A hot topic lately following the release of Angry Birds 2 (Free) is discussing the how’s, the why’s, and who is to blame for the current situation on the App Store where a game from a series like Angry Birds which very much got its start in the premium priced app world has since shifted gears to a free to play title loaded to the brim with what some people call “cancerous elements." A world map complete with Facebook avatars, a life system which recharges over time, currencies, ads you can watch, a hefty dose of randomization, and other free to play shenanigans has some folks very upset. However, as long-time TouchArcade forum member Sivad points out in a thread posted earlier this week, it’s typically the same people who are incredibly upset about free to play who also get worked up over the pricing of premium games as well.

He continues:

For instance, Radiation Island ($4.99) is a brilliant game, it’s price was so cheap I didn’t even look before I purchased, however, the past few forum posts show that people are complaining of lack of updates, or not enough content… It went on sale for .99 recently and people were arguing that it wasn’t worth t because they beat the game in 10 hours or so…. This game by Atypical was a console quality game and a first of its kind for mobile in the survival first person genre a la Day Z or Rust.

Why would a developer, large or indie, take [a] chance on a price when a large portion of the users will complain or “wait for the sale". I realize this isn’t everyone and this is just [a] recent memory that bothered me, everyone screams they want a game with depth, content and originality, but if a dev dropped a game like that and priced it at 19.99, they prob[ably] wouldn’t see half the downloads they need for a profit.

It’s been something we’ve observed as well, it often feels like the vocal members of the iOS gaming community are demanding to have their cake and eat it too- typically to the detriment of the iOS gaming ecosystem as a whole. It’s hardly even limited to games either, there’s a reason this Oatmeal comic resonates so well with everyone. We’re in the situation we’re in because seemingly no one wants to pay for anything, and that often includes the core iOS gamer base. With this prevailing attitude, it shouldn’t be any mystery as to why free to play elements like the ones found in Angry Birds 2 have become so prevalent.

Sivad sums up his post with:

I really think we need to step back and think about those things before just saying I hate free games and that it’s ruining gaming… As it stands, f2p gaming is keeping some devs afloat that would have drowned on the premium boat.

Agree? Disagree? Head over to the thread in our forums and join in on the discussion.