What do you do after winning arguably the biggest game in world football? For former international footballer, Mesut Özil, the answer was to go out and start making his own.



Not content with playing his part in Germany’s fourth global title back in 2014, the midfield playmaker now combines his career as a top-flight footballer with developing engaging mobile games. But why the switch?



According to Özil it’s simple: “I just love games,” he explains. "I’ve been into gaming since my childhood. Developing my own has always been a dream.”

It’s a dream he’s now realised. Having started his own development company, Appnin Studios, in early 2019, just months later his first game, The Longest Kick, had launched on the App Store.



Tasking players with kicking a football as far as possible – tapping at the right time to capitalise on boost-providing corner flags – it’s a simple pick up-and-play offering that will have you telling yourself ‘just one more go’ again and again. It’s a game created with Özil’s own interests at its core.



“I love games that are fun, challenging, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately entertaining and rewarding,” he tells us. “My goal is for Appnin to produce games with all of these characteristics.”



While it might not immediately feel like there are many transferable skills between professional footballer and game creator, Özil believes much of what he’s learnt on the pitch help when sat in a meeting room.



“Being a footballer, I believe in the power of teamwork and with developing games it’s no different,” he explains. "Everyone has to do their part to make it successful. Like on the pitch, if someone isn’t working well it affects the whole team.”



A key member of that team is Appnin’s studio head and lead developer, Mike Friel. “We meet to talk about the ideas, gameplay and review artwork,” Özil explains. “Mike is the one that brings my vision to life and turns the drawings into works of art.”



Although Özil brought his footballing roots to his first gaming release, future titles will see him and the Appnin team branch out in a variety of unexpected ways.



“We’ve got a further eight games in development,” the footballer explains. “They are all super exciting but there are two in particular that I think are on another level and one that I’m going to base on my two dogs.“



That upcoming title will see you play as Özil’s pet pooches as you attempt to safely navigate your way through a range or testing levels. Why? According to Özil it’s all about creating things the team enjoy. “Mike, me and the team are really close,” he tells us. “We don’t work on it like a company, it’s more like a family. My dogs are part of the family so why not put them into the game?” Despite having won the biggest games in world football, Özil is just as excited seeing his own games make it into the public realm. “It’s a very proud moment,” he tells us. “It’s been a long journey but I’m really excited. This is something different, not something you do everyday. I hope that we can get all eight games released and then maybe even help other people develop and release their games.