A YOUNG man from North Stifford could be the next big thing in gaming after his mobile phone app was picked up by a leading publisher.

Jordan Bailey, 20, of Clockhouse Lane, has seen his app Bounce It take off more than he ever dreamt of following its launch in October.

Now, the game – in which players have to guide a ball through a number of levels collecting stars – has been picked up by Chillingo, the company responsible for one of the most downloaded apps of all time, Angry Birds.

Chillingo is now in the process of adding the game to the Samsung app store, after seeing the success it has had in the Google and Amazon stores.

The game has had more than 6,000 downloads since it was launched, and more than 30,000 individual plays. Not bad for a hobby!

Jordan said: “It was a hobby at first, but I decided to see how it went if I put it online. I didn’t think it would get any downloads really, or any plays, but it’s taken off.”

Jordan, a keen gamer, added he taught himself how to make games by following advice from online.

He said: “The idea was my own. I haven’t played any other game to take inspiration for it. When I make a game I make it as one that I’d want to play.”

Mobile apps are big business these days, with the real money made by developers selling advertising space within their games.

The developers of Angry Birds, Finnish company Rovio, reported revenue of 200million dollars in 2012, and Jordan is only now turning his head to the idea of his hobby becoming a successful career.

He said: “I didn’t really think of the financial side of it at first, but through all this I’ve realised this could become a career.”