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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Temple Run took shape through experiments rather than a preplanned hit formula. In a 2012 interview, Imangi Studios co-founder Natalia Luckyanova described how lessons from a failed earlier game, a 90-degree turn mechanic and a change to free-to-play helped shape the runner—and how the team understood its early success.
Who made Temple Run?
Temple Run was developed by Imangi Studios, the independent studio co-founded by Natalia Luckyanova and Keith Shepherd. Luckyanova recounted its development and early growth in a February 6, 2012 interview with VentureBeat. Her explanations offer the developers’ perspective on the game’s design and reception, not a controlled account proving why it became popular.
How did the team arrive at Temple Run’s controls?
A smaller project after Max Adventure
Temple Run followed Max Adventure, a more elaborate dual-stick shooter that took about a year to make. Luckyanova said it earned positive feedback but was a financial flop. Imangi wanted its next project to be quicker to build, more casual and easier to control.
From rotating worlds to swipe turns
The team explored a character running forward while the world rotated around them. Luckyanova said that approach felt disorienting, so the developers limited turns to 90 degrees. That constraint became a straightforward gesture: swipe to turn at a junction.
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The setting evolved along with the mechanic. Early concepts included abstract mazes and pipe-like paths; the team eventually placed the runner atop a structure with associations to the Great Wall or an Aztec temple.
Tilt for coins, swipe to turn
Swiping to collect coins clashed with swiping to turn. The developers tried tilting the device to move the runner toward coins, then tuned tilt and swipe so the two actions could coexist. Earlier collectible ideas involved colored gems and combinations that could earn bonuses. Luckyanova said these demanded too much attention at the game’s speed, so the team removed them and later brought back the simpler coin.
Why the monkeys chase the runner
The pursuing monkeys answered a basic design question: why would the character keep running instead of stopping? Luckyanova said the pursuers gave the run urgency. They made forward motion part of the premise, not just a way to traverse the course.
Why did Temple Run go free?
Temple Run’s early success was not an overnight launch story. Luckyanova said the paid game received strong reviews and reached roughly No. 50 among paid apps, but began slipping after a couple of weeks. Imangi then removed the price and introduced in-app purchases.
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In VentureBeat’s February 2012 interview, Luckyanova said the iOS game had gone free in September 2011. She contrasted a few hundred paid downloads a day at $0.99 with about 50,000 daily downloads after the change, and said revenue immediately rose tenfold. These are figures she reported in 2012, not current performance data. She also described downloads and chart rankings rising afterward; that is her account of the outcome, not evidence that the same pricing change will produce the same result for another game.
“Only after taking the risk of setting it free did it really get a chance to get out to the masses and go viral,” Luckyanova told VentureBeat.
What did Temple Run’s early growth look like?
Several contemporary reports give a sense of the game’s scale, but each number belongs to its own date and source.
| Reported milestone | Source and date | What the figure describes |
|---|---|---|
| About 50,000 downloads per day | Natalia Luckyanova, interviewed by VentureBeat, February 6, 2012 | Her reported daily pace after the September 2011 move to free; she contrasted it with a few hundred paid downloads per day beforehand. |
| About 500,000 downloads per day | Natalia Luckyanova, interviewed by VentureBeat, February 6, 2012 | Her reported daily download pace at the time of the interview. |
| 20 million downloads and 7 million daily active users | TechCrunch, January 15, 2012 | Milestone figures attributed to Imangi by the publication. |
| 170 million downloads | Fast Company, 2013 | A dated description of the game’s reach in the article’s discussion of Temple Run and its follow-up. |
The 2012 VentureBeat figures describe different points in the game’s trajectory: the roughly 50,000 daily downloads followed the free switch, while the roughly 500,000 daily pace was reported at the time of the interview. Neither is a present-day total or rate.
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TechCrunch described Temple Run as playable without paying, with in-game currency and unlocks available through play. It reported that only a small share of players paid, while the large audience supported the game’s grossing success. That is a contemporaneous account of Temple Run’s model, not a general rule about free-to-play games.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How did the developers explain the game’s appeal?
Luckyanova credited word of mouth and players talking about the game. She also pointed to design choices she believed suited mobile play: one-handed controls, runs that could last from seconds to a few minutes, high-score competition and longer-term objectives. She emphasized marketing and strategy as well as game quality.
Those are the co-founder’s explanations, rather than independently measured causes. They do, however, connect the game’s mechanics to its intended rhythm: a player could start quickly, attempt a short run, and have a score or objective to pursue next.
What did Imangi take from the process?
Luckyanova said the team was focused on making fun games, not following a formula for a hit. The studio’s approach also included carrying ideas forward. In a 2013 Fast Company interview, Shepherd described drawing on personal interests and reusing elements of earlier work: “So the simple answer is you draw on what already interests you, and you hopefully use elements of what you’ve already built to create the next one.”
Luckyanova summarized the value of iteration this way: “You probably won’t succeed right away, but failure is good. Learn from it.” In Temple Run’s case, the path ran through a financially unsuccessful shooter, discarded control and collectible ideas, and a monetization change the developers said helped the game reach a much larger audience.
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