Black Salt Games developers of the online video game Dredge, l-r: Michael Bastiaens (3D animator), Alex Ritchie (lead artist) and Joel Mason (programmer and writer). Photo / Supplied
Two Kiwi apps feature in the 17 judged the world’s best in Apple’s 2025 App Store Awards, announced overnight.
Black Salt Games, a boutique studio based in Christchurch, won iPad Game of the Year for its fishing adventure with a dark side, Dredge.
And James Hustler – who also calls Christchurch home, in rare moments when not globe-trotting – picked up Apple Vision Pro App of the Year for Explore POV, which offers immersive 3D video of some of the world’s most beautiful locations, and some of its most environmentally threatened – the better to keep them at the top of decision-makers’ minds.
“We call Dredge a single-player fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent,” Black Salt 3D artist Mikey Bastiaens told the Herald.
“During the day, it’s simple and satisfying. You catch as many fish as you can, then you try to get back and sell your catch before it gets dark.
“The fish get weird after the sun goes down. We try to tempt players to catch that one last fish or go after a shiny object on the horizon.”
“We’ve got the cozy fans and the horror fans,” added programmer Joel Manson. (If young kids are playing, the monsters can be switched off).
Dredge has been around for a few years, but February this year saw its first release for macOS, iOS (the software that runs iPhones and iPads) and Android. The platform port came with a graphics spruce up to take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen.
People can play the first 20% or so of the game for free. To play the rest, you have to purchase it for $24.99 (there are also add-on packs from $6.99).
The launch for mobile this year has seen an explosion in the game’s popularity. Bastiaens said six months ago, it had sold around one million copies. Today it has sold around 2.5 million.
All up, the game has some 10 million players, Bastiaens said.
UK-born Hustler returned to his Kiwi roots – his father was from Tauranga – shortly before the pandemic hit New Zealand.
He gained freedom from lockdowns by buying a motor home, then travelling the South Island.
“The roads were so quiet,” he says. “Everyone I cared about was overseas, locked down.”
As a videographer by trade, he decided to share some of the amazing South Island sites he was seeing by sending his loved ones and friends video clips. His efforts became increasingly elaborate. At one point, he had stuck a GoPro to the top of a Sony Mirrorless camera in his efforts to get more immersive footage.
“I’d been tinkering with building my own 3D camera rigs,” he told the Herald.
“So when Apple released the Vision Pro [in February 2024] I flew to LA and was one of the first in the queue.
“I’d never used Xcode before,” he said, referring to Apple’s suite of tools for making an app and assessing its performance. But he got stuck in, mostly doing it himself but also roping in some professional developers for advice at times – plus some AI chatbots.
Hustler’s big break came later the same year when he emailed Apple chief executive Tim Cook. He’d seen other developers do the same, and get some encouraging words from the Apple boss – famous for reading and responding to his own emails – which was good for their CV.
In Hustler’s case, it went a couple of steps further. Cook said he’d tried Explore POV and loved it.
He invited Hustler to the tech giant’s headquarters to discuss the app with the Vision Pro team.
The resulting winter 2024 trip to Cupertino gave Hustler a new level of knowhow – not least about Apple Immersive Video, the format he now supports with Explore POV – and a huge motivation boost that set him on a content surge where he filmed 150 experiences in 20 countries with girlfriend Claire Curtis and their dog Kipper (“one third of our staff”).
He also picked up a new tool from Apple partner Blackmagic Design – an URSA Cine Immersive Camera, which is not cheap (it costs a shade over $50,000) but can shoot in 16K (translating to 8K per eye for Vision Pro users) at 90 frames per second.
“The resolution is incredible,” Hustler says. With footage taken on a beach, “You can almost see every individual grain of sand.”
Explore POV now has more than 80,000 users – all gained through word-of-mouth – watching its 180-degree, 3D clips with experiences ranging from walking along a beautiful beach in the Cook Islands to riding a camel in the Sahara.
When the Herald caught up with Hustler – now based in a house in Christchurch – earlier this week, he had just been in Dusky Sound, Fiordland, shooting fresh footage from a helicopter.
Three new destinations are being added to the app a week. It’s free, but with subscribers (from $9.99 for six months) able to unlock content first.
Hustler says his primary motivation these days is to help those with disabilities experience places they could never get to, and to share immersive footage and give politicians involved in conservation decisions visual experience that will really sink in (the Vision Pro has yet to be released in NZ, but Hustler has several headsets on hand for such occasions).
“People say, ‘My brain feels like I’ve been there’,” Hustler says. A couple of minutes into watching an Explore POV clip, “they just stop talking”.
He shared footage of one of the apps users, Usman, whose prosthetics prevented him from travelling to more extreme destinations. Tears were streaming down his face by the end of the clip.
iPhone App of the Year: Tiimo, from tiimo.
iPad App of the Year: Detail, from Detail Technologies B.V.
Mac App of the Year: Essayist, from Essayist Software Inc.
Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: Explore POV, from James Hustler.
Apple Watch App of the Year: Strava, from Strava, Inc.
Apple TV App of the Year: HBO Max, from WarnerMedia Global Digital Services, LLC. (NZ Apple TV users can access Max content via Neon.)
iPhone Game of the Year: Pokémon TCG Pocket, from The Pokemon Company.
iPad Game of the Year: DREDGE, from Black Salt Games.
Mac Game of the Year: Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, from CD PROJEKT S.A.
Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year: Porta Nubi, from Michael Temper.
Apple Arcade Game of the Year: WHAT THE CLASH?, from Triband ApS.
In addition to recognising apps and games across Apple devices, App Store Editors selected six Cultural Impact winners for their ability to drive meaningful change.
These apps and games were recognised for their positive impact, providing users with helpful tools, promoting understanding, and shaping a more inclusive world.
Art of Fauna from Klemens Strasser
Art of Fauna turns wildlife illustration from around the world into relaxing puzzles and sets a new standard for accessible game design.
Chants of Sennaar from Playdigious
Chants of Sennaar celebrates the power of language through a thought-provoking adventure.
Despelote from Panic, Inc
Despelote crafts an intimate slice-of-life story that shares a glimpse into a nation navigating tumult and uniting through their love for soccer.
Be My Eyes from Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes combines the power of AI and millions of global volunteers to help people who are blind or have low vision with everyday activities.
Focus Friend by Hank Green from B-Tech Consulting Group
Focus Friend by Hank Green acts as a powerful ally against digital distractions by gamifying focus sessions with satisfying prizes.
StoryGraph from The StoryGraph
StoryGraph creates an inclusive space for the book community rooted in authenticity through discovery elements that help elevate diverse authors.
See the 45 finalists here.
Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.