Australian developer Halfbrick has been in the games biz for over a decade, but really broke through with Fruit Ninja on the iPhone way back in April of 2010. They’ve released several other successful titles since then but nothing since Jetpack Joyride in September of 2011, more than a year and a half ago.

So it was kind of a big deal last month when they began teasing a new upcoming game called Fish Out of Water. We got our grubby hands on the game at GDC, and in our hands-on video preview members of Halfbrick walked us through the ins and outs as we were able to experience the game firsthand, and much like Fruit Ninja and some of the other Halfbrick games it was built around some incredibly simple ideas but full of polish, personality, and tons of fun.

Now we finally have a date when that fun will hit the App Store, as Halfbrick has informed us that Fish Out of Water will be launching later this week on April 18th for 99¢. To celebrate, Halfbrick has released part 1 of a 2 part behind-the-scenes look at Fish Out of Water which you can see below, and includes some cool insight into what went into making the title as well as a look at some early prototypes when it was just a stone skipping game. Check it out.

When I played Fish Out of Water at GDC last month, I spent a good 20 or 30 minutes with the game and by the time our meeting was over I was actually upset I had to stop playing. It really is fun. So I’m pretty excited to see the game finally launch later this week. If you’re excited too, check out our forums for some pre-launch discussion or take a look at the debut trailer if you missed late last month, and we’ll let you know just as soon as Fish Out of Water hits the App Store.