Following its debut week on iTunes, Cage Name ranked among the Top-25 paid Sports apps in the Canadian iTunes store and garnered recognition as being New and Noteworthy. The entertaining and stylish app from Me Thinks Studios gives fans and wannabe fighters a taste of the mixed martial arts (MMA) spotlight by creating fighter personas – unique nicknames paired with standout images.
“We knew there would be potential if we combined the popularity of iPhone apps with Mixed Martial Arts. We’ve had early success with the Cage Name app because MMA is huge in Canada right now. When we saw that UFC 129 sold 55,000 seats in a matter of minutes, we were blown away by the possibilities within the Canadian market,” said Patrick Murphy, Me Thinks Studios co-founder.
Unlike apps developed by big tech companies, Me Thinks Studios was borne from humble roots and a passion for MMA. With full-time jobs to manage, and no startup capital, the two young Canadian entrepreneurs have had to manage every aspect of the app’s creation, from idea to iTunes.
“We started with nothing: I had no experience programming apps, and I didn’t even own a Mac. Still, we put in the effort and energy, and are very happy with how Cage Name turned out,” said Me Thinks Studios co-founder, Simon Doubt.
As for the app itself, with a tap, a swipe, and a shake, users choose names from an array of categories and then match their name with a comic book-style character depicting one of the major fighting styles. The social media tools are all there, too – Facebook, Twitter, and email – so users can flaunt their fighter personas without leaving the app. Integration with the device’s address book also makes it easy to land social jabs on friends and rivals.
