Build and ship apps
Write code, launch app versions, choose upgrades, and reinvest earnings to expand a simulated software studio.
Ship It: Idle Dev Tycoon
Ship It: Idle Dev Tycoon is an iPhone idle simulation game about building apps, managing a software studio, and selling it for lasting progression benefits.
A game about building and scaling a software studio
Ship It: Idle Dev Tycoon is an incremental simulation game for iPhone about running a software studio. Players write code, release app versions, buy upgrades, and use fictional in-game earnings to build a portfolio and grow toward a studio sale.
The game combines active decisions with idle progression. New features can improve an app’s earnings but also create tech debt that slows later builds, while app review checks and incidents introduce operational trade-offs. Build plans, automation, advisers, and offline earning support longer runs, and each exit can provide permanent benefits for the next studio.
Core features
Manage tech debt
Features can increase earnings while also adding build time. The game displays the resulting debt before purchase, and refactoring clears the debt for a quarter of the feature cost while preserving the features.
Handle app incidents and review
From the second studio onward, App Review checks every 25th version. Releases with too much debt can be rejected and remain off sale until fixed; Design Polish raises the limit and release warnings provide advance notice.
Automate idle progress
Create build plans with version targets and automate production. Offline progress supports up to eight hours away, or up to 24 hours with Night Shift, followed by reduced-rate overflow earnings.
Assemble an adviser collection
Collect 68 advisers, assign one as a passive Studio desk adviser, and use another Power for a temporary boost. Advisers have different abilities, can be improved with duplicates, and need rest when used repeatedly.
Progress across multiple exits
Sell a studio to carry permanent benefits into future runs, complete optional Exit Goals, and pursue badges, Hall of Fame tiers, classic-app bonuses, and a Game Center Fortune leaderboard.
Ways to play
For players who enjoy management trade-offs
Make frequent decisions about features, build time, tech debt, refactoring, and app releases while trying to increase the value of a studio.
For short check-ins and idle sessions
Set version targets with Build plans, leave automation running, and return later to collect progress from the studio’s away-time systems.
For long-term progression runs
Use exits, Legacy sales, adviser ranks, badges, Hall of Fame tiers, and classic-app bonuses as goals for extended progression beyond the first studio.
For collection and strategy experimentation
Experiment with adviser Powers, passive desk perks, duplicates, cooldown management, and optional Exit Goals to vary the way each studio develops.
For offline and account-light play
Play without an account or connection, while using Game Center’s optional wallet backup if that feature fits the player’s setup.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Combines incremental progression with active choices about upgrades, tech debt, refactoring, advisers, and studio exits.
- Supports offline play without an account, with defined away-time and overflow earning rules.
- Provides long-term progression through permanent exit benefits, optional Exit Goals, badges, adviser ranks, and late-game bonuses.
- Offers customization through pixel-art studio décor, trophies, an evolving soundtrack, and adviser appearances.
Cons
- The listing describes an iPhone experience and says the app is not verified for macOS; broader device support is not established by the available evidence.
- Optional in-app purchases and a Founder Club subscription are available, but the listing does not provide a complete price or tier breakdown.
- The game contains multiple progression systems, including tech debt, review checks, adviser cooldowns, exits, and collection goals, which may be less suitable for players seeking a very simple idle game.
FAQ
What is Ship It: Idle Dev Tycoon?
Ship It: Idle Dev Tycoon is a simulation and incremental game about writing code, launching app versions, upgrading a studio, managing tech debt, and selling studios for lasting benefits in later runs.
Can it be played offline or without an account?
The listing says the game can be played without an account or an internet connection. Game Center wallet backup is optional, so the available evidence does not indicate that an account is required for basic play.
How is the game monetized?
The game is free to download and offers optional in-app purchases, including a Founder Club subscription. The listing does not provide a complete purchase-tier or price breakdown.
What happens while I am away from the game?
A studio can continue building and earning for up to eight hours while you are away. Night Shift extends this period to 24 hours, and an overflow bank can continue earning at a quarter rate for up to the same duration again.
Which devices and age rating are listed?
The App Store listing identifies it as designed for iPhone and says it is not verified for macOS. It is rated 4+ and listed in the Simulation category.
Quick Facts
- Platform
- Designed for iPhone; not verified for macOS
- Category
- Simulation
- Availability
- Free with optional in-app purchases
- Developer
- Hendrik Haandrikman
- Age rating
- 4+
- Play model
- Can be played offline and without an account; optional Game Center wallet backup
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