It took just 12 weeks to create, but Andrew Sum and Matthew Hall’s app Crossy Road has more than paid off.

Victoria-based Sum, 24, and Hall, 39, launched the app in November as a cross between arcade game Frogger and Flappy Birds, an iPhone game which became a global phenomenon early last year.

Since then, it has had more than 25 million downloads worldwide, with the pair pulling an unexpected seven-figure income for their efforts.

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“We didn’t expect it to blow up this big,” Sum tells The New Daily.

“We’re both developers, so it started out as something small on the side of our other projects.

“It was a very experimental game and Matt and I didn’t know if it would make us money, but we tried to put things in the game people would want to share.

The aim of the game is to get a high score while crossing a road as a virtual chicken or a range of other characters without getting hit by a train, truck or car, or falling into a river.

The Victorian developers say the minimal costs involved in the game have contributed to its unexpected success, making it appealing to a wide audience including families and kids.

The app is free to download and gamers can buy additional characters for $1.29 or watch 30-second advertisements to earn more coins, which allows them to acquire new characters.

The unexpected road to success

Since Crossy Road launched on November 20, it has had global downloads spanning across all platforms – Apple iPhone and iPad as well as Android.

It has reached top position in the Apple app store overseas, and in Australia is ranked the No.1 game and No.2 app overall.

“We’re climbing the charts now,” Sum says.

Sum and Hall met about 12 months ago at a gaming conference in Melbourne and kept in touch via email and Skype, with Hall located near Ballarat and Sum living in the Melbourne suburb of Canterbury.

They mulled over ideas, saying they were inspired by the rebirth of the simple arcade style games that were becoming increasingly popular.

After 12 weeks Crossy Road was born.

“We decided to make it a transparent model where you can see what you’re getting for your money,” Sum says.

“That’s how we’re different to a lot of other games out there.

“Matt and I both like to know what we’re buying in our games, and feedback from families out there is saying the same thing.”

Sum says a few well-known “YouTubers” such as ‘PewDiePie’ and Phil Lester helped boost the app’s popularity when they were filmed playing the game on YouTube.

He says Lester actually helped create a new character for the app named ‘Emo Goose’ and recorded his voice, which was well received by gamers.

The pair have been avid gamers for most of their lives and are professional game developers.

So what is Sum’s advice for those wanting to chase the same dream?

“Start creating your games now,” Sum says.

“Matt and I have been making games as a hobby and commercially our whole lives, there are plenty of videos and tutorials out there, so if you’re interested you should start now.”

The next step

Although the pair have made a large amount of money from one app in about two months, they say their passion outweighs their earnings, and they won’t be retiring anytime soon.

Sum says they plan to update Crossy Road for as long as they can and will include up to 15 new characters each month.

They also have a whole book of ideas to create more apps.

And what will they do with this sudden windfall?

“Probably buy a house,” Sum says.

“Me and Matt are pretty level headed and pragmatic, we’re not going to go out and buy a new Lamborghini or anything.”

What you will need to become an app mogul

1. Create a great product and make it free.

2. Make sure the product has a shareable nature to increase the potential for it to go viral.

3. Don’t forget Android users!

4. Invest in a great marketing strategy and utilise social media.