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World’s youngest App developer follows up with PizzaBot sequel

PizzaBot Season(ing)s asks the player to help a slice of pizza fight off the invasion of the wicked cranberries.
PizzaBot Season(ing)s asks the player to help a slice of pizza fight off the invasion of the wicked cranberries.

THE WORLD’S YOUNGEST app developer for Macs, iPhones and iPads has released his second app – a seasonal version of his chart-topping debut.

Harry Moran, now 13, rose to prominence last month when his PizzaBot game – based on a slice of pizza which wakes up in a kitchen infected with salami, and “dons cyborg implants” to battle the invaders – topped the iPhone paid download charts, ahead of even the world-famous Angry Birds.

He has now followed up his Space Invaders-inspired game – which won official acknowledgement for Harry from Apple, as the youngest developer of any App in the world – with a seasonal version, PizzaBot Season(ing)s.

Following the Angry Birds model of releasing a companion app at particular times of the year, PizzaBot’s latest task – having defeated the evil salami – is to fend off cranberries as they take to take over the North Pole at Christmas.

Harry told Silicon Republic that the new version of PizzaBot – which, like its predecessor, sells for 79c – ran more smoothly than the original, and that he was happy with how the original had fared.

Moran learned his skills at a Coder Dojo in his school this year. Coder Dojo encourages the teaching of programming and development in schools.

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Comments (35 Comments)

  • Begrudgy 06/01/12 #
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    Well done lad. Keep up the good work.

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  • Dave Harris 06/01/12 #
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    Harry Moran you are a complete and utter champion and an inspiration to us all. Best of luck for pizza bot seasonings and everything you do in the future. By the way, I admire greatly what Coder Dojo is doing and wish them well too.

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  • Report this comment

    Good on ye Harry.

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  • John Stevenson 06/01/12 #
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    im soooo bloody jealous of him. Hey is going to be huge in a few years, app success at 13 wow. well done

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  • Billygoatmuff 06/01/12 #
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    Well done…….. give that man a job @ thejournal.

    Reply
  • Chris Coffey 06/01/12 #
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    When I was 13 I was a clueless sap. At 26 I’m still a sap, still relatively clueless and couldn’t write an app if I had a gun to my head. I both begrudge and admire those lucky few that are clearly talented geniuses at a young age.
    I kid of course, I have nothing but admiration for people like this young lad. What an achievement, he’s doing us all proud.

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  • Michael Hegarty 06/01/12 #
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    Its young boys and girls like this lad that give us real hope for the future of Ireland. Well done lad!!!! What about Android games?

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  • john g mcgrath 06/01/12 #
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    Excellent well done continued success
    Don’t emigrate

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  • Barry Lynch 06/01/12 #
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    Pizzabot is a terrible app and should be free if allowed on the app store at all.

    CoderDojo is a wonderful initiative, but promoting this crApp is wrong and is giving all the wrong signals to this child.

    Anyone who is thinking of buying this kid’s app had better get it into their heads that they will be making a donation, since what they will get in return is of no value at all. There are other children in the world who could use that donation instead.

    Nearly every review for these apps rates them at 5 stars. These reviews are left by friends of Harry Moran and other members of CoderDojo. Don’t be fooled by them.

    If you buy these apps, please leave appropriate feedback. If there are bugs, send feedback about them. If the bugs aren’t fixed in a timely manner, ask for a refund. Please leave feedback about the app – the item you have actually paid money for – and ignore the age of the “developer”.

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    • Faceless Man 06/01/12 #
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      Grapes and sour spring to mind

    • Barry Lynch 06/01/12 #
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      If he deserved all the attention he’s getting I’d have no problem with it and would be cheering him on. Due to all the hype, I bought his first “app” and it actually felt like being conned and robbed. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, but please don’t praise it if it doesn’t deserve it.

    • Edel Lyons 06/01/12 #
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      Seriously? We should applaud this young lad instead of ripping him to shreds! Get a life. So what if the game isn’t good, the point is he has the get up and go at such a young age to be able to produce a top selling app. I’d like to see you try

    • Brian Ward 06/01/12 #
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      Conned and robbed by a 12 year old. I see where you are coming from! Ha! :-)

    • SMcB 06/01/12 #
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      I’d agree that the app should be free as truth be told it does need work. However, fair play to the young lad for creating the app. He can only get better given its his first app.

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    All credit to the lad. Mark Zuckerberg watch out !

    Reply
  • Barry Lynch 06/01/12 #
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    To anyone who bought these apps, either on the Mac or iPhone/iPod Touch: If you had never heard of Harry Moran or how old he is, and had just bought these apps at random, what rating would you give them?

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    • sluazcanal 06/01/12 #
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      5 stars?

    • Stadler Waldorf 07/01/12 #
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      Jaysus Barry, that’s some crusade you’re on there. Give the lad a break, he’s only 13. What were you expecting? Call of Duty 4? Everybody has to start somewhere and fair play to this lad. And if he’s found a way to make money in this recession, then there’s hope for us all. Jeez. Why all the negativity?

  • Barry Lynch 06/01/12 #
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    If Apple made applying for a refund easier, then this “app developer” would find himself in serious trouble.
    Of each sale, Apple gets 30% of the purchase price which they keep regardless and the developer gets 70%.
    In the case of a refund, the developer has to pay back 100% of the purchase price.

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  • dave quinn 06/01/12 #
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    Barry lynch, go get a life you come across to be jelious of the kid.

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  • Paul Mallon 06/01/12 #
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    Coder Dojo is a great idea!!

    Reply
  • John Smith 06/01/12 #
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    Ah Barry. I propose an app-off. You and this 13 year old both create an app and let the public decide which is better. My money is on the kid. Well done Harry, great things are on the horizon for you.

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  • corky2004 06/01/12 #
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    Give the lad a break, pizzabot may not be the best game in the world but you gotta start somewhere. It’s not like he’s out there knacker drinking and robbing grannies!

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  • jimbo 07/01/12 #
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    inspirational young lad

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  • jimbo 07/01/12 #
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    alot of thumbs down maybe these people are just still on there C64 or just jealous.

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  • kyp154 07/01/12 #
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    Fair play to the kid but I’m surprised the “please think of the children” crowd aren’t on here moaning that it’s fast food fighting the evil health food ;)

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  • Gavin McGuinness 07/01/12 #
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    Give him an article with The Journal. I would love to here what he has to say about his recent success.

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  • Report this comment

    well done to the lad as coding aint easy and i wish him the best as a developer but there is alot of hype about it and its pretty shit, if ya hand a 4 year old a guitar and he plays it, it makes him the youngest guitar player in the world but more than likely he is still goin be shit !

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