We’re going to do some serious real talk here. So, I’m sorry in advance if this upsets anyone. TouchArcade has been around since early 2008, with our very first post published on March 12th, 2008 surrounding the earliest iPhone developers committing to making games on the platform. Since then, it has been a rollercoaster. In the early days, we had loads of good times. Recently? It genuinely feels like Apple does not want us to exist anymore. We’ve weathered unbelievable storms from advertising revenue vanishing with the rise of free to play, and we plugged those holes in our boat by launching a Patreon. The Patreon initially had very strong support from developers, but it was never meant to be a long-term play. As our Patreon dwindled, we’ve pivoted into encouraging people to shop through our Amazon affiliate link, which similarly, had a big burst of interest originally and then dwindled. I’ve since attempted to plug those holes via our Amazon Item of the Day program, where we basically remind folks that there’s all sorts of cool stuff they can buy on Amazon which goes a long way to helping us out.
The ol’ reliable, through all this, was always the App Store Affiliate program. Basically, the way this works (or more accurately, used to work) was anything that you bought through clicking links on TouchArcade which took you to the App Store we got a tiny cut of. Each individual purchase was almost inconsequential, but when you put them all together it’s sort of in line with the plot of movies like Superman III or Office Space- These fractional transactions, over a large volume, become very significant. A little over a year ago, Apple cut their affiliate commission rates which was a massive punch to our collective guts, but, like everything we’ve dealt with over the last decade, we made due by drastically slashing the amount of events we attend and how many freelancers we have actively writing for us.
Moments ago, Apple announced that they’re killing the affiliate program, citing the improved discovery offered by the new App Store. (Music, books, movies, and TV remain.) It’s hard to read this in any other way than “We went from seeing a microscopic amount of value in third party editorial to, we now see no value." I genuinely have no idea what TouchArcade is going to do. Through thick and thin, and every curveball the industry threw at us, we always had App Store affiliate revenue- Which makes a lot of sense as we drive a ton of purchases for Apple. I don’t know how the takeaway from this move can be seen as anything other than Apple extending a massive middle finger to sites like TouchArcade, AppShopper, and many others who have spent the last decade evangelizing the App Store and iOS gaming- Particularly on the same day they announced record breaking earnings of $53.3 billion and a net quarterly profit of $11.5 billion.
I’m just beside myself.
I don’t know what we’re going to do.
I really didn’t think it would be Apple that eventually kills TouchArcade.
I guess now is a great time to link the TouchArcade Patreon again.
I’m just going to turn my phone off and go sit outside.
I am at a loss of words (Ironically it's a long message).
This is obviously aimed to hit TouchArcade and AppShopper as I don't think there are other websites this big and reliable for people to use. Other websites don't come even close to how much traffic TA and AS have.
Personally I use TA and AS almost everyday and I've bought many many apps based on them.
Now I'm just sad to think of them not existing.
Unfortunately I can't support you on Patreon (I'm from Iran and we don't have credit cards here, so no way to pay money to Patreon) but since last year that I realized this Affiliate program exists and you get paid, I made all my purchases through your links and didn't disable ads just to support you.
I hope you find a way to survive and grow even after this.
When I first saw the news on Ars I thought of how this was going to impact TA. Jumping over here I fully expected this type of article and I’m sad to see that I was right.
I, too, have bought many a game because of TA. Probably most of what I use to game was because of this site.
Apple probably doesn’t feel they need sites Iike TA because they have a, let’s admit, really good main App Store page that brings to light a lot of apps people don’t now about. It doesn’t help that most people probably use that for discovery.
I feel gutted as a longtime TA user. Godspeed guys and gals.
I wonder if this may be aimed at the many (seemingly auto-generated?) App Store gateway sites and mailing lists that feature today’s apps on sale and the like, with little to no editorial value... The “shovelware” services to TA’s quality offering.
I really hope TA and AppShopper find a way forward, be it Amazon and/or something else!
I totally agree. Apple should not punish quality affiliate partners like TA.
But yes of , the auto generated app store gateway sides are a problem for apple.
This is a massive dick move.
MAYBE, TA can work out a deal with apple in lieu of the affiliate program? Try talking to them. If they wanted to go after the no-work sites, maybe someone as big as TA can get a deal for just them.
Don't lose hope, be realistic, make smart decisions!
This could be a big thing, but also Apple Search Ads went worldwide at the beginning of August. Apple would rather have developers pay Apple to have their apps found, then Apple pay websites...
You don´t need a credit card to use Patreon. I don´t have any creditcards...
I am sorry this is happening, Eli. I have saved tons by following you guys through your app, which I just finally removed to update my iPad to IOS11 since the site does most of what it did (it was the last 32-bit app that I wanted to keep), and now through your site. I have tried to support through Patreon as much as I could. You guys are my go to for new games and reviews about them and you have been for years!
I hope you find some way to weather this new storm.
Thanks.
-Simon
I’ve upped my patreon pledge and I hope others will too. It might be time to get creative about revenue sources but hopefully there is a sustainable business model in there somewhere.
I'll do the same!
What is there to say? I've been a supporter of the Patreon since it rolled out. I don't always engage in the content on the site, but virtually every game I've bought since I got an iPad has been because of TA. I don't think I've ever once opened the App Store to see what apps Apple was suggesting. I am not sure what TA can do to stay a going concern, but I can only hope that maybe there will be some organized push back on Apple that will get them to relent.
"virtually every game I've bought since I got an iPad has been because of TA."
Also true for me. I think the only exceptions were a few recommendations from friends or colleagues.
Ditto.
I hate saying this, but ignoring the truth would be silly.
Apple is greedy.
We like to wax on poetically about all the virtues these big corporations have, but the reality is that they see green first. And Apple has been notorious for this. Buying up apps and killing them religiously, only to turn and package them into the newest devices for you to buy. Remember the Siri app? Remember how it was claimed by Apple that phones which previously ran it just fine suddenly couldn't because 'reasons'?
Apple, and by extension, Google, Sony, Microsoft, Samsung, Facebook and others, have gotten so huge that they can do whatever they please without much in the way of consequences.
But to cut off the tiny stream of revenue that you all at TouchArcade drove to their app store....just disgusting.
This company is making money hand over fist and doesn't care and actively looks for ways to not share even a fraction of their wealth with their devs or sites like this.
Hopefully you all can pivot to Android games and mostly, Nintendo Switch coverage. Truth be told, I've come to hate mobile games due to the freemium model and the crappy discoverability of the app store. Apple seemed to push the free model and gave those apps top billing, while relagating premium apps and games to be found amidst the sea of crap.
I imagine that it won't be long before Google and Amazon follow suit if they offer similar programs.
Sometimes I can't wait for Apple, Google and others to either have a crippling failure or a new competitor to surface.
Honestly if they see green first it seems like they’d keep the program, maybe strike an exclusive deal or two at least, but not kill it completely and shit on the roots that bore them fruit early on and continue to do such
At least Google didn‘t reject the Steam Link app. Valve even rolled out an updated version to play by Apple‘s poppycock rules. The only reason they rejected the app was the fear of losing App Store revenue but as you say, there‘s virtually only 99% f2p crap out there anyway, so the Steam games don’t even compete with all the casual freemium stuff on mobile.
I used to buy mobile games nearly every day but now nearly nothing. Just look at the Hot Games list on TA, it stays the same virtually over months. This move to cut the affiliate program is so useless, Apple wins nothing through it other than kicking sites like TA or AS into the dust. Their intent was already clear by their treatment of the TA app but this is even worse.
I moved from Android to Apple years ago because iOS had a much better and bigger (premium) gaming catalogue. Now that can‘t be said anymore, both have mostly the same freemium cr@p.
That’s why my next phone and tablet will be some flagship Androids for sure (or Win 10 for the tablet). At least there I got the Steam Link app and emulators en masse. Also you can do tons of stuff you would need a Jailbreak for on iOS and those - thanks to another restrictive policy by Apple - are struggling too.
Apple, iPhones, iPads, iOS ... have lost most of their appeal for me by now. And moves like this basically only cement my plans to move on from this evil, overpriced company.
This is the worst feeling. I have been there. My heart goes out to you guys.
I thought of you guys the moment I read this headline from a tech site. This news is truly disheartening.
Like many people here, the vast majority of the games I’ve purchased are because of the work you guys do on your Out Now series.
But, although I know TA defends this remark every time, I feel that the disruption of Apple’s affiliate program is just the cherry on top of the state of the App Store’s gaming prowess. Gaming on the App Store isn’t what it was once fabled to be: a true threat to console gaming.
I remember when I picked up an iPod Touch for the first time in 2011 and started to dabble in the App Store; I was floored by the games that were available! I played the full version of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on a touch screen, and it was incredible. Gameloft was kicking out incredible RPGs that didn’t even bother with IAPs.
Back then, I was truly excited about the possibilities of the App Store’s gaming market. I really felt like it was the future. But today, things are bleak in comparison. The App Store is riddled with low-quality time wasters and half-assed money grabbers.
Every now and then, a really great game comes along that offers a fantastic playing experience — a developer who truly cares about gaming. But those are so few and far in between that it’s easy to forget them amongst the crap. I can only hope that the success of blockbusters like Fortnite and PUBG convinces serious developers to come back to the App Store, because without them, there’s just more F2P garbage floating up every week.
Sadly, I feel like Apple’s decision to end the app affiliate program is just the last nail in the coffin of gaming on iOS.
I hope the best for TA’s future. You guys have been fantastic, and again, the majority of my game purchases on iOS have been because of you. But unfortunately, my purchases haven’t contributed much to your revenue lately because there haven’t been many games worth buying on iOS.
Best of luck to you all.
The last game that I bought was TitanQuest and we know how that went,I bought my first IPhone when I saw that BioShock was released on the AppStore and I really thought that the iPhone could be a serious game platform but I was soooo wrong I have seen a lot of FTP games with super simple gameplay and the only reason that they are on the store is to generate money through ads,buying games on the AppStore and gaming on the iPhone is “game over” for me.
Hi guys,
I'm curious if you have considered creating a game to help fund the site?
Collectively you guys would have a great understanding of what people do and don't like, what designs will and won't work.
Like me, I'm sure a large number of your readers are devs and may be willing to lend a hand where needed. There's plenty of free, online collaboration tools to utilise.
Keep it simple, unique and fun, maybe that would work?
Perhaps you have done this in the past and I missed it.
I can think of a great place to advertise it ;)
I think this is an excellent idea :-)
Do this!
There’s a bit of a conflict of interests if a site which reviews games starts producing games.
Not really. As long as it's made clear that it's a Touch Arcade game when mentioned on the site, it's only the same as advertising.
I think the conflict of interest may come if they deliberately didn't review, or reviewed badly, anything that may compete with their games.
That's the basic trust you have with a review site though. the same argument applies to their advertisers. You read review sites where you trust the reviewers to be impartial when reviewing. If they're not impartial, they lose readers, so it's not in their interest in the long run to be biased.
I'm on your side of the fence, I was hinting at that in a comment of mine below :)
It seems like that would end up hurting them anyway lol...one mobile game won’t float ya forever ever..
Probably also a conflict of interest if a site which reviews games takes payment from game developers / publishers to write those reviews ;)
I think if it's clearly stated that they are doing this I personally wouldn't care, particularly if the alternative was no Touch Arcade at all. I wasn't suggesting this as a perfect solution.
Perhaps others feel different and that is fine, I can understand that side too and perhaps you could consider the site less "pure" because of it.
Not really as long as TouchArcade doesn't review or promote it without being clear about the creators.
Back in the say one of the reviewers at TouchGen, Nacho, also created games and it wasn't an issue.
Not enough to matter, especially with one or two games.
thats a bad idea, even thinking that journalists would be good developers is crazy. Like every meal critic can become a pro chef. Car reviewer becomes an car engineer. This is so faar from each other jobs as can possible be.
I think it’s a great idea but making a simple,unique and fun game isn’t that easy and takes a lot of time and effort to realize but it’s great that people try to think of something that can help.
This is true, but it could be thought about as a fund raiser rather than a polished real game aimed at the masses.
In my "spare time" I volunteer at a couple of local schools to teach kids programming, art, etc. and I am nearly through a project for one of the schools where I got the kids to design, do art and prototype code for a game.
It's not going to change the world, they won't be rich, most people wont like it but it's aimed as a showcase of the kids work and is aimed at family and friends as a novel fund raiser.
I think we spent 8 lessons at 45 minutes each with primary school kids to get the assets and design done.
I am taking their pieces and gluing them together myself into a finished product, so there wasn't that much time spent and we have a product.
Before iOS was a thing I had the pleasure of working on mobile games for J2ME, Symbian and BREW.
If memory serves me correct we knocked out one of our smaller games in about three months with one and a half coders so I think the time is really about scope, focus and a clear direction.
I think it could be neat to have a lot of devs that have thrived on TA develop part of the game or something. Community effort kinda thing even if somewhat novel would be an interesting fund raiser idea.
I had a Nokia 8gb that used Symbian OS apparently there where people that made it possible to made pc games playable on Symbian and they did a great job I could play the old DukeNukem FPS games that had a lot off mods available I played a Star Wars game mod that used the Duke 3D engine I can remember how surprised I was that I could play PC games on a phone b.t.w I think it is great that you teach kids how to make basic games and try to interesting them in how to do that,great job James.
Greetzz
Nokia made great phones.
I was always interested in mobile games as I love coding to tight restrictions and designing around the horrible inputs and low res screens was fun, but it was the Nokia n95 that really made me think mobile gaming could be a thing.
It was the first phone I had in my hand with proper 3D acceleration and it had TV out. I still have mine here to fire up the old games from time to time, that device excited me :D
I don't think I had any PC ports on mine, perhaps I'll see if I can fix that!
Amazing idea, I’d buy it even if it was a genre I don’t normally play.
Free market at work. Find a way to adapt or perish. Apple doesn’t owe anyone anything. It could equally be said that if Apple hadn’t created iOS and made mobile gaming what it is today then you wouldn’t have had any of the success you’ve had at all.
You had a mutually beneficial relationship but your benefit to Apple is diminishing so they are making a smart business decision. That’s life.
Make a product that doesn’t rely on another company to support you.
hey mr. empathy - keep that garbage locked up
He's not Mr Empathy-- he's Mr. Business, and he is right. There is no emotion at play here, just business decisions.
The entire point of this post is about the emotions that losing their business brings about. Of course he's right; they also recognize that the business model isn't working (did you read the post?). This guy is just kicking them when they're down. His comment has literally no redeeming value. It's gross.
I disagree. He's not being disrespectful, he's basically stating the facts.
Touch Arcade potentially going down is sad and it sucks, we all get it. But locking up reality hurts more that it helps.
A moment of crisis is when self-criticism is most important. Touch Arcade built a business on top of another one, so if it wants to survive it needs to evaluate its options, asap. And it all begins with basically admitting 'we messed up building our entire business around someone else'.
You don't have to be disrespectful to kick somebody when they're down. It's like going to a funeral saying "well, we all have to die one day and you should just stop relying on other people because they will die eventually.". Yeah, that's a fact and it ain't disrespectful. But it sure is hurtful.
Also true. Time and a place
Its the nature of the free enterprise system. Businesses don’t exist and aren’t inspired by good will toward man, but almighty dollar...and this is WHY amazing products and business exists. Although, I agree making the CHOICE to not be total diks to those entities that promoted and assisted in their success would be a better choice in the long run and decent thing to do especially when it’s not gonna hurt ya much at all. There’s a balance somewhere. It’s easy to foget the wooden ladder that lifted one to such heights; its nice to just be decent and considerate when possible to, we surely need it these days.
That he is “stating the facts” doesn’t mean that he is right there comes a moment that other companies can make a smart phone that can match the iPhone don’t understand me wrong I really like the iPhone and it is a great phone but I don’t like the “take what you can”mentality and forget others that are also a part of that success.Look at the picture and it becomes clear how Apple become so rich. https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
"Make a product that doesn't rely on another company to support you." You make it sound so simple, like the staff at Touch Arcade are at fault for their site being in danger and are stupid to have not thought of it sooner. David, I don't know if you've run a journalistic outlet on the Internet in the last ten years, but speaking from experience, in case this post didn't make it evident enough, it's hard to stay in that particular game at this point because the infrastructure and economics of the Internet today all but force outlets' hands one way or the other when it comes to relying on others for at least some resources, whether that's financial, technological, or even both. When building from scratch is so pricey as it is (even places like CNN rely on other companies' technology like Wordpress, for crying out loud!) and you're just trying to get enough money coming in that you can keep the lights on and pay your staff respectable wages, who wouldn't leverage their notoriety to derive income from other sources like affiliate links, especially when they tie directly into the sort of editorial content that they're known for? That's leaving money on the table at that point!
You say Apple doesn't owe anyone anything and that might be legally true in this instance, but even the strictest "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" interpretations of capitalism still rely on reciprocal transactions in order to function. Apple wouldn't be where it is without consumers giving them money that could've gone elsewhere and editorial outlets like Touch Arcade doing good journalism to ensure said consumers were truly getting their money's worth out of their devices and their apps. Period. In that sense, Apple would absolutely be nothing without consumers expending time, energy, and money to support their endeavors because at the end of the day, no company's success is self-realized. It takes real people sacrificing tangible and intangible things because they believe in it because with that belief, they wouldn't put their money where their mouth is.
Apple doesn't "have" to maintain an affiliate program, sure. But actions that are justified solely by the neverending pursuit of that nebulous "bottom-line" don't make them any more ethical or moral. And when such companies take these sorts of actions that have very real impacts on everyone else's ability to survive, it shows either a lack of awareness for the sacrifices made that helped create its success or an outright disregard for it. Especially after such a record-breaking quarter, I think Apple owed sites like Touch Arcade at least the dignity of a proper dialogue about what to do with the affiliate program so that such sites could make their case for what they bring to the table and are worth maintaining even if, heaven forbid, it makes Apple just a little less money. And when I say "at least," I mean at the very least considering they made this decision knowing full well they as a company wouldn't have otherwise been fiscally hurt retaining it.
A company as rich as Apple doesn't need anybody defending it for free. They've got a big team of paid PR people for exactly that purpose. You don't have to agree with how a site makes its money, but you don't also have to barge in and tell those people how they "should've" run things when they're clearly grieving because of an absolutely arbitrary decision on Apple's part, either. If you think after reading that post they haven't thought about just about everything they could realistically do, I frankly don't know what to tell you because clearly the site wouldn't have lasted until now if they hadn't been smart about their finances.
Capitalism's a cold beast as it is. Ordinary readers and consumers don't have to make it even more frigid. Peace.
So basically shit down all journalism and media that ever existed ?
Come on.
Plenty of things in life rely on other markets or products and work just fine.
You think all media and journalism get checks cut to them each month by the entities they cover?
They rely on them for content and coverage. You shouldn’t expect a referral bonus too. Apple used that program when it made sense to boost sales in a burgeoning market. They don’t need that program anymore. They’re a highly successful and profitable company. Not a charity.
I've never really understood why people defend multi-billion dollar corporations. Yes they are a highly successful and profitable company, but let TA and related sites just have a moment's breath after hearing "we don't need you anymore" to compose themselves.
Well they worked to get to such heights ya know. But at the same time I get ya, making a living can easily turn to short sighted greed and hubris. Apple accepts potential consequences and ya never know...they could come crawling back a year later and put TA et all in a nice position.
...
You sound just like a Trump supporter ;-)
Came here when I heard the news about the affiliate program because I used to read the website a lot before I had to take on more responsibilities and got my own gaming consoles. It’s sad that you guys are stopping to calling people Trump supporters (like that’s supposed to be an insult) because you don’t like what they said.
It's not about not liking what they say. It's about what they say and how they say it.
God forbid people run business for profit...but maybe this isn’t the time or place to start such discussions.
Horrible comment and horrible mentality. The 'free market' results in trash content that appeals to the broadest and lowest common denominator. 'Adapting' is why 99% of websites these days put out garbage clickbait instead of interesting material.
99% of websites put out trash content because:
1. Good content is hard to do.
2. Clickbait is for when viewers don't want to pay
3. The viewer is the product (aka you), not the content.
Call it horrible, but guess what: the world works like that. The sooner one comes to terms with that, the better.
Right consumers arent blameless...lol..wouldn’t exist for so long if it didn’t WORK and a measure of the population didn’t like it.
Honestly I don’t think it’s a smart business move. I think Apple are underestimating the value of having third party websites promoting apps.
Personally I don’t trust the articles in the new look App Store in the slightest because I know Apple are just plugging what they think will make them the most money rather than drawing our attention to hidden gems.
Well if you've been attentive of the games featured on their app store you wouldn't say this. Dandara, Causality, Splitter Critters, on and on are all games without or with few iap's and are quality "hidden" gems, and all featured games.
Okay, it’s not purely driven by games with IAPs and the like, but without the review sites , if a site doesn’t happen to be noticed by Apple, you’re screwed. Pretty much by definition, Apple can never be that independent pair of eyes looking out for great apps.
I see your point and totally agree. I sincerely hope toucharcade makes it through this, I'm restarting my patreon
Exactly, and they r super shirt sighted to not see that. Course their lil “game of the day” feature and other articles are so surface level you might as well not have read them. You might get that a game is “action” and “shooter.” Lol...gee...couldn’t tell from the guy mid air shooting a gun could I?
Apple doesn't need you defending it. It's a huge corporation.
Of course they don't owe touch arcade anything, but as a user of touch arcade (you're here, aren't you) you must realise that this site does provide some added value over the default App Store interface and home page.
He’s not saying it doesn’t i really don’t think. Just that its easy to demonize them...but if not for apple none of us would be here talking about this at all or enjoying mobile games the way we do today even. It takes SOMETHING to make something so great everyone on the planet eventually owns. Some might even say..pathological (like steve jobs) in determination even haha...most ppl couldn’t stand the man.
when someone tries to be punchy rational and down to earth and ends up being just an asshole
Fuck off with that free market bullshit, buddy.
Wow
Thing is Apple did sort of owe TA for all the traffic to the App store they generated. But it's true, Apple is doing what it does best: squeeze more profit.
But two things:
1. mobile gaming already existed way before iOS and was already evolving into the right direction.
2. Apple's success wasn't solely their own. Just like with PC and console gaming, "the industry" owes a lot to sites (and magazines) like TA.
What? On a blackberry?! Ahahaha nuuuuuhh nuh nuh noooooo
Windows Mobile had a LOT of games. There where even several "app stores" for WM. Nokia, Sony Ericsson and the rest that supported J2ME had plenty of games. You could actually see how those games evolved graphically and in complexity alongside the hardware improving.
Hell, it was amazing when 3D Java games started to come out around 2005.
Like I said, mobile gaming, just like gaming on PC and on consoles, was evolving into the right direction with or without Apple.
> Apple doesn’t owe anyone anything.
Apple owes developers and reporters for the flourishing iOS ecosystem. "Free markets" are horrible when there's no ethics.
Ethics, yes, this is surely lacking in apple. Hopefully this eventually produces natural consequences...like for our poor poor (douchey) Zukerdouche lol...just look at that bomb blowing up in face. Reported recent loss of what...50million? Or was it billion? Then again, also reported as taking said loss in stride...must be nice.
This is true.
100% agree. It’s sad when this kind of thing happens, but on the flipside, if you want to make money you need to put your big boy pants on and make a proper plan that goes beyond begging.
Apple didn’t had a problem with it when TA start writing about Apple and the iPhone a long time ago at a time that the iPhone was not more than any other phone so sad that people think that this is normal in business.
ROFL! At least we know what company this shill works for now.
This is sad to hear. Touch Arcade has been my go-to site for new mobile game reviews and the forum goers covers whatever isn't given an official review. But I guess this is not the end, as I believe your skills and talents can be used for other gaming websites out there. Sure it won't be like Touch Arcade, but I do believe this site has had a very good run and all things eventually comes to an end.
Can we start a petition?
Of course, anyone can, but it won’t do any good.
I’m sorry for the news. You guys have given it your all. Unfortunately, Apple gaming is as unreliable as ever. I moved on years ago.
Exactly, but if you say that mobile gaming isn’t the greatest thing ever, the staff will delete your posts and if they’re feeling extra salty, ban you for little reason.
Thanks for all the great reviews and coverage over the years. I've had TA on my home screen since - it feels like - forever. Now I wish I had purchased even more through you guys =\
It's natural to be taken aback by such a huge, immediate, sweeping change like this - just remember the success of the site/app, and know you will find new ways to leverage your creativity and talent into great opportunities, just around the corner.
You'll find new ways to make it work! Best of luck to your team and the freelancers.
After the way I’ve been treated over the years by members of the staff that don’t like differing opinions, I can’t say I’m too upset by this. Sooner or later, people get what they deserve.
I don't know what to say either, as I don't comment much here but I do visit this site daily, and can't imagine not having you guys to keep up with the mobile world. There are just so many games and things I wouldn't have discovered were it not for you.But I do know what to do, and I just joined your patreon, It's not a lot, but hopefully enough of us can make a difference and keep this site going
Eventually Apple is going to crush all the competition. Then they will be the only game in town. Which will lead to iOS completing the transformation into a crap platform (which has already started). And all the fools who have spent the last decade blindly supporting it all with their ignorant purchasing of everything iOS will be the first to complain. And I will heartily and righteously laugh at them.
Yeah, those fools, getting at least a decade of fun and productivity out of something they bought before it stops being maybe quite as good as it was. How we'll laugh!
Natural consequences yep...mayhap it brings balance to the force like nasty ole vader lol.
Also...erm..pretty sure most ppl just buy whats good in the moment not blindly throw hard earned money at something just cuz...generallllllllly...ppl could give a fug and require “enjoyment” from said money throwing
I dont know what to say.... I still find it hard to believe...
I mean this was a win-win move, as far as I can see at least.
Why would Apple want to cut off good advertizing for their platform ? Ridiculous.
Wow sorry about this situation, i hope you can keep the web online
More Switch coverage!!!
Yis!! Maybe Nintendo would set up an affiliate program! Switch is slowly taking over my mobile appetite.
That's terrible news. My heart goes out to you guys. I don't visit TA often while I'm playing a game. But when I'm looking for a game this is one of the top two places I go - beats Apple's own discovery channels by a mile and then some.
Have you thought about possible partnerships with third party peripherals as it relates to the iOS ecosystem? For example, gaming controllers or whatever it is people might use to enhance/augment their iPhone/iPad gaming experience. In addition to advertising, your reviews of games can explicitly include 'works great with <insert peripheral="" you've="" partnered="" with="">, and maybe links to purchase those things can be attributed...
There's always the 'sell the Game of the Week slot' - but I understand that's fundamentally against what makes TA, TA.
I suspect you need something drastic here for sustainability. If I were in your shoes I would be starting to think what industry cares about mobile gaming that isn't already tapped into it. My first thoughts would be like hotel chains. What would a Marriott or a Hyatt get out of affiliation/partnership with TA. Your position being to the effect of lots of traveling people play games on the go, and traveling people want to stay in hotels...
Also, you've talked to Apple directly about this right? Whoever your ISV Account rep or whoever it is. Maybe it's not that they don't see your value; it's just that the right person isn't hearing about it. If you haven't, need to start shaking the tree and get heard by Apple.
I agree, may be Apple might be interested in making TA the official App Store Gaming News site, even if that means you'll have to stop covering nintendo switch news, survival comes first. If you have some good metrics of TA to show Apple, this might be a good opportunity.
Hey Eli (and other contributors!),
As you will see from my account, I have been on this site since 2008. I have not commented much, but visit here every day. I am so sad to hear this news. I joined the Patreon last year and will up my amount, but am not sure that it will be enough. Keep us updated on the progress.
I am so deeply pissed at Apple that I considering jumping ship (I own a Mac mini, a MacBook Pro, an IPad Pro, and three iPhones). But this shit is beyond the pale.
If y’all shut down, I will move to Switch and PS4, but will live with a large hole in my heart. I remember the day and time your site introduced me to Angry Birds. What a joy! I checked the site 5 times a day in the early years (08-11). I often would literally jump for joy when something new would launch (the old gameloft days).
Thank you!! Thanks for being there when I was down and lonely. Thanks for writing when I was bored and tired. Thanks for being adaptable.
You are a bunch of great writers and should feel proud for your hard work! I am a minister and believe that things happen for a reason. I will be praying for you all and am so proud of all you have accomplished with this site. Many Blessings from HUGE fan!!!!!
The most frustrating thing for me is that I think app discovery on the App Store is pretty lousy, old and new. It's like going to Barnes and Noble and only getting to browse the front tables. There's thousands of great books back there, and it's too damned hard to check them out without Apple promoting them. These kinds of sites helped. Damn. This sucks.
Yep they r WAY over confident
I’m sorry this has happened. I’ve learned about more worthwhile games from TouchArcade then the App Store in whatever form it’s taken and I’ve always made a point to get to the App Store using a Touch Arcade link. I don’t understand how Apple thinks this is a smart move.
If it makes you feel any better, the move was likely never aimed directly at you. Facebook and google are likely the main targets, with your site being collateral damage.
Doesn’t make it suck any less though.
If possible, some transparency around your situation might work wonders, though I don't know how bad it is... on Patreon you write, "If we hit this goal [10k /mo], we'll be operating without worrying about needing to do anything crazy to keep the lights on." Is that still true without the affiliate program? Maybe I'm being naive but surely a significant amount of your current patrons could up their monthly payments, throw in a couple studio tier pledges… if this is truly the last chance there have to be some devs who can afford to give back. I’ve increased my pledge and I’ll do it again if I can!
That's why Android will always be the best. Keep kissing apples asses and feeding them money, congrats, you deserve every bit of this. See you in the afterlife say hello to Myspace for me.
Google Play store don’t have affiliate program.
Android...gah nvrm lol
Man, this really sucks, TA team :(. Sorry to hear
I totally think you guys should find a direct agreement with apple so your site survives!
Maybe next time don’t build a business model around something that can be changed on a whim by a big company that doesn’t care about you...
Maybe you should stfu.
Ahahaha
This is insane! Terribly greedy of Apple...
Hi Eli and team. Like many others I have downloaded hundreds of games through your reviews and recommendations! Although I rarely post on the site I visit most days and have sent occasional money to the Patreon.
I am also deeply saddened by this news and hope some of the suggestions from others might work....
good luck to you all and I hope you’ve at least enjoyed some sunshine :)
Affiliate programs are a way to boost traffic to the store. It was bound to end someday. So, this day is October the 1st.
Really Apple wtf 😞😞😞😞
Wow Apple, this is the fucking last straw for me. The X massively disappointed on all fronts and didn’t change much besides my spendings but... Even today I NEED Toucharcade to find games I actually enjoy because your store certainly still isn’t helping me find what I look for even after your changes.
Toucharcade, I hope you just abandon Apple completely and continue writing for Android or something, because this is just... WRONG, they won’t weep at you leaving so why the hell would you even stay to say goodbye? They clearly don’t want you guys.
Hey Apple,
FUCK YOU
I really thought you were different. You completely ruined every grain of respect I had left. So what’s next? Financing the wall yourself? Stealing water from poor people? Clearly You really need the money because you’re so fucking poor.
This Apple is rotten to the core, I don’t believe any of your shit anymore.
What the....dude calm down. The affiliate program was a nice free ride while it lasted and gave sites like TouchArcade a reason to exist, but it's over now. Apple doesn't employ any of these affiliates and there was no terms of service that said this would last forever. Why on earth are you getting so bent out of shape over this?
You act like depending on the good graces of Google would be any better. They don't even have an affiliate program on Android. Truth of the matter is, if we love Touch Arcade we have to put our money where our mouth is and pony up on the Patreon. I know I am.
Nice to see you don't mind bending over for Apple.
YEP that's me, a Pixel 2 owner that's taking it up the butt from Apple.
...what the hell are you even talking about Bonier?
Ahaha man you add SO much to any conversation
Half the country has this mentality right now ya know? Smh
counter productive, i just contributed via patreon, but if TA stop reviewing IOS then there is nothing to keep me reading the site
You had faith in a mega corp like apple and jobs to have bleeding hearts?! >_>
Setup a phone accessories eshop through Shopify and possibly GearLaunch
To echo what everyone else is saying, this sucks. The last paid game that I bought through the link was Pocket City - I absolutely love this as a Sim City update, but I would not have discovered it through the app store front page. Ironically enough there's a link to SimCity Buildit which I played for a day or two before getting frustrated with the free to play elements. Go figure.
How the hell will poor little Apple get to a 1T USD market value without screwing over everyone in its path? Please keep Cupertino in your thoughts and prayers.
Stuff apple....android arcade?
I don't think this is an unexpected move from Apple. Why pay out money if you don't need to? Yes, the impact on TA, easily the BEST Mobile review site in the world is apparently massive, but does this make me think worse of Apple.. not really, sorry.
There are far far worse companies out there (looking at Amazon) who have even worse business practices (treat workers like crap) whilst becoming the biggest company in the universe. People below who keep talking about getting rid of their apple devices over this perplex me.
All I can do is contribute to your patreon (will do that right after I submit this), which will likely get you more money than my occasional affiliate click and keep my fingers crossed that others do likewise to keep you on the internet. Your forums and reviews are second to none.
There is clearly an editorial team at Apple who write reviews for the games of the day, maybe send review samples to marketing and see if you can get in on that action.. so much per word etc? You and your team are established names, I will always trust a RPG ./ Adventure review by Sean for example.. if he likes it, 99% of the time so will I.
Silver Patreon started
You must tell us, how does Tim Cook's rectum taste?
Expensive and salty
Lmao
Careful, ppl gonna call ya nasty name like “sound lieeek a trumpet..trumbonnee..? Trum..supporter.”
that's very sad, but I see it as another step out of IOS gaming...
It's been a great decade, but I just feel less and less inclined to keep playing on mobile – the games themselves are increasingly toxic, Apple itself shows no care at all and the Nintendo Switch made me remember why I enjoyed gaming in first place.
Touch Arcade is the last mobile related source in my "games" news feed.
I wish all the best for you guys, but I think it's time to move on.
Hey TouchArcade. Your guys' reviews really helped put my first games on the map and I always really appreciated that. So sorry to hear about this. Good luck!
Boycot Apple and go for Android. Google is good hahahaha
I'm sry, what was that?! "Improved discovery" is why this garbage is happening? Guess I'll be a full time console gamer now, cause without TA, I'm not about to sort through Apple's retardedly designed AppStore. The AppStore is shit. HTF are we supposed to find the under appreciated games the AppStore buries.
F$&* Apple. Apple's soul died with Jobs.
I'm sry guys. This is terrible. I see iPhone gaming as dead w/o y'all. I hope you guys find a way. And I'm sry. I hope you give a big middle finger to Cook when October comes.
I appreciate y'all, and thank you.
Yep, honestly i dont see much improvement in me finding good games on app store... did they really even change much? I think they just told everyone that they did and didn’t do shit.
Man this sucks for you guys and all the other sites that are out there providing awesome news and reviews . Even though mobile app stores are a huge part of society , it’s not like any other form of “store” or media where there are release dates and previews and news posted . Apps and games just kinda show up with very few exceptions . It’s basically like if Disney just decides to randomly release movies with no warning or hype . I do not see how this benefits Apple because while there search engine for apps and games is good , the way they provide news and updates on what’s out and what’s coming is garbage . If I had extra money I’d donate to you guys all the time , and I believe something will happen to keep you guys going , but if it does not , thank you for your years of hard work and dedication !
This unfortunately reinforces my view that Apple is a greedy behemoth. I come to this site a lot and not even for Apple stuff as I avoid using Apple products.
Sorry to hear about this news for TA and its fans.
Man, this really bad news, TA team :(. Sorry to hear.
Why is this any surprise at all!! Why are people still soo naïve to think that Apple only cares about it's developer and customer base? They only do up to the point of using them to drive usage and make more money. Once tapped out, good bye!!
That is terrible news, you guys helped get my first iOS game Land Air Sea Warfare recognized. I'll never forget it! I send people to your forums all of the time. I hope you can find a new revenue model to sustain you. If not you'll just have to scale back, it's not the end!
Does Patreon allow one-time gifts? I've just upped my monthly contribution but I'd like to toss in a few more bucks because the first of the month just passed.
Good luck TA. I hope you get through this. I have upped my Patreon pledge.
Really not good news at all. App Store recommendations are so weak and limited compared to my experience of finding new games on TA. If TA goes away, so will 90% of my gaming activity on iOS. Guess I'd then focus spending more on music apps and dongles for MIDI devices, until Apple kills that functionality...
Hi Eli and crew. This sucks, and you guys rock. Wrote a couple of articles at TouchArcade and about a 1000 at Touchgen, and view the page daily these days both for proper iOS news and reviews, and Switch-roundups that are sorely lacking elsewhere.
Anyway signed up for Patreon after reading the article. Hopefully more follow to keep you going.
Take care
Torbs
The frustrating thing is the new "discovery process" on the "improved App Store" sucks like an industrial vacuum cleaner. My app buying has dropped by a factor of about ten since Apple launched it as finding anything of interest (unless you have the attention span of a goldfish with ADHD) is simply painful. Sorry you've been hit by this.
The new layout is pretty crap, never encouraged me to buy anything, where as TA has made me buy loads
Amazon Affiliate Program.
Like many others, I have decided to upgrade my patreon pledge, and I hope that more will follow the trend. Hang in there Touch Arcade. <3
Apple greed rearing its ugly head once again.
Go do something else. The App Store sucks anyway. Time for a life change friends. Sometimes it's just time to move on.
Apple hits 1 Trillion USD value and yet they want more.
I wonder when people will realize that Apple isn't a good company.
For who? Gamers? Bwahaha...dude...they have created prosperity and jobs so numerous and beyond that into society. They have HELPED us step closer and closer to instantaneous exchange of ideas and info at a constant rate.
Doncha wanna repair the schizm in ur haaart??! 🧘🏿♂️
Apple have shown that the only one that they care about is Apple It’s make me sick and especially that not so long ago TouchArcade and all the great people out there put a lot of effort to rebuild the website after the TA app removal from the AppStore and I had the feeling that it found again it’s place on the web I really don’t know what to say to all the hardworking people at TA first the TouchArcade app removal from the AppStore and you people didn’t give up and rebuild the app and now this what a bu***sht.
Eli, I started and ran a small iPhone game review website in 2010 until early 2012. We made some money, had about 500k visitors, wrote a bunch of reviews (over 350 I think) and had a lot of fun. During that time I picked up a ton of other skills - SEO, web design, writing, etc. I was doing it as a hobby but the skills I built up gave me the knowledge to later become a director of marketing and later, start my own digital marketing company. We don't know each other personally but I've always enjoyed your writing and TA. If this is the end of TA, I hope you use the countless skills that you have no doubt built up and do some awesome stuff. Best of luck.
I'm of a few minds here.
1) TA surely knew the writing was on the wall. Apple didn't suddenly decide to cut the funding, but they did indeed scale it back. Right there TA *has to know* that their days are numbered for the whole affiliate thing. They just had to, and *then* was the time to sit down and seriously think about how they're gonna keep the site afloat. The time isn't suddenly now. The time was THEN. You may list yourself and AppShopper, but there are so many other junk App sites which all they do is list "TOP TEN APPSZ!11!" and this type of stuff just drives down the quality and just makes it look low value.
2) Where's Google's equivalent of an affiliate program? Why don't they have one? Can TA talk to Google maybe and arrange something? Maybe it's time to branch out? Speaking of branching out. So the affiliate program impacts games and apps. What about the other stuff they're still paying out on? Can you do something else(but AGAIN - the writing's on the wall. It's only a matter of time before those are squeezed out too). While we're busy villainizing Apple, why haven't we looked at Google? Why DON'T they have an existing affiliate program, or stepped up to the plate here?
3) Other sources of revenue. I don't know - can you start throwing ads up on the sidebars? Look I know you're gonna say adblocker(with good reason :D ), but not everyone blocks ads. Surely if news sites still run and operate with ads, you can too?
Patreon...yeah that's short term...people aren't going to fork out if you're not a cosplayer or otherwise some other kind of artist. Before I sound like I don't care, I'll least help with the brainstorming:
- You'll need to branch out. Probably beyond just apps. Music/movies incoming?
- You need multiple sources of income, ads, Patreon and what about subscriber-only content?
- Do you have a YouTube channel? Twitch presence? Something to actively attract viewers or otherwise get more word out to this site? I'll be honest...I've never heard of this stie before Ars Technica mentioned it in an article.
Hm this is some buuuulllshit. How do you think I even find games to buy and play? Not the POS App Store. It’s the worst place to look for new stuff. Only known developers and known indie developers that have the money to pay them to give App Store shout outs are there to see. Single people that spend 6+ years making a game rely on TA to help get the word out, with this going bye bye so too will single indie devs and any chance at all of good premium iOS games. The hidden gems. F**k you apple!
This is one of the few if not maybe only decent site for reviews, and I don't buy apps or come here that much anymore. I feel like a lot of app store review sites were garbage and only did it to get the payout with little to no good content for them sadly.
Maybe not a popular view, but I'd buy a subscription to the site even though not a Patreon supporter (not a fan of Patreon).
It’s stuff like this and Apple’s shafting of the Steam link app that has driven me to buy a new gaming laptop instead of upgrading my iPad, which I will most likely never do again (and this comes from someone who has owned 4 different iPads, including the original). I’m just tired of the way they do things, how they treat their allies who are constantly promoting their marketplace and driving business their way, and how they try to greedily control everything. I’m donezos giving them money.
Wow, um...I owe almost all my joyful hours of mobile gaming to TA....my initial reaction is switch to android honestly. This is ridiculous. Yeah the app store has improved, but I swear I find maybe .8% of mobile games I actually end up playing bc of the app store ads...and the rest is all because of TA. Yeah...I’d wanna turn my phone off for a few days too. Here’s hoping Eli 🤞
I say, even if I hate it, GO ADS!! Tons of ads! If it keeps Toucharcade alive I support it fully!
Have just upped my Patreon pledge. This is one subscription worth having!
Aw man that's terrible news. We've got great respect for Toucharcade.
The problem with patron is that I guess people just bow out after a period of time. Sustainable income is what is needed.
We felt the huge sting of Google when the adverts on our site were rendered useless almost overnight and had to jump ship from the browser almost entirely.
So advertising around the site really dosen't pay off much either. I read some people saying that if news sites can survive then why cant you with ads. Problem is that news sites really can't survive. I've heard of lots of big news sites pushing subscription and massively culling there workforce.
Also lets not kid ourselves that jumping onto android would fix anything as they don't have an affiliate program and never have.
I do wonder what kind of things other sites like Pocketgamer do to keep cash flowing. Hosting big events (but maybe they have big investors).
I am sure that this avenue has already been looked at but what the site needs is some big investors. Problem there though as it will likely change the site into something entirely different as they will likely have there own bias agender.
Its a very sad and difficult problem to solve. =(
Not sure if it's Karma, lack of vision or Apple found out you don't provide them enough value for their busines? Lot of hard mixed feelings. In any case, it sux bad and I wish the very best for you all.