Do you remember the social cube that Peter Molyneux came up with; you know that Curiosity app game developed by 22 Cans? Well it seems as though things have not gone as smoothly as the developer had hoped. The reason for this was due to servers coming under too much strain because of just how popular the app was, with estimations of more than a million people trying to download the app in just a short amount of time.
We knew from the start that this social experiment would gain some interest because chipping away at a cube so that you could see what’s hiding inside does grab your curiosity, but not on this scale. Another reason why the server was not able to handle the sudden surge in traffic is because 22 Cans is an independent developer and as such does not have the kind of server infrastructure to support such high demands.
It’s been reported that many of those who have downloaded the app have been unable to log in for several days, and for those that do manage to sign in are not seeing the cube in the correct stages of its deterioration. Molyneux has felt the need to defend his app by saying that they will have to part with more money in order to upgrade their servers. There was already a server update on November 11, 2012, but it would seem that this did not fully rectify the issues.
The popularity of the app has now forced Molyneux to ask for donations so that they can help improve the experience, but we’re not too certain how well this plea will be received. If you do wish to donate then you can do so here, and for those that do will feel satisfied in the knowledge that you have helped to bring these 22 experiments to other users — you know the ones that have not paid.
22 Cans had hoped that their Curiosity app game would have received some very positive reviews by now, but because of these server issues those reviews have been average at best. Looking on the App Store the app has just two and a half stars, while on Google Play it has also been given just two and a half stars — proof that users are annoyed.
Are you still experiencing issues with the Curiosity app?