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Because there is no viable "try-before-you-buy" experience on mobile - thanks entirely to the refusal of Apple and Google to build in such systems - "Freemium"

Because there is no viable "try-before-you-buy" experience on mobile - thanks entirely to the refusal of Apple and Google to build in such systems - "Freemium" is the new "Shareware." It turns out, however, that putting an absolute time-lock on a game that is removed with a single IAP is far less lucrative than building in a recurring consumable purchasable IAP model that some players will buy over and over. So developers were forced in to a marker without a viable shareware solution, where downward market tends still pushed the initial value to $0 (as was shareware) with little recourse except IAP, where an even better model was discovered. So I not only disagree with this article, but I believe IAP isn't quite as evil as it's made out to be (except in a few rather blatantly manipulative examples). Source: I own a successful casual mobile game development company and follow gamer market trends closely.

soylentcola 12y ago
As a potential customer and not a developer, IAP can be a great implementation of that same "shareware" model or it can be the equivalent of many old arcade games where the only confounding factor to progress in a game was how many quarters you fed in. By far my favorite way to find and buy games is to have a free app with the first (x) levels and then a single IAP of $1-10 depending on the game to unlock the full package. That way I get to see if I enjoy the game and if it runs well before hitting that "buy" button and I'd imagine this helps to get people to try out a title in a marketplace full of free options. The only issue from a my standpoint is how so many games are designed to be seriously unplayable (or at least un-fun) unless I keep paying a dollar or two every day. Whether it's time limits (less annoying) or needing in-game currency to progress, so many games start to feel like the only thing holding you back isn't skill, practice, or puzzle-solving but the fact that you haven't spent $10, $20, or $50 on IAP. I can only imagine that this has proven to be the more profitable setup since that model seems to have taken over the Apple and Google app stores and I doubt developers would be doing it if it wasn't for a reason. Still sucks for somebody like me who has no problem paying $5-10 (I mean, come on...it's the equivalent of eating lunch at a restaurant instead of packing one at home) for a game as long as I can play a few levels first to see if it's something I'd be interested in. Instead I end up buying the few I can find like that and when I finish them, it's back to the pile of time-limited freemium titles I have installed and cycle through any time I want to kill more than 5 minutes screwing around on my phone.

soylentcola 12y ago

As a potential customer and not a developer, IAP can be a great implementation of that same "shareware" model or it can be the equivalent of many old arcade games where the only confounding factor to progress in a game was how many quarters you fed in. By far my favorite way to find and buy games is to have a free app with the first (x) levels and then a single IAP of $1-10 depending on the game to unlock the full package. That way I get to see if I enjoy the game and if it runs well before hitting that "buy" button and I'd imagine this helps to get people to try out a title in a marketplace full of free options. The only issue from a my standpoint is how so many games are designed to be seriously unplayable (or at least un-fun) unless I keep paying a dollar or two every day. Whether it's time limits (less annoying) or needing in-game currency to progress, so many games start to feel like the only thing holding you back isn't skill, practice, or puzzle-solving but the fact that you haven't spent $10, $20, or $50 on IAP. I can only imagine that this has proven to be the more profitable setup since that model seems to have taken over the Apple and Google app stores and I doubt developers would be doing it if it wasn't for a reason. Still sucks for somebody like me who has no problem paying $5-10 (I mean, come on...it's the equivalent of eating lunch at a restaurant instead of packing one at home) for a game as long as I can play a few levels first to see if it's something I'd be interested in. Instead I end up buying the few I can find like that and when I finish them, it's back to the pile of time-limited freemium titles I have installed and cycle through any time I want to kill more than 5 minutes screwing around on my phone.