We’re chomping at the bit to showcase Aotearoa New Zealand developers PikPok, whose titles Rival Stars Horse Riding and Barbie Horse Ride & Rescue set the benchmark for best-in-class equestrian sims.

The App Store Editors chatted to PikPok CEO Mario Wynands and Chief Publishing Officer Karah Sutton on how they perfected the genre and brought Barbie along for the ride.

While PikPok’s (then Sidhe) origins date back to 1997, their foray into equestrian-themed games started back in 2006, with Melbourne Cup Challenge for PC and console. Their biggest learning: horses are notoriously difficult to animate. “Horses have a complex anatomy of bones and muscle, and how they work together at different gaits is very complicated,” says Wynands.

So, PikPok teamed up with Weta Digital, who specialise in motion capture. “We felt motion capturing was absolutely necessary to truly bring out the sense of grace, power and athleticism these amazing creatures possess.”

Fun fact: the team were the very first to capture a horse at full gallop (which obviously can’t be done in a studio)! “With some Kiwi ingenuity, we relocated all the equipment to a rented barn in the country and ran the horse through the middle at full speed. It worked perfectly!” says Wynands.

When the team built Rival Stars Horse Racing, they took that motion-capture animation and ran with it, literally, teaming up with more mocap partners as needed.

For the players, it’s all worth it. “Our players know horses so well,” says Sutton. “They’re not afraid at all to tell us where we get things wrong. And we’ve made many improvements to our house accuracy thanks to player feedback.”

While Rival Stars started as a thoroughbred racing sim, a large subset of players proved more interested in collecting and caring for horses than putting them through their paces. “All the things we’ve added – the ability to ride your horse around different free-roam environments, or the different equestrian disciplines – have all come off the back of player requests,” Sutton explains.

“And we’re so proud that we've found the thing that speaks to them. They’re extremely passionate, from keeping spreadsheets to playing with a metronome to time their button presses – it’s amazing the level of detail they go into.”

When it came to bringing Barbie Horse Ride & Rescue to market for mobile, PikPok was the natural frontrunner.

The team was cautious not to just slap a lick of pink paint over Rival Stars Horse Racing but rather fuse their experience of horse sims with Mattel’s deep knowledge of Barbie. While the game’s players expect the same level of startling realism, they love the added touch of Barbie magic. “They know there aren’t really pink horses, but they enjoy that there’s more fantasy to the game,” says Sutton.

Where Barbie Ride & Rescue really shines is the freedom to engage with different parts of the game on our own terms. One day that might be taking part in valley-wide flag chases, the next its the joy of dressing your character and chestnut mare in matching butterfly outfits! The most rewarding part of the game, however, is rescuing and caring for all the special horses.

“We’ve certainly learned a lot about what horse lovers value, and the key thing is the relationships they form with their horses,” explains Wynands. “And we’ve carried that across to Barbie Horse Ride & Rescue.”

And the game’s popularity with players 30+ proves that Barbie’s appeal is timeless. “We hear players saying, ‘I know this is a Barbie game, but it’s also the perfect game for me!’” says Sutton. “What we’ve really loved hearing from players is that they’re playing the game with their children.”