| Crossy Road | |
|---|---|
 App icon | |
| Developers | Hipster Whale yodo1 |
| Publishers | Hipster Whale yodo1 (pre June 2017) |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platforms | iOS,iPadOS,tvOS,Microsoft WindowsAndroid,Android TV,Windows Phone,Series 30+,Sky Q,KaiOS |
| Release | iOS
|
| Genre | Endless runner |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer(tvOS) |
Crossy Road is anaction game released on 20 November 2014. It was developed and published oniOS by Australian video game developerHipster Whale and originallyyodo1 on Android. The name and concept of the game play on theriddle joke "Why did the chicken cross the road?"[3] It has been described asendless runner version of the 1981 video gameFrogger.[4][5][6] After June 2017, the publisher for the Android version ofCrossy Road was changed from yodo1 to Hipster Whale.[7]
The objective ofCrossy Road is to move a character through an endless path of static and moving obstacles as far as possible without hitting any hazards. By default, the character is a chicken that must cross a series of busy roads, rivers and active train tracks, but there are hundreds of other characters, and depending on the character the environment around also changes, with the obstacles varying. For example, when playing as the Astronaut, the environment is space and obstacles include asteroids.
In the original mobile version, the player must hop to go forward or swipe the screen in the appropriate direction to move the character horizontally or backwards. Some characters can only be unlocked with cash or in-game currency.
There are a number of special characters in addition to regular characters. For example, theAndroid version includes Android Robot, based on the operating system'sAndroid logo. Other characters includeDoge,Archie, Dark Lord, the mascot ofHipster Whale and #thedress, a female character wearing thedress of the same name. Variouspopular culture references and games are also included, such asForget-Me-Not and "Emo Goose" voiced byPhil Lester.
The player is able to collect coins; an in-game currency, characterised by its golden-yellowish color, squarish shape and red C in its middle. These are obtained in-game by collection during gameplay, watching advertisements, completing tasks, collecting a free gift given every few real-time hours, and using legal currency to buy them in various amounts. Coins are counted the top right corner of the screen. One hundred coins can be used for a chance at a new character from a lottery machine.[8] If the player owns the Piggy Bank mascot, red coins worth five coins each are added to the game, and coins received from free gifts or watching ads are doubled.
Initially the developers planned to spend only six weeks developing the game, but afterwards realized the game's potential and dedicated another six weeks to completing it.[9] The game's free-to-play model was based on the one forDota 2.[10]
A big influence on the team was the success of the gameFlappy Bird. Developer Matt Hall noted that "That was when people really wanted to play high-score chasing games, and they were telling people about it, and there was this cool opportunity."[11] Eventually Hall hit upon combining such a game withFrogger.[11] Other influences includedTemple Run,Subway Surfers,Disco Zoo,Skylanders,Tiny Wings andFez.[12] The game's art style was created by Ben Weatherall.[13]
The game received generally positive reviews withMetacritic giving the game a score of 88,[14]TouchArcade giving the game 5/5 stars,[8]BigBoomBoom.com giving the game 5/5 stars,[15]Gamezebo Gaming giving the game 4.5/5 stars,[16] andApple N' Apps giving the game a 4/5 overall score.[17]Polygon dubbed the game "brilliant" and compared it as an updated take onFrogger,[4] whileTime called the game a mix ofFrogger andFlappy Bird.[18]
Crossy Road was a finalist for the Game of the Year Award at the Australian Game Developer Awards 2014.[19] At the 2015 Apple WWDC developer's conference, it was one of the winners of the Apple Design Awards.[20] In 2025, it was nominated for Excellence in Ongoing at the Australian Game Developer Awards.[21]
Three months after its initial release, the game earned over $10 million and had over 50 million downloads.[22]
Flat Eric, best known for his appearances inLevi's commercials in 1999, as well as the music video forFlat Beat is anunlockable character.[23]
In 2016, Hipster Whale andDisney Interactive Studios launched a spin-off video game calledDisney Crossy Road oniOS,Android,Windows Phone,Windows 8.1,[a] andWindows 10[a] devices. It features Disney characters likeMickey Mouse andDonald Duck, as well as some characters from numerous Disney franchises such asZootopia,Big Hero 6,The Lion King,Tangled,Wreck-It Ralph,Moana,Pixar'sToy Story,Cars,The Incredibles andInside Out. At launch, the game features over 100 characters.[25]
Disney Crossy Road was shut down on iOS, Google, and Amazon on 12 March 2020.[26]
Crossy Road Castle is an endless co-op platformer that acts as a sequel toCrossy Road, initially available only onApple Arcade from 2020,[27] but ported to other consoles in 2024.[28] It supports up to four players and can be played with either touch controls or a controller.[29] Players are placed in a procedurally generated tower spanning multiple levels and must work together to get a high score.
With the permission of Hipster Whale, Bob Smith re-wroteCrossy Road for theZX81, an 8-bit computer from the 1980s.[30] In Smith's words, one of the motivations for porting the game "is to prove that there are some great modern game ideas which don't rely on amazing graphics or great processing power, and could work just as well on much older machines."[31] The ZX81 version was released in 2015.[citation needed]
