I like Alto’s Adventure ($4.99) quite a bit; what it lacks in craziness when compared to a game like Ski Safari, it makes up in moodiness and introspection. Today, the game has finally jumped over the iOS slope and landed on the Android side, but with a very interesting change from the iOS version; the Android version is F2P rather than the $2.99 it (still) costs on iOS. Why this discrepancy you might ask? Well, according to a recent Ryan Cash and Noodlecake interview, while the game retains the same gameplay and structure as the iOS version, it’s F2P primarily because of how much of an issue piracy is on Android compared to iOS, especially in the case of premium titles that charge more than $0.99 (a very interesting definition of a premium title, but that’s a different story for a different day).

When Noodlecake ported Wayward Souls over to Android, only 11% of the game’s installed copies were paid for, which shows the current reality of the Android platform. To avoid such issues with Alto’s Adventure, they’ve made the game F2P with opt-in video ads and a single IAP that doubles the coin you collect (much like Crossy Road). The other reason the game went with this monetization model according to Noodlecake was because it has to compete with all the F2P games in countries like China and Japan.

The iOS version will stay at its current price (which, let’s face it, is still really cheap) for the foreseeable future. Regardless of the change in monetization models, Alto’s Adventure is still a fantastic game that Android players should definitely get. You can download the game here.

[via The Verge]