If you only want big companies like EA or Zynga (to name two of the biggest) to be in iOS, good for you... You can let all the others drown and go out of business. Let innovation and honesty die... Right?
If it's a dev that I like (Foursaken, Rodeo, Radian, etc) I'll pay full price on release. I also like to support lesser known or up-and-coming devs whose games seem special or unique. Like I just found out about this awesome game from the hidden gem thread. The Little Crane That Could. It's free, 3.99 to unlock the rest of the game. But it's an awesome physics game that's been supported and updated for two years. And it's TA thread only has 7 posts, 7! Or Survivalcraft. 3.99 and you get closest thing to PC Minecraft on IOS. From a dev who is super close with his community and fans base and updates his game very regularly
Right now, more highly rated interesting looking games become free on a daily basis than I have time to try and plenty of those are innovative. When that slows down then I'll consider paying more than 69p for my games.
Thats an ongoing problem that worries me, users dont post on threads anymore, just on the GOTW one and some others in the general part of the forum, and thats becoming a bad habit. If you like a game please post it there and tell the rest lf the world why you like it/nominate it. Some of those devs are already broke and wont make games for iOS because it cant sustain them anymore, so keep waiting for those innovative games to go free, you wait for it. Im sad now :/
I have sympathy for the broke developers, but really the App Store is too crowded. I think it needs for a lot of these developers to stop to make it down to a manageable size. When the innovation slows down (no sign of that yet) then we'll reach a stage where people will have to pay more often - and maybe higher prices - to get a game from the innovators that are still going. At that point, the App Store will have reached a sensible size.
Spoiler I just thought this deserved a post of its own. Without specifically targeting this at the owner as it's quite common if not the norm, and fully in the know that this won't win me any friends or further business, I have to say this, it's been building for a while. I find this attitude offensive and disgusting. Say it out loud. Sixty nine pence.
Sad but true, the AppStore is in serious need to be cleansed, but I fear the ones who will be cleansed are the good honest hard working devs instead of that freemium crap (or the copycats, or the abusive devs, or the ones who use sneaky tactics,...) that litters it now. They are the ones who should be going away, but there is no sign of that happening any time soon... Edit: What is between the parentesis...
I have paid more than 69p on occasion - if it's a game I really want (offhand, Magic 2013 for £4, Infinity Blade 1 and 2 for £2 each - with no regrets - and Arkham Lockdown for £2 - which I do regret). For the most part though, most games in the App Store don't inspire me to spend more than 69p. I'm not apologising for that.
I don't consider a 60 dollar game which cost 50 million to produce to be a "quality" title if the majority of that money went into non-interactive cutscenes, ad campaigns, and whatnot. This isn't a knock on anyone; I'm just stating that the majority of so-called "AAA" titles fall flat with me. Back when console game prices were more flexible (PS2 had games retail new for 20,30,40,etc.), I usually found the games with mid-low production budgets to be the most fun and memorable. ROBOTIC ALCHEMIC DRIVE FTW!
I love your games. If you had the branding that, say, Slitherine does, along with a PC-centric sales base.... Ehh, I haven't had enough coffee. I'm just trying to point to another game that breaks the stereotype. Battle Academy is one of the "premium-est" games on the appstore, and have only heard good things from Slitherine regarding sales. OTOH, at release, it cost 50 bucks for a nearly equivalent PC version. Rubicon, maybe you would make a higher gross profit if you modeled the different penetration values of a 55mm AP round versus the same shell packed with HE, hitting 70 degree 1.5 inch thick sloped armor from 1500 feet at an elevation disadvantage.
I have paid 5 bucks for a game, and 25 for a business app. I won't overpay, though. I would rather pay $5 for a game I like and lose the IAP.
Thanks muchly, glad to oblige. We're actually doing ok, this isn't a complaint from me (apart from that obvious bit), I'm just putting in my 2c on the wider picture given I have some hard numbers in front of me. The AppStore isn't a good place to be for almost everybody, but that's true to some extent in all game outlets. And nobody owes me a living, I know that. But the danger here is that the super low prices that are more or less expected mean almost everyone that tries one game on iOS won't be back for another. And that's bad for everybody.
Reshuffled. That's perfectly fine, and this is your choice. Nobody should knock you for that and I'm not going to either. But it's this attitude I don't get, from anyone that says it (generalising again I'm not trying to single you out). You talk as if the inherent worth of these games is actually only 1 or 2 pounds. Really? An app that says "Hello <username>" when you log in to your phone is worth 69p.
It's hard to quantify. In the current climate when games regularly come down to 69p or free then yes. I've got so many games I haven't even tried yet backed up on my phone that I find it hard to justify paying more for almost any game. If there's a particular game I'm yearning for (as there was for Magic 2013) then I'll make an exception, but that's rare. If there were less games in the App Store and I was sitting waiting for good games to come out then I'm sure the price I'm willing to pay per game would increase. That said, I suspect I'd wind up spending a similar amount overall, but in higher prices getting me fewer games. It really isn't.
I totally agree with that! I don't care how much it is if I want it. He'll, most of the time I buy right away 'cause I want it NOW! I CAN'T wait! Plus, I can afford to buy whatever I want anyway!
Tge only reason I'd wait for price drops is from GL or Triniti. Even EA. Indies and small devs I'd rather support.
I was going to post and "jump" on the $.99 cent or free people. I'll refrain. This issue is to complicated to sum up in a paragraph. I'll try a bit though. The developers have to make a living, if this is what they do. If it's not happening at $5+, they drop the price in hopes of getting exposure. Makes sense? Especially with the over saturation of games on the AppStore. The problem is this set up a culture of people, too cheap or poor, to pay full price for apps. The developers lose out. The consumers lose out. Developers have to sell their product at under valued prices. Consumers get massive amounts of garbage and half baked unsupported games. I could tell you that developers shouldn't drop prices like they do. I could tell you people shouldn't be so cheap. The only answer is a combination of the two.
Honestly I don't see the problem with the game quality. Yes the App Store is full of crap games, but there are still more than enough excellent games out there too.
To be fair to the 99-centers (or 69-pencers), I'll fully admit that there are heaps of games that I would never have bought if they hadn't gone on sale. Some of those games I haven't played at all, and others I've barely touched. Others I've really enjoyed, and gone on to buy IAP from to support the devs (or at least write up a glowing review). Market saturation is a big part of the issue, and its exacerbated on the iOS platforms. There's also the issue that I've been a game collector for years now. Between apps, Steam, and physical media, the number of games I own and have never played is downright shameful. Before I click "buy", I have to think of the staggering amount of money I have stored digitally and sitting behind me that I haven't made use of. That said, I'll *always* consider paying more than $1 for an app. I mean, cripes, you can't get a crossword book for that price. In fact, big prices on usually grab my attention, because it's (sadly) a pretty bold claim on the App store to even say your game is worth $5. But I try not to buy games unless I'm going to play it *immediately*. Sales sometimes spur me to buy games, if it's a game I've been eyeing on and off for months, or if I think the price is going to go up a great deal (if it's just going up a dollar or two, I don't really care).
