) iOS for now. I would love to support iPad but for a hobby project that adds a lot of work and the demand is quite low.
2) Filtering based on platforms is available on the "Upcoming" screen. You can select multiple platforms and then see only games that will come out for these platforms. As for the "one-time unlock" it is not there yet, I have this option in SwitchBuddy but it isn't popular and it is also hard to come up with one-time price that is fair both to the users and the developer.

 

[pacorob]

Thank you for getting back to my response I really appreciate it.
I meant as far as the games to filter on if you can select iOS/iPadOS also as the only platform for expected games?
As far as your app supporting tablets isn't nowadays making it 'Universal' as easy as Apple mentions it I suppose?

 

[nemecek_f]

Thank you for getting back to my response I really appreciate it.
I meant as far as 1 the games to filter on if you can select iOS/iPadOS also as the only platform for expected games?

Sorry, I am not sure what you mean exactly. The filtering currently does not work "app-wide", only for the Upcoming list. Unfortunately it also looks like IGDB doesn't really have a good support for iOS games as I can see only handful with the filter on.

As far as your app supporting tablets isn't nowadays making it 'Universal' as easy as Apple mentions it I suppose?

Well it is easy to make it run on iPad, but it needs lot work on the layout to make it look good + other technical aspects.

 

[pacorob]

Thanks for letting me know the IGDB database you use in your app doesn't have good support for iOS games.

 

[nemecek_f]

Already released a couple of updates

- Landscape support for images & videos for better viewing experience
- Smaller variant for "Up Next" widget that shows single game

- Platforms filter should no longer reset - sorry about that
- Design tweaks and similar
- Fixed widgets not removing unfavorited games
- Fixed pull to refresh on "Upcoming" screen

 

[nemecek_f]

Excited to announce first BIG update!

It mainly brings notifications - the most requested feature 🎉

# Notifications
You can now set up notifications for game releases. And thats not all, you will also get a notification when your favorite game gets a release date

# Themes
Purple might not be for everyone. That's ok! You can now personalize the app and widgets with themes like "Green X", "BlueStation", sunset and more.

## Themable countdown widgets
The countdown widgets now have configurable background. So instead of the previous blurry background, you can choose the app theme or just "plain".

## Add to calendar
Easily create calendar events for your favorite games

 

[nemecek_f]

Renamed the app to "Gaming Buddy" to make it clear that this is not only about widgets but mainly about discovering new games to play.

Bigger update coming soon with Lock Screen widgets and list that shows recent releases.

 

[nemecek_f]

Happy to announce the next big update

New Releases​

- Easily view (and filter) newly released games in a new list

Lock Screen widgets​

- The Up Next and Release Countdown widgets are now also available on your Lock Screen

 

[nemecek_f]

Hello,

back with another couple of updates. I have added more options to unlock GamingBuddy Unlimited with either monthly subscription or one-time purchase based on requests from users.

Just released version 1.4.0 also brings OpenCritic integration allowing you to quickly see the ratings games got from critics. GamingBuddy Unlimited also contains all the available reviews to read. (I made part of OpenCritic paid because the API access is not exactly cheap).

 

[nemecek_f]

Finally fixed the most annoying thing for me - the inability to share games I found with friends.

Introducing sharing powered by Universal Links - share games with a single link. Your friends don't even need to have the app installed.

https://apps.apple.com/app/game-widgets-get-hyped/id6447783408

 

[nemecek_f]

Hello everyone,

I am happy to announce new public TestFlight:

https://testflight.apple.com/join/Qcvvxa4r

It is for version 2.0 which brings better Favorites section (on its own tab) and "Reviews" tab which lists most recent reviews from large publications (IGN, GameSpot,..)

Because it is a TestFlight you can also try all the premium features for free. Just complete the purchase flow which won't charge you anything.

 

[nemecek_f]

Hello,

happy to share that Version 2.0 is finally out.

- Favorites on separate tab with "Up Next" queue to make sure you don't miss releases

- Brand new Reviews tab featuring recent reviews from the biggest names in gaming like IGN, GameSpot and others.

- Featured Up Next widget for GamingBuddy Unlimited. This one shows the soonest games from "Featured" list

‎GamingBuddy: Releases, reviews

‎Don't miss any new games! Discover new games for PC, consoles, and more thanks to the power of the IGDB database. Upcoming games can be filtered by platforms, so you can make sure to see only games that you can enjoy on your devices. Simply favorite games you are looking forward to to keep...

apps.apple.com

 

[nemecek_f]

The one-time purchase is 50% off until November 28th 🎉

So if you wanna get a good deal and support my efforts, now is a good time.

I will also be raising the yearly price from the "intro" $4.99 to a bit more to reflect all the new features added since launch.

‎GamingBuddy: Widgets, reviews

‎Don't miss any new games! Discover new games for PC, consoles, and more thanks to the power of the IGDB database. Upcoming games can be filtered by platforms, so you can make sure to see only games that you can enjoy on your devices. Simply favorite games you are looking forward to to keep...

apps.apple.com

 

[nemecek_f]

Hello there, back with another update!

This one is bigger and introduces gaming-related events like showcases, awards and more.

Press release: https://impresskit.net/press-release/76849bff-9b4e-4f73-a925-5134b3339c03

 

[nemecek_f]

New update is out with better notifications and Favorites section 🎉

## Customize favorites
View your favorites as list or grid and change sorting

## Better release dates notifications
GamingBuddy will let you know when favorited game is delayed (or will release sooner)

UI tweaks, better errors when something goes wrong, bug fixes