Bounden, the two-player motion-controlled game that encourages players to dance with each other, will launch on iOS devices on May 21, with the Android version delayed to a later date.
In a statement released on its website, Game Oven Studios's producer Eline Muijres said the delay is caused by inconsistencies between Android devices. Muijres posted a Vine that showed seven Android devices running the same compass app, all of which indicated that North was somewhere else. Bounden is a game that heavily relies on gyroscopes, so the inconsistencies between the devices is a problem for the game.
"For the user, buying an Android phone means you can choose between hundreds of different devices and pick the one that fits you best," Muijre said. "For developers, the fragmentation on Android is frustrating: you can develop an app for one phone, but you can never be sure it will work on another Android device as well. With Bounden, we are pushing Android devices to their limits, using every sensor there is to guide the way people move together. Doing such novel things with a device means running into some problems, especially on Android.
"Releasing Bounden on these devices would be catastrophic. Imagine finding out the game doesn't work on your device after spending $4... We want to avoid this scenario at all costs."
Muijres apologized for failing to deliver a simultaneous Android and iOS release for the game and said the team continues to work on the Android build. Those interested in helping Game Oven Studios test the Android build of the game can reach them via the email listed at the bottom of the post.
Bounden is a mobile game that mixes ballet and Twister. Two players hold a phone together and, using the phone's gyroscope sensor, move the phone to match shapes on its screen. The result is a kind of interpretive performance where the two players either dance intimately, become entangled, or find themselves in a slightly more awkward position. The game features choreography by Ernst Meisner of the Dutch National Ballet and features six dances.
