Why is Unlocking the Full Game via IAP Frowned Upon?

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by IntrinsicGames, Jan 3, 2012.

  1. IntrinsicGames

    IntrinsicGames Well-Known Member

    I've been curious about why players seem to dislike the idea of Free + IAP to unlock a full game, and was hoping that fellow developers and players might have some insight.

    As a long time App Store user, I figured that the introduction of IAP would reduce the number of Free/Lite editions, since the user can just pay from inside the app and continue playing. Don't need to worry about restarting a campaign or replaying levels either, which I've always found annoying since I want to progress through the game, not replay parts of it just to get back to where I was.

    However, based on user reviews and comments at various places including TA regarding Gameloft's implementation of the Free + IAP system for its games like Starfront or WayForward trying it with Shantae and then releasing a straight paid one, it seems that this isn't very popular. Is it a particular facet that wasn't handled correctly? Is there a way for the Free + IAP unlock model to work that doesn't upset people?
     
  2. HTWGames

    HTWGames Well-Known Member

    Oct 10, 2011
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    We had the same issues... our IAP unlocked the rest of the levels in our puzzle game Kunundrum http://goo.gl/kZTr8 and basically we got a ton of backlash based on the fact that people thought the whole game should be free and that $2 was WAY too much money based on the free portion of the game.

    I think there is a psychological opinion first on IAP. People think, oh the dev is trying to dupe me into paying more than I have to...when actually the Dev is saying look, I spent months on this, if I ask you for a dollar for the rest of the game, would you like to unlock it?

    Secondly, IAP is seen as icing on a cake right? A new shirt or indicators on a motorbike. It's seen as utility and accessory to software. But what people again don't seem to understand is that the software that is FREE still costs money to make. And the recoup is in the IAP.

    People yelled at us for not being FREE enough and saying the rest of the game they hadn't unlocked for 2 dollars, nor played, was worth the money. So we went back to a lite version, put 150 levels, and dropped it down to a dollar. It's making more sales, and there are less grievances now, but it's not the format we wanted to go with. It's also not the best format in order to make impulse sales based around the entertainment in the moment.

    Call it slimy or underhanded...but I think if you let someone who walks into a restaurant eat a piece of steak before they bought it, I'm sure they would think WOW that's delicious! And for how much? Sure man... I get the taste of what is coming to me, I'll be more than sure to pay for the rest with 0 buyers remorse.

    It's purely psychological... honestly, most things cost a dollar on iTunes. What's the big stink? It's a dollar? It's something they probably lose in change on a daily basis. But when it comes down to the mentality of a consumer, you bet YOUR buck that they will threaten your life to protect their single, solitary dollar...for the hours of entertainment you are about to give them.

    Paper money is causing that to be a problem... the physical tactile grasp on their money is a psychological vice, rather than say adding cheese to a hamburger at a restaurant, or buying a pop/soda at a bar and paying nearly 3 bucks for it. Even though they can get that same pop for like 15 cents in a case. They will STILL buy it because they need it at that moment.

    That's why IAP is tough to sell... you have to let them have a satisfying taste and then say, if you like this...perhaps you'll make a small donation.


    Then they'll rip your head off. Being a dev is masochistic isn't it? hahaha
     
  3. BravadoWaffle

    BravadoWaffle Well-Known Member

    Sep 25, 2010
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    I'm curious what comments you are referring to when it comes to Shantae. I haven't noticed any negative comments with their IAP version. I do notice a marked difference in the number of reviews of the free version when compared to the paid version of Shantae... it seems like the free version was much more popular and likely made more money.

    Interesting, so you are saying you are making more money with your paid version than you did with your Free+IAP version? That's very interesting...

    We are releasing RoboHero free with a $1.99 IAP to unlock the whole game. So give me about a month and I'll have something useful to add to this thread. I know it's controversial, but the ones I've interviewed who have gone this route have been very positive about the results.
     
  4. IntrinsicGames

    IntrinsicGames Well-Known Member

    Some quotes from the TouchArcade thread - not to say that one made more money than the other, but just on the slightly negative comments regarding it:

    Here's the thread: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=111520&page=17

    I'm still reading through it, but there's quite a number of pages in there
     
  5. V Kuolema

    V Kuolema Well-Known Member

    Jun 30, 2011
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    I hate it because it's a crappy system.

    For example, I bought Arma II: Firing Range. It's a Free +1.99 to unlock the whole game. And having done so, I'm reminded why I hate it so much.

    If I buy a full game, I can easily go and re-download it on my iPod 4th Gen or my 3GS via the in-phone App Store Purchased> Not on this iPhone/iPod. But with this crappy Free+IAP, I'm always unsure as to whether if I click "Buy full game" on my iPod if I'm going to be charged AGAIN for the game I just paid 2$ for on my 3GS. I've been burned before with this IAP stuff, so I always avoid it whenever possible.

    IMO, I'm MUCH happier with a Lite + Paid version than a FREE+IAP version.
     
  6. Echoseven

    Echoseven Moderator
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    Note: I am a player with no development experience, so this is largely a reflection of my view, and possibly a few expressed in the forums.

    The biggest issue with ANY lite version you provide - whether it's separated or built into the app as a full game unlock is to give the user the right amount of a taster before they can decide whether they want to pay a bit more or not.
    Personally I (and I imagine many others too) prefer a lite version which has levels not included in the full version - a great example of this is Trainyard, a game I downloaded both versions of just for the levels.


    But the biggest criticism leveled at free+unlock systems is that if a game gets broken/removed/etc from the Store, the user will not be able to access the paid part of the game if they re-sync it from iTunes. (as far as I know, this is false)



    EDIT:
    That quote from me that you have is because I thought the full game was free as part of a release promotion, because in the rush of posting new release threads I did not notice that it was Free+unlock. Nothing negative about the system!
     
  7. IntrinsicGames

    IntrinsicGames Well-Known Member

    Oh yea, definitely looking for feedback from users as well :)
     
  8. HTWGames

    HTWGames Well-Known Member

    Oct 10, 2011
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    Well for the way things work, yes we are definitely making more people happy with the full paid version... even to the point where Apple wouldn't release our Lite version, and didn't for over 2 weeks, and people were still buying our game. Strange isn't it?

    Also what you want to look at and make sure you do with this IAP for the rest of the game paradigm, is make sure that whatever you are offering to the person is a defined and proper taste of what they can expect in the game. People were upset with us because they felt the first 20 levels were incredibly easy, even though they were more or less tutorial type levels. We had a couple tougher ones in there, but nothing serious. Well we learned the hard way... people wouldn't go near the IAP because they felt the rest of the game would be just as easy. Apparently no one has ever played a video game before where levels increase in difficulty right? How mindless do they think we are? Well... never underestimate haha So we put a mix in to the lite version of Kunundrum and then put out the paid version for only a dollar. Of course our reviews were way nicer after that... and they should be, we worked our butts off and put a LARGE chunk of entertainment into a single dollar.

    The entitlement is absolutely disgusting really. But what can you expect? Work within those constraints... make sure your IAP makes sense, rather than just a device to avoid a Lite version. That's all I can really offer on that.
     
  9. BravadoWaffle

    BravadoWaffle Well-Known Member

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    #9 BravadoWaffle, Jan 3, 2012
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2012
    Ah, I see what you mean. There's a lot of lessons there for what not to do if you are going the Free+IAP route!

    Do: Make it clear in description what is free and what is unlockable
    Do: Double check that your IAP works before release
    Do: Make sure your free sample is a good example of what to expect in the rest of the game
    Do Not: Run a .99 sale too soon after release
    Do Not: Underestimate the stupidity of the user

    Keep in mind, this is also the vocal minority and the TA forums are not a good metric to judge how well a game is received at all.

    To give you an example:

    One of the game developers I interviewed released a game free with a $1.99 IAP. It is currently rated at 3 stars on the app store. The app was featured in N&N and received over 1 million downloads on its first week. It experienced a conversion rate of about 2%. That means it brought in about $20k on it's first week. Not too bad in my opinion.

    Hopefully I'll have some metrics to share soon on how our release does and any lessons we learn from it.
     
  10. Echoseven

    Echoseven Moderator
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    This is essentially why I think your Lite version didn't work - because it wasn't a proper (use that word loosely) taster.

    Some games just don't suit a lite version where you have access to the first few levels - exactly because they start off pretty easy with a gradual increase. Especially puzzle games.
    This is exactly what Trainyard has nailed - if I only had access to the first two 'cities' and then was asked to unlock the rest of the game I wouldn't do it either, because the advanced mechanics were never explained in the early levels.

    The lite version showed off exactly what the advanced gameplay was like and since I have purchased the game several times over.


    Sorry for sidetracking the thread a little, I didn't actually mean to go into a discussion about lite versions in general...

    Edit:
    I think it's not that off-topic though, because if you make a good enough taster people won't care how the game is unlocked.
     
  11. GSnyder

    GSnyder Well-Known Member

    Nov 11, 2010
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    Not to put too fine a point on it, "about as mindless as you apparently think they (the players) are." :) With all due respect to Kunundrum, which I haven't played and am not commenting on directly, I don't want to wade through 20 levels of crap to try out the actual game.

    Games set up this way broadcast a strong "I'm not worth your time" signal because they simultaneously communicate that 1) the game is designed for dunces who can't grasp the simplest play mechanism without having it spelled out for them, and 2) the game developer doesn't really understand how to progressively reveal complexity without sacrificing gameplay.

    To be clear, I don't think we disagree. I completely endorse your "make sure the trial represents the game" conclusion. I would just replace the implicit "...because players are stupid" coda with "...because players have become adept at tuning out the 80% of games that are crap, so don't give them any excuse to file your game in that bucket."
     
  12. GSnyder

    GSnyder Well-Known Member

    Nov 11, 2010
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    I echo V Kuolema's comments about the lack of transparency in IAP. Even though it's probably just an alternative interface to the same old app store back end, I don't have confidence that IAP purchases will be indefinitely re-downloadable or installable on multiple devices.

    IAP also presents a significant barrier to price transparency since it's not handled by watchlist services such as AppShopper.com. As a consumer, mystery pricing usually means "you're probably going to be paying more than this is really worth", so it's a clear "stay away" signal. An analogy might be the process of buying a car. The car dealer has all the relevant competitive and market information and you go in basically blind. Who enjoys buying a car or feels good about the transaction afterward?

    Another thing I dislike about IAP it that is muddies the distinction between trial apps and purchased apps. I evaluate tens of apps and games every week, and I have 600+ apps installed on my iPad at any given time. I have only a vague grasp of what games I've actually purchased. Currently I can check to see whether I have a "trial" or "real" version of a game, but with IAP it's a lot harder to make this distinction. I can't, for example, tell from within iTunes which games I've bought. (Lest this be unclear: yes, I buy many more games than I actually play, and I don't think this is unusual. The backlog is hundreds long...)

    Finally, one thing I'd strongly warn any developer away from is the initial price + IAP model (as opposed to free + IAP model). No matter how well-intentioned and legitimate this model may be, or how clearly the terms are disclosed in the app description, it always smells like a scam. I ignore these games as a matter of course when I find out about them.
     
  13. HTWGames

    HTWGames Well-Known Member

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    I don't see where I called users stupid. I was more surprised by the spite and anger towards us from a small group of users that tended to assume the rest of the game would be just as easy as the first 4 or 5 levels, that give you a proper playground to understand the rules behind the playing field, and then ordered in a manner of difficulty based around analytics from months of beta testing. The curve is gradual because it tends to offer the challenge to the user that will help them build strategies for later levels.

    We do agree on the point, but please don't put words in my mouth. Surprise and dismay from spiteful people who challenge a paradigm that doesn't match up to their elitist expectations fail to realize that maybe they are adept to solving those logical puzzles or more importantly, maybe there's a lot that aren't that good at it. And in fact by the 9th puzzle people were asking for help. Plus this is a product that we put our effort into, and for it to be slagged because they are curious enough to tell us they don't trust us, but they also insulted our offering based on a massive company being able to offer them WAY more for a lower price. It wasn't fair nor was it appreciated, especially when we said here try this for FREE. Not many products let you do that.

    In my mind the puzzles seemed easy because I was used to the solving techniques. But when watching others play the game it was really interesting to see that they had differing methods and approaches. Now for us to say well too bad people who find these difficult, we are going to cater to an elitist selfish group of people because they are self titled "gamers" would have been product suicide. These are "casual" games you play for a few minutes in the toilet, at a bus stop, etc. if we started too hard it would have discouraged a larger range of people rather than somehow insulting someone by the FREE product we let them download.

    We had a split 50/50 of 5 star reviews and 1 star reviews. And those that were miserable to us we're the most illogical, mean and dismissive reviews. Sorry, I'm not putting up with that crap as an excuse to make those type of people happy.

    So in order to ensure everyone was happy and got the point, we mixed 10 beginner levels and sprinkled 10 of the other levels that show off a few other mechanics into the Lite version. People are having troubles in the lite version. Not all, but some...however we combatted that with a solution IAP. And they have even used that within the lite version.

    It is a very delicate balance to find to make everyone happy. This was our first title so it was like walking into a choreographed dance scene and had to learn the moves on the fly. Anyway sorry if this sounded a little sore, wasn't happy with where that thread was going. We've been nothing but generous with our product and want nothing but people to enjoy themselves. Some people just didn't like how quick the experience went because they would have to release a dollar or two more for the rest of the experience. I don't know too many demos that are a challenging reflection of the game that shows everything they can expect. If that was the case then why get the game? Need to leave some mystery :)
     
  14. GSnyder

    GSnyder Well-Known Member

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    #14 GSnyder, Jan 4, 2012
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2012
    My apologies, indeed you didn't.

    I didn't really intend the phrase "players are stupid" in the literal sense of "unintelligent" so much as the more general sense of "broken". In other words, your general theme seems to be that players responded improperly to Kunundrum's initial pricing structure because they weren't "doing it right". They were greedy, entitled, spiteful, elitist, mistrustful, rageful, insulting, selfish, illogical, mean, dismissive, cheap.

    OK, people suck. But you adjusted the revenue structure, and now Kunundrum is pretty much receiving all-5-star reviews and the hate seems to have vanished. The consumer base didn't change, only the marketing.

    All I'm saying is that it's probably more useful to consider those initial comments as rational responses to the situation rather than as indications of personal pathology -- even when they're written in the traditional semiliterate hate speech of the Internet. (I love "And all or nearly all 5 star glowing reviews are fake made by morons getting paid to generate reviews" - that's a classic :)

    Looking through the early iTunes comments, the overall message seems pretty consistent:

    1. You advertised this as a free game, but it's actually not. You lied, you dastardly developer.
    2. This is supposedly a puzzle game, but I wasn't puzzled by your demo levels. Why would I want to pay $2 for more of this?
    Regarding point #1, it's unfortunately the case that no iOS game player ever has to pay for anything at all. Not only is there a glut of games, there's a glut of completely free games, many of which are quite good. The idea that "when a developer offers me a free game, I'm going to get a free, complete, playable game" is not just a selfish, infantile fantasy on the part of iOS gamers. It's a completely reasonable expectation based on players' actual past experience of the iOS game market.

    In fact, you could almost say that this expectation has been baked into the structure of the app store, in the sense that "demo" software has always been forbidden. "Lite" versions are supposed to be of autonomous value, and in any event, the "lite" tag is a clear signal that content is being withheld. These days, IAP is being used to skirt the "demo" rule and to power various sorts of scammy apps, so it's understandable that it has acquired something of a negative connotation for buyers.

    One point on which we probably disagree is that I do not think the vitriol of the early negative comments on Kunundrum was powered by an abstract sense of "games should be free" entitlement. I suspect that the anger stems more from a sense of "you wasted my time". Players took time out of their busy executive game-playing schedules to investigate your demo (which really ought to be regarded as their gift to you, not your gift to them, as you seem to suggest). But the puzzles weren't very puzzling, and then, in their view, the whole thing turned out to be some kind of IAP scam anyway. Viewed from that perspective, justified or not, it does make a certain sense that some people were angered.

    Right or wrong, this is how people react. This is why IAP is dangerous. These are the facts of the marketplace.

    So after all this, of course I had to take a look at Kunundrum. I must say, it's gorgeous! It really takes this genre of puzzle game to a new level. I guess the level structure has already been rejiggered, but I found the first 10 levels plenty challenging.

    I also love the idea of IAP for solutions. I have not seen that in other games before, and it seems very promising. In fact, it almost seems as if it could be a primary revenue stream in itself.
     
  15. Allanon

    Allanon Well-Known Member

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  16. froggies

    froggies Active Member

    #16 froggies, Jan 4, 2012
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2012
    Free + IAP Unlock Disadvantages

    I am feeling the same sort of heat from consumers in our game Froggies where the first 20 levels are Free and the remaining 80 are unlocked by IAP.

    Since Free + IAP Unlock is still a relatively recent solution that is not frequently seen, is it possible that consumers are not yet used to it? Could it be that it is just a matter of some time before it becomes more common place and thus more readily accepted?

    On the other hand maybe the Free + IAP Unlock model is really not the best way to go since it has also the following disadvantages:
    • No promocodes - It is possible to implement promo codes for IAP but I think it may be against Apple rules. This means you cannot do giveaways and potential press cannot do giveaways.
    • Cannot set price to Free - This means no FAAD and if you set your IAP price to 99c you can never even make a discount or promotional sale.
    • Cannot get commission of sales (therefore its less interesting for affiliates to promote your game)
    • Obviously can never be in the Paid category of games (Lite + Paid model can be in both Free and Paid meaning more exposure)
    • Already mentioned consumer confusion and negative feedback

    Makes me want to change from the Free + IAP Unlock model we used in Froggies right away :(
     
  17. IntrinsicGames

    IntrinsicGames Well-Known Member

    Thanks everyone for your responses, reading through them all!
     
  18. headcaseGames

    headcaseGames Well-Known Member

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    very useful info in here. After going with trial & paid in the past, and.. um.. a few other experimental things which worked out to different degrees, I am strongly considering Free & IAP for my next big release. But part of me really, really wants to just go with what I know.. anyway I have lots of mulling over to do in the meantime, and just a ton more research as that goes.

    As for the fellow who is obviously very angry about the reception of his Free+IAP game - "stepping onto a dance floor," more like stepping onto the minefield! This market can be very brutal as you've just witnessed firsthand. I don't think any dev can blame you for taking it personally when you've put a lot of care and balance into your product, and then the public doesn't "appreciate it." The thing where you are off, however, is that you cannot really be angry at them for not properly receiving your game as you wish they did. You need to chalk it up to a failure on your end, in that you didn't properly market it in a way that expressed what you intended.

    Even if your app is layered with plenty of intricate depth, odds are the majority of your downloads will seldom see past the title screen and about 15-20 seconds of playtime - that is, if they ever even launch the app in the 1st place! It's your job as a developer to very carefully craft that initial impression so that the player will want to see what's next, to hit that "replay" button a few times, to last long enough to actually get a whiff of that depth that you've cleverly layered in there. Sometimes this means you have to battle against yourself to do this; make your app more appealing to "the lowest common denominator" in various ways (art style, icon, name, presentation) so you can get as many people in the door as possible, because at the end of the day you are going to merely have percentages of percentages coming back for more.

    If you've switched to just a traditional paid model at this point and it works for you, then good on ya :) I think that might show more than anything that Free w/ IAP simply does not work for some kind of games, or at least not following the commonly accepted systems. Perhaps with more niche puzzle games, your IAP should be a higher price since it's going to appeal to a particular crowd that would properly value such things. The thing about this market is, anything higher than a couple of bucks really is suicide generally. You genuinely do have to be sneaky about it :/
     
  19. RJ1

    RJ1 Member

    Jan 9, 2012
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    I think it's rather funny how we've come full circle back to the old 'shareware' model of the 80s. :D

    I think it makes a lot of sense though from the developer's standpoint. You're ratings dont get dilluded by being split across two apps. You can definitely get more visibility.

    As a gamer, I dont care either way, if I like it i'll do a IAP or buy the full version. It makes sense in games that have a lot of data and progress that you'd lose by having a seperate app.
     
  20. Tommet

    Tommet Well-Known Member

    Apr 5, 2011
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    For me personally, it's because I purchased a game like that from Gameloft, and after a restore, I was not able to unlock it again. Emails to support went unanswered, and I've given up on that model and companies who use it.
     

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