Well this is weird. NimbleBit just launched Golfinity (Free), which is most easily described developers obsessed with Desert Golfing ($1.99) who decided to make their own version of an endless golfing game. It launched free with ads, and the ads were implemented in a way that was totally typical of what you normally see in these sorts of free games: Not obnoxious, but there every once in a while.

Well, like all things on the internet, if people can complain about something, they will: NimbleBit has been fielding complaints from gamers since the launch about the ads in the game. Without any kind of IAP to remove said advertisements from the game by paying, they just decided to get rid of the ads entirely.

I contacted the brothers Marsh this morning to see what their plans were for Golfinity. They basically told me they didn’t expect it to monetize very well anyway, so they just stripped the ads to avoid the negative attention the game was adding. Ian Marsh added, “YOLO." His brother, David, chimed in with “YOLOSWAG".

Stepping back a bit, the move makes sense in a weird way. Free to play ad-based games need to hit big time to generate any kind of substantial revenue. Given how niche Desert Golfing was, it’s not unreasonable to expect Golfinity to lead a similar life on the App Store. If you make a game as a fun side project knowing it’s not going to make much anyway, is that insignificant sum worth dealing with complaints? When you’re sitting atop the Tiny Tower throne… I can see how the answer to that could be a resounding no.

So, hey, if you think this is a cool move by NimbleBit and you want to give ’em a proverbial hat tip, maybe buy a pack of bux in whichever one of their games you like the most.

Update: Some people are still seeing ads. If you’re one of the unlucky ones, help is on the way.

Update 2: Developer David Marsh offers advice to get rid of the ads if they’re still stuck on for you- “If you have been signed into iCloud, deleting and reinstalling the game will remove all ads."