Drift: Game Tracker

Library View
Game Details View
Profile View
App Icon
Custom List
Card to share with friends

Inspiration

We are a team of three guys who stumbled upon this hackathon just a few weeks ago. We decided to jump right in and challenge ourselves with two main goals: to build a solid product together and to successfully launch our very first app featuring In-App Purchases. We had thought about creating an app like this many times before, but we never found the time to do it, and this finally felt like the perfect opportunity to dive in.

Our main driving force was to build something we actually wanted to use ourselves. While there are millions of tracker apps for movies and TV shows, we felt there wasn't a definitive, beautifully designed hub to collect video games, manage a massive backlog, and share favorites with friends. That’s how Drift came to life.

What it does

Drift is a video game tracker designed for passionate gamers. It allows users to effortlessly search for any title, discover trending games, and manage their backlog by organizing their library into clear lists (Wishlist, To Play, Currently Playing, and Completed). It enables users to discover new games and keep them close at hand, and it also offers a Pro tier for advanced customization, letting users create unlimited custom lists and generate a personalized "Games That Define Me" showcase card to share with friends.

How we built it

In just a few weeks, we managed to structure a solid MVP with all the core functionalities. We built Drift natively for iOS using SwiftUI for a fluid, energetic interface and SwiftData for fast, private, local storage. To power the massive game catalog, we researched and integrated the RAWG API to fetch real-time game data, trends, and artwork. Finally, we used RevenueCat to seamlessly implement our "Drift Pro" lifetime unlock.

Challenges we ran into

With only a couple of weeks to conceptualize, build, and publish the app, time was our biggest enemy. The tight deadline forced us to make hard decisions on scoping. We had to ruthlessly prioritize core features over advanced ones to ensure we could deliver a stable, working MVP before the Shipathon deadline, without getting bogged down in feature creep.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are incredibly proud to have successfully launched our very first app with fully integrated In-App Purchases. Going from a simple idea to an App Store-approved product in under two weeks is a massive milestone for our team. We are also proud of the clean, frictionless user experience we managed to deliver right out of the gate.

What we learned

More than just technical development, our biggest takeaway was learning how to truly manage a product. We learned how to properly balance monetization. We spent a lot of time figuring out how to distinguish essential features from premium ones. We learned how to ensure the app remains perfectly usable and completely enjoyable for free, while offering a richer, tailored experience for those who choose to upgrade to Pro.

What's next for Drift: Game Tracker

We have already drafted a packed roadmap of features we want to add over time. This Shipathon gave us the perfect opportunity and the push we needed to start the first chapter of this adventure. We can't wait to keep updating and growing Drift, hopefully finding a community and support from other developers and dreamers like us. We are ready to improve it day by day!