4 ms·

Gaming on iOS is practically dead. No one wants to pay anything, so about all that gets made is freemium junk full of ads and IAPs. The glory days of amazing iP

by MBCook 4y ago

Gaming on iOS is practically dead. No one wants to pay anything, so about all that gets made is freemium junk full of ads and IAPs. The glory days of amazing iPhone games is gone. Apple Arcade is helping, but it’s never going to turn the tide. It’s a last bastion with a few games. Port a recent game, sell it for $10, watch nothing happen. There are a few great ports out there (I just replayed SotN) but I doubt they make their cost back. Consumable IAPs ruined everything.

julienfr112 4y ago
Why is that ? I though people on iOS spend a lot more on apps than on Android ?
- bhaak 4y ago
  Games are not apps. At least not for your average user. And then you still can only charge a single digit (or at most a low 2 digits) amount of dollars. There's no way you can charge as much as AAA titles with iOS games.
  - MBCook 4y ago
    Don’t be so sure. Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, and many others have thought in tons of money. More than AAA? I’m not sure. But Candy Crush didn’t cost what Horizon Zero Dawn or God of War did either. Not even close. And the game prints money year after year in a way most AAA games don’t. Unless they IAPs too like GTA Online.
    - bhaak 4y ago
      That's the 1% of the 1%. There is only a handful of games that earn even remotely that much.
- connicpu 4y ago
  It's generally through IAPs in freemium games, people have just become far more resistant to pay-up-front apps. I think a large part is not allowing you to try before you buy, people are afraid of getting burned. Even though freemium games are often horrible after a while of playing (unless you're willing to dump hundreds of dollars into them), the initial experience usually feels pretty fun and you feel good that you got it without having to spend any money to get to that point.
dagmx 4y ago
> Gaming on iOS is practically dead Uh no it isn’t. People who make that claim only think about AAA titles and high profile indies. If you consider the entire gaming landscape, Apple earns more from gaming than most companies that actually operate in the gaming space. https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/05/31/apple-earner-the-third-most-gaming-revenue-in-2021-outpacing-microsoft-nintendo https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/05/31/apple-earner-the-...
- MBCook 4y ago
  They earn a metric ton from IAPs, which is almost all consumable Smurfberries and such. I’m not saying there are no games. Games could easily be the biggest section of the App Store. I’m saying there are no *good* games, only those designed to force you to make IAPs. Stand alone titles that cost a few bucks (immediately or as a one time unlock) are basically dead compared to the era before IAPs existed.
  - dagmx 4y ago
    I think conflating that as a metric of games being good is both erroneous and highly subjective. There are some very highly regarded mobile games that do quite well.

by MBCook 4y ago

julienfr112 4y ago

Why is that ? I though people on iOS spend a lot more on apps than on Android ?

bhaak 4y ago
Games are not apps. At least not for your average user. And then you still can only charge a single digit (or at most a low 2 digits) amount of dollars. There's no way you can charge as much as AAA titles with iOS games.
- MBCook 4y ago
  Don’t be so sure. Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, and many others have thought in tons of money. More than AAA? I’m not sure. But Candy Crush didn’t cost what Horizon Zero Dawn or God of War did either. Not even close. And the game prints money year after year in a way most AAA games don’t. Unless they IAPs too like GTA Online.
  - bhaak 4y ago
    That's the 1% of the 1%. There is only a handful of games that earn even remotely that much.
connicpu 4y ago
It's generally through IAPs in freemium games, people have just become far more resistant to pay-up-front apps. I think a large part is not allowing you to try before you buy, people are afraid of getting burned. Even though freemium games are often horrible after a while of playing (unless you're willing to dump hundreds of dollars into them), the initial experience usually feels pretty fun and you feel good that you got it without having to spend any money to get to that point.

dagmx 4y ago

> Gaming on iOS is practically dead Uh no it isn’t. People who make that claim only think about AAA titles and high profile indies. If you consider the entire gaming landscape, Apple earns more from gaming than most companies that actually operate in the gaming space. https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/05/31/apple-earner-the-third-most-gaming-revenue-in-2021-outpacing-microsoft-nintendo https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/05/31/apple-earner-the-...

MBCook 4y ago
They earn a metric ton from IAPs, which is almost all consumable Smurfberries and such. I’m not saying there are no games. Games could easily be the biggest section of the App Store. I’m saying there are no *good* games, only those designed to force you to make IAPs. Stand alone titles that cost a few bucks (immediately or as a one time unlock) are basically dead compared to the era before IAPs existed.
- dagmx 4y ago
  I think conflating that as a metric of games being good is both erroneous and highly subjective. There are some very highly regarded mobile games that do quite well.