Where to get it

2013 · Nickelodeon · Adventure · City-building

SpongeBob Moves In

Create Bikini Bottom, make food & keep everyone happy.

Released: 6 June 2013
Platforms: Android iOS
Genres: Adventure City-building Simulation
Developers: Nickelodeon
Publishers: Nickelodeon
Series: SpongeBob SquarePants
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB E

About

SpongeBob Moves In! was a city-building game originally created and developed by Los Angeles–based game developer Kung Fu Factory and published and distributed by Nickelodeon; the video game is based on the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It was first released for iOS on June 6, 2013, and became delisted and inactive on June 24, 2021.

In the game, players could build Bikini Bottom to their own tastes and were tasked with keeping the residents happy by making all their wishes fulfilled. As players advanced in the game, they could unlock exclusive-to-the-app stories about how their characters first arrived in the town. These stories were written by the show's writing staff, and were told through animated shorts. A spiritual successor to the game, SpongeBob Adventures: In a Jam, was published by Tilting Point and released on digital storefronts in early 2023.

Keywords

management
digital distribution
microtransaction

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

In SpongeBob Moves In!, players can customize the look of Bikini Bottom with different characters, buildings, and accessories. In the ongoing quest to keep the residents happy by granting their wishes, players can fill the town's happiness meter by collecting happiness. The Bikini Bottom inhabitants wish for food and gifts from various Bikini Bottom establishments, such as Krabby Patties from the Krusty Krab. Once their wish was granted, the player could collect gold coins, happiness, or a recipe to add to their collection. When the happiness meter is filled, players advance to the next level in the game, earning coins, game experience, and unlocking more quests, buildings, and accessories to buy in the store.

Throughout the game, players earn gold coins and jellyfish jelly as rewards for performing various activities like fulfilling wishes, adding buildings, making recipes, collecting rent, and expanding their city. Players could purchase additional land area, ingredients, buildings, and decorations using the game coins and jellyfish jelly they earned.

Reception

Since the release of the game, SpongeBob Moves In! was one of the top apps on the App Store. For the week ending July 1, 2013, the game ranked at #6 at the App Store Official Charts of Top Paid iPhone Apps, and on #4 at the Top Paid iPad Apps. The following week, the game was ranked at #5 at the Top Paid iPad Apps.

SpongeBob Moves In! received mixed reviews from critics, mainly due to the in-app purchases that are expensive. Peter Willington of Pocket Gamer said "I do still love the music, and it's clearly the best aspect of the game - but if that's what you're after then you're probably better off watching this rather than shelling out your hard-earned money." SpongeBob Moves In!