Gameloft Just screwed me over.

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by Anonomation, Dec 17, 2014.

  1. Anonomation

    Anonomation 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    #1 Anonomation, Dec 17, 2014
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
    So you know gameloft has a record of free to play games right? You know gangstar vegas?


    ITS FREE TO
    PLAY NOW!


    Apparently premium games are a damn joke now and they just messed over their old. Customers! I'm really frustrated right now and will no longer be supporting the developer...

    I'm really sorry for anything morally or offensive directed at the company but they are slowly losing it and were once my favorite developer. I don't know what to think now because this looks like the start of something evil in mobile gaming...

    Any other thoughts?
     
  2. Woodrith

    Woodrith Well-Known Member

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    Heres hoping those that paid the premium price don't get screwed over by the iap......:confused:

    Otherwise, if they can make the game free with a hands off iap, im cool. Will be waiting a bit before updating the new update to see how it works out.
     
  3. coolpepper43

    coolpepper43 👮 Spam Police 🚓

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    Oh Ya, I know it sucks. I freaking deleted it from my ipad yesterday! :(
     
  4. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    Dont really see the issue. It came out 18 months ago, i presume the games not making much money anymore so they made it free to play. Its either that or deleting the app from the app store as its not making money anymore.

    Other games have done the same, no point flogging a dead horse if the apps making minimum money compared to other titles.

    Yeah its frustrating but its happened before, look at the hoo-hah over Tabletop racing which went from premium-freemium.

    But 18 months ago you probably paid say 5 dollars for the game, so you've got your moneys worth surely ?

    Always found the Gangstar games a cheap rip-off of the classic GTA games, GTA all the way !
     
  5. coolpepper43

    coolpepper43 👮 Spam Police 🚓

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    I didn't even open it yet. #
     
  6. Anonomation

    Anonomation 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    Lol you get 160 "gems" that you can't buy much with if you look at all the item in the store. I'm so done with this.
     
  7. That part of your argument confused me. Would the cost of keeping servers up for in-app purchases and leaderboards really be that much? Hell, the servers might have even been able to fund themselves through the in-app purchases. In fact, in the update notes for the new update, they say that there is now gang battles in this game, which means they added multiplayer in this new version. If they were too strapped for cash, then why would they have added multiplayer in, which would need money for keeping the servers up, and for making sure there aren't any hackers in the multiplayer.

    And I would like to disagree with you on this app not making much money. If you were to check the top paid apps, then you'd see that this app spent quite a long time within that chart (whether on its own or in bundles). That's what I personally saw. I'd argue that this game was able to fund itself on its own. Shouldn't Gameloft have enough money that they could keep games like this premium without a problem? Gameloft are a pretty big company to have so many studios located around the world. Hopefully someone at Gameloft will come into this thread and try to clear this up

    And I'm going to be annoyed by a game turning from premium to freemium if I so choose, aren't I allowed to do that as a consumer? I purchased this game on the pretense that it would stay a premium game forever, and that I could download this game whenever I want to and have it retain a similar level of quality from when I purchased it.


    I'll preface the following point that I'm getting info from the update notes for this next update, and that I have not downloaded this new update yet, so I don't know how these new features have been implemented into the new version. Considering what normally happens with balancing when games switch from premium to freemium though...

    According to the update notes, they added another currency into the game. This currency is, and I quote, the "key to unlocking exclusive content and playing all of the missions and limited-time events." This could mean that they have locked content which I payed for with this extra currency which wasn't present when I originally purchased the game. It then goes on to say that this currency is unlocked by "completing missions and special events." The thing that worries me the most here is that there is no differentation in this description between the missions which require the new currency and which give you currency. Who knows, I may need this currency to play missions which give me currency. But those special events don't seem so bad, right? "New Special Event Energy System." Right in the update notes.


    What's even more outrageous is that the version of the app which I spent $5 on is now completely gone. I didn't keep a copy of the game spare somewhere, and now I have to suffer for it. I've had a product which I paid money for taken away from me, only to be given back in a gimped version. I'll start the ridiculous metaphors which will surely turn up in this thread with this. It's like I purchased a car, but 18 months later, it's taken away from me and replaced with a similar version of the car. However, the air-conditioning, GPS, boot room, whatever has been replaced by versions which lock up every now and again. The only way I could get past this is by waiting for them to fix themselves, or to put in money to a new slot which has been placed into a car in order to get them working again. If that were to happen to me, I would be demanding a refund from the car company. Millions would. Everyone would be outraged by it. Whilst people don't go around begging for refunds in the App Store, yes, that sort of thing still stands. I purchased this game in the pretense of it being a game that would stay a premium game forever, and that I would have access to a version like that forever. However, I have had that version taken away from me, and that pisses me off



    When Gameloft decided to do a free to play version of NOVA 3, they just released a seperate version of the game and left the option to purchase the paid version of it on the App Store. That was a good move. Why the hell couldn't they just do that with this?
     
  8. slamraman

    slamraman Well-Known Member
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    I do have to disagree with psj here. I wish people would just make new stuff instead of the further milking old stuff. Then we can all stop making excuses for everyone's behaviour. Yep, it was only a few quid but I was looking forward to playing the game I bought in my retirement.
    Changing a payment mechanism of something that people have already paid for is just bad form where I come from.
     
  9. coolpepper43

    coolpepper43 👮 Spam Police 🚓

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    I agree with hoggy. We keep buying these games under false pretenses. It's all bogus.
     
  10. Anonomation

    Anonomation 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    Exactly! When did gameloft say, it's gonna go free to play after a while so buyers beware?
     
  11. Crabman

    Crabman Well-Known Member

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    #11 Crabman, Dec 17, 2014
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
    Yes,thanks for the heads up :p

    Seriously,i was never interested in buying this game so at least i can try it now and see how it plays with a controller.Other than that,sorry but it's Gameloft.It's really not since yesterday that it's clear what route they take.I have no trust in this company and usually not supporting them.Exception:i think Asphalt is doing it ok with the f2p mechanics (hell yeah,no waiting timers at least),i sunk dozens of hours into the MP and bought a carpack once (for 3 bucks) just to support it because i didn't feel an agressive f2p push from that game.

    I'm gonna buy MC5 today,just because i want to have a proper 1st shooter with MFI controller support but i have no doubt that it will follow the same route in a not so far future.But until then i'm sure i got a decent time of playing for my"starbucks coffee" 3-4 bucks.

    It's a stock company,so it's absolutely no surprise they try to make as much profit as they can.Wake up ;)

    We all know why many big devs/publisher follow the f2p route.Do you remember the monument valley shitstorm about getting new content not for free?I see a lot of people even here on TA that prefer to wait a year to save a few bucks on a game that is even worth double the initial price (I'm talkin about Oceanhorn right now).We are all spoiled by the app store eco system but as somebody who plays games for 30 years now...there is another reality out there.price wise.
     
  12. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    Who knows, perhaps the cost in the future of upgrading games when Apple updates their OS every year isnt worth it, i'm sure they've got spreadsheets showing that this game only makes xxx amount so its not worth keeping it going or just switch it to freemium to make money.

    I know its frustrating but again this game came out 18 months ago. Are people that upset when 18 months later the app changes ? Cant you not upgrade it and keep the premium version ?

    You cant expect apps forever to be updated to the latest OS or never change even if say they're losing money left right and centre. Gameloft arent stupid, if this game sold by the bucketload month in month out they wouldnt switch it to freemium. I think in my view sales have dropped to minimal so they thought a change to freemium might get some more mileage out of it

    Or simply contact Gameloft, i doubt they'll give the real reason but worth a shot.

    But for me personally i think people think they're entitled to tons more than they should really get for their few dollars. Eg continous updates for the next 10 years, free levels (not IAP shock horror ;) - Look at Monument Valley and the hassle they got when those levels came out !)

    Yes you can choose to be upset by it, i can choose not to be. I also have purchased a car/tv and other stuff which years later stopped working or werent supported anymore as companies move onto new models etc.

    For me personally when its just a few dollars and i've had say 18 months of fun with it i dont worry too much. Again of course its frustrating but this game was out for 18 months, if they did a switch after say 3 months then yeah i would be annoyed.

    And again why on earth dont people keep copies of apps specially when you can get 50 gig or so of cloud storage with lots of providers.

    But again its a $5 app so i wouldnt compare that to a car really. I used to like Heroes of Sparta but they then changed that into freemium and others. Simply vote with your wallet, dont give them a download, dont buy any IAP's or their other games. But again it was 18 months ago.

    I buy about 20 apps a month, i've noticed a few of them dont work on ios8 as the dev probably didnt make enough money and couldnt be bothered to update them. So those apps i cant play on one of my devices (only updated one to ios8), i could moan to the dev but when that apps 2 dollars and came out 3 years ago i dont think its really worth it.

    Personally think people expect way too much for their few dollars

    Yep i noticed that ! Think it was the game of the year in 2013 and some people wait a year just to save a few dollars on it ?!
     
  13. Vovin

    Vovin 👮 Spam Police 🚓

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    #13 Vovin, Dec 17, 2014
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014

    Not to forget that the most apps, which aren't financial successful, are obsolete after 2-3 months and nearly nobody is asking anymore for them.
    On PC/Mac, a game loses much of ist worth after 8-12 months (that's when they're discounted down to 3€-5€ on Steam), except for the extremly successful games. On mobile market, it's much harder: 2-4 weeks and it is discounted or forgotten.

    I jsut checked the main thread - in the last 6-7 months, there were only 10 posts made for that game.
     
  14. SherlockEB

    SherlockEB Well-Known Member
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    Not even surprised.
     
  15. madreviewer

    madreviewer Well-Known Member

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    Me too
     
  16. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    Thing is this is nothing, i mean a game which 18 months later moves from premium-freemium.

    The worst thing is when apps simply dont work, i had an old retro game called 'Clash Force' which i loved. Wouldnt work on ios7, asked the dev and he had no intention of upgrading it to ios7. He updated the app info to say ios 6 and below.

    So yeah that was a waste of money, i had the game for a few months until ios7 appeared, the game was only 99c so you win some lose some.

    But look at how many apps stop working or have issues when theres a new ios. People seem to update instantly (i would wait personally) and then moan when a lot of apps dont work. To me thats much more frustrating than an 18 month old app moving to freemium.

    So all those dead apps from years ago which are never updated, more and more will stop working on the next version of OS when that appears yearly (If apps have to be updated to work properly for the next OS)

    But thats just an issue of having super dirt cheap apps, over time more and more might stop working or stop getting support.

    I moan at people for not backing up apps but at some point in the future something like the Vectrex app (which i love) i wont be able to use on a new device as you have to download the other games from the app store. If that app ever gets taken down i may have the 'shell' (main app backed up) i can install on a new phone but i wont be able to download the games for it.
     
  17. madreviewer

    madreviewer Well-Known Member

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    Agreed, that thing is the reason I won't upgrade to iOS 9
     
  18. rhljk14

    rhljk14 Well-Known Member

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    #18 rhljk14, Dec 17, 2014
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2014
    This is such a lame thread. "Gameloft screwed me over" because a game that cost $6.99 is now free after 18 months. I hope you have a thread somewhere that complains about stores like Gameloft that sells used games that are $50.00 when released, for $10.00 18 months later. I blows my mind that after so long some people just cannot grasp the mobile gaming platform. They can not grasp that it is a business and this is the most profitable. Studio's like SquareEnix are selling final fantasy games that cost a fraction of what they cost upon release or the Lego games that cost $6.99 that were $40.00 originally. No one complains when that happens. They just think "well good for us, a decent game at a good price." God forbid the opposite happens. I say shame on you because Gameloft has been making games free to play for the last 3 years.

    I remember when Toucharcade was the go-to sight for iOS games.....it seems that all I see now is the same complaints over and over again.

    Lame




    Quick edit: I respect the right for people to post their thoughts and feelings about games, i hope that people respect that there are also other opinions. I am presenting an observation...one that by no means is meant to be disrespectful.....but in my opinion needs to be said.
     
  19. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    Do you mean iOS 8 ?
     
  20. TheMerc

    TheMerc Well-Known Member

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    Please don't take this the wrong way (I'm not the OP), but it's hard to see how the lines in bold aren't a bit condescending/disrespectful. I don't doubt that wasn't your intention (sometimes our words get the better of us, and we don't seem use them as well as we'd like in order to convey the feelings we'd like them to), but if I hadn't read your Edit, I'd have thought otherwise.
     

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