5 ms·

Freemium type games are all the rage on both iOS and Android -- there is no difference there (I remember the nonsense when the Dead Trigger publishers went free

Freemium type games are all the rage on both iOS and Android -- there is no difference there (I remember the nonsense when the Dead Trigger publishers went freemium on Android, claiming that enormous piracy force their hand. A week later they quietly went freemium on iOS as well. Their real reason is that getting suckers to buy ammo packs turns out to be much more lucrative). Is it so hard to just pay 5$ for a game, and leave me the fuck alone? Why do devs bombard me with upsells every loading screen after every level? What game did you pay $5 for? Examples? Most people refuse to pay $1.99, much less $0.99, leading to the current situation. Again, this is the same on both platforms.

speeder 13y ago
I own a child game company, thus we avoid.IAP. We have in total, summing iOS and Android, about 500.000 downloads, but only about 2000 was paid... So far this is not much profitable.
- brador 13y ago
  So it's all free to download, then ads?
Groxx 13y ago
I'd argue most people would be right in not wanting to pay $0.99 for most apps. Most (the vast majority) turn out to be incomprehensibly bad, and I truly feel bad for paying for some. IMO what we really need is a short, free (optional) trial period for many apps. You really really need to get past the "but what if it's shit?" perfectly-rational reflex when someone sees a non-free app.
- esteth 13y ago
  There is a short, free mandatory trial period on every app in the play store. The first time you purchase an app you have 15 minutes, during which time you can go back to the store and hit "refund" to reverse the charge and uninstall the app.
  - mcherm 13y ago
    Yes, but 15 minutes is not enough time for me to evaluate an app. 48 hours would be nice. Best of all would be if the store allowed the app developer to specify how long refunds were permitted for (and displayed that information at purchase time). I think the better developers would compete to offer their customers flexibility, confident that their products would prove their worth.
    - esteth 13y ago
      I might be alone, but I think I'd refund every app I purchased if I could within 48 hours. Even 24 would be too short for me. I'd be able to pick up new games every week for my weekly commute and never have to pay for them.
      - mcherm 13y ago
        So you use most of your games for less than 48 hours each? I'd say you're getting very little use out of them! But that's why I'd actually prefer that the developer got to choose the length of time that refunds were allowed. Then the person selling the quick game with a 20 min play time could allow only 5 min for refunds, while the to-do list application could have several weeks.
- doublec 13y ago
  Windows Phone has this option. Apps have a 'Try' and 'Buy' option. Using 'Try' gets you some form of free trial and users can then upgrade to 'Buy'. This avoids the need to have 'Free' and 'Paid' versions of apps.

speeder 13y ago

I own a child game company, thus we avoid.IAP. We have in total, summing iOS and Android, about 500.000 downloads, but only about 2000 was paid... So far this is not much profitable.

brador 13y ago
So it's all free to download, then ads?

Groxx 13y ago

I'd argue most people would be right in not wanting to pay $0.99 for most apps. Most (the vast majority) turn out to be incomprehensibly bad, and I truly feel bad for paying for some. IMO what we really need is a short, free (optional) trial period for many apps. You really really need to get past the "but what if it's shit?" perfectly-rational reflex when someone sees a non-free app.

esteth 13y ago
There is a short, free mandatory trial period on every app in the play store. The first time you purchase an app you have 15 minutes, during which time you can go back to the store and hit "refund" to reverse the charge and uninstall the app.
- mcherm 13y ago
  Yes, but 15 minutes is not enough time for me to evaluate an app. 48 hours would be nice. Best of all would be if the store allowed the app developer to specify how long refunds were permitted for (and displayed that information at purchase time). I think the better developers would compete to offer their customers flexibility, confident that their products would prove their worth.
  - esteth 13y ago
    I might be alone, but I think I'd refund every app I purchased if I could within 48 hours. Even 24 would be too short for me. I'd be able to pick up new games every week for my weekly commute and never have to pay for them.
    - mcherm 13y ago
      So you use most of your games for less than 48 hours each? I'd say you're getting very little use out of them! But that's why I'd actually prefer that the developer got to choose the length of time that refunds were allowed. Then the person selling the quick game with a 20 min play time could allow only 5 min for refunds, while the to-do list application could have several weeks.
doublec 13y ago
Windows Phone has this option. Apps have a 'Try' and 'Buy' option. Using 'Try' gets you some form of free trial and users can then upgrade to 'Buy'. This avoids the need to have 'Free' and 'Paid' versions of apps.