StreetFood Tycoon: Philippine-Made iOS Game Hits 2.7M Downloads

Peanut Dela Cruz is part of TrafficDito.com, a Manila-based startup. She also blogs at peanutubo.com and can be found on Twitter as @Skushno.

From fish balls on a stick to hardboiled quail eggs that have been battered and deep fried, the uniqueness of the Philippines’ street food selection is why Filipinos can’t get enough of them. Another testament to this love for street food is the popularity of a four-month old iOS game called Streetfood Tycoon.

Streetfood Tycoon by KuyiMobile is a strategy and time management game where players get to run their very own food cart business. They get to sell typical Filipino street food items like Kwek-kwek and fish balls, alongside more common items like french fries and corn dogs. The goal is, as the name suggests, to become a streetfood tycoon by managing your resources well so you can sell as much street food as possible while keeping your customers satisfied.

Players also get a to-do list which when completed, unlocks items that can help you sell even more street food. For the impatient, you can pay your way around this by buying a coin pack as an in-app purchase.

With the release of last week’s game update, downloads have now reached a whopping 2.7 million with more than 80,000 users playing daily. Combine that with all the blog features, reviews, news articles and TV features, SF Tycoon has definitely penetrated the Philippine iOS gaming market.

What’s even more impressive is the fact that the app was developed single-handedly by a Filipino game developer named Erick Garayblas. Built within a span of six months and launched just this March, he quickly reached his one millionth download on a special day in July – his birthday.

There is no SF Tycoon for Android yet although a Kindle Fire version will soon be released. For now, the game can be downloaded for free on the iPhone, iPod, and iPad.