So sick of... Really? REALLY?! All I hear is complaining."Freeium model" "I don't want IAP" Do you know why most game companies for iOS are moving to the Freeium model? Because people aren't buying games at all. They're stealing/pirating them. That's the real shame. It takes money to make games. People say vote with your wallet... they have. No one is paying for anything and they think they're in the right. Freeium is here to stay, because of YOU.
Actually,people do buy games in iOS -- Scribblenauts and Minecraft are currently in the top ten, and titles like MC3, Plants vs Zombies, Gangstar Rio, and others are doing quite well -- and piracy is less of an issue since it's limited to jailbroken devices (which are in the minority). Clearly freemium has proven to be a very successful business model on iOS, but it's certainly not the only choice on the platform. Android, however, is a different story, and unfortunately the Google mentality is partially affecting the iOS market, particularly with big players like Gameloft who want strong showings in both platforms.
First I just want to say that i completely respect people's opinions on iOS gaming and fully support people's rights to vent about Gameloft. However.... I have to say I am so sick of the Gameloft bashing and now that they are going freemium its just going nuts. I am not thrilled about it but it does give me a chance to test the waters first which is a bit of a plus. Gameloft is a company and are therefor business driven. It is a business model that is more lucrative for them and they are pushing forward full steam. The other option would be to have an increase in gaming prices; $15.00 -$20.00 which may give Nintendo and PSP more of a fighting chance. Free games with options is part of the reason why iOS gaming is starting to dominate; it is just a method that is new and will take some getting used to. If you look at all of the games that Gameloft has released, some great some not so great, they have no doubt helped to push the platform where it is today. If gameloft was not as successful and didn't make big games (at least in attempt) many other companies may not have jumped into the iOS game. They are also not the only big name developers with freemium or IAP. I also want to say that I think the Gameloft gaming experience has changed quite a bit on the iphone 4S and they are only going to push it further, especially with the 4 unreal games they have planned. I agree with most that the Let's Golf experience changed quite a bit. I cant say I have tried the freemiums of Fishing Kings, GT Racing or Brother's in Arms because I already had the titles. What I can say is that I think that most iOS gamers will download them anyway and at least check them out. Who knows maybe we will all be surprised. Again I just wanted to mention that I completely respect everyone's opinion; just wanted to add mine to the fray.
Just to be clear, I'm not a gameloft hater. While I recognize that most of their games are blatantly "inspired" by other console games, I appreciate that they bring games to iOS that would likely never reach iOS on their own. However, I do have a problem with gameloft going freemium. I would gladly pay $15 or more for a fully-featured and high-quality game. However, it bothers me to constantly be forced to throw more money into a game, just to keep playing. I don't mind IAP, as long as it isn't necessary to avoid endless grinding or generally is the only way to progress through the game. But paying more to keep playing a game really bothers me. I'd much rather pay a set price up front and play the game freely, for however long I want.
Did you know that developers can bug cracked games? As in no multiplayer, black screens, and I heard of one that when you downloaded a cracked game it filled the entire screen with random pixels. I mean not everything is full proof, but precautionary measures can be taken. Also, it's not necessarily the users fault because games on iOS were always priced rather cheaply, and this is what people got used to.
I agree with Brrobotix 100%. And yes, it is a business model, but that doesn't mean it's user friendly, IMHO. Hell, I'm an Electronic Media and PR major, so I study marketing, business models, programming, etc, etc; hell, I've even done marketing as well, so I know how and why it works. Doesn't mean I, necessarily, agree with it. I could probably monetize just about every game on the AppStore.
I'll make it short and sweet! Purchasing extras (more levels, upgrades, in game money, etc) within the original app. [[EDIT]] Yeah, in app purchase. Thanks Arta! There I go not seeing the forest for the trees, again.
Sorry to just bust in, but just found this thread, and saw it on the topic of Iap. Well isn't Diablo 3 gonna be F2P too?
Diablo 3 is only free to World of Warcraft annual subscribers, as far as I know. Also, I think the worry is that DH3 will be pay to play meaning that they are forcing users to use real money to actively progress in the game, or endlessly grind. I think the fact that it's freemium is why it raises so many questions.
Seems freemium is all the rage... No thanks Gameloft. I hope someone, somewhere starts a petition, like the ones against BofA slamming their 5$ fees. Maybe, as gamers, we can show that we'd like to NOT have IAP? I'm all for a one time purchase, or purchasing expansive DLC. I'm not for freemium in my games.
