Quote:
Originally Posted by
JBRUU
If the future is so beak, if no one can make a profit from paid games, why did the four brothers at Foursaken just create and release two smash hits? Why did Josh release Ravensword with no IAP? Why did The Room do so well? Why did Telltale release a Walking Dead port, why is Rockstar continuing to develop iOS ports, why did Supergiant port Bastion? Why was MC4 premium? Why was NFS premium?
I have nowhere near the knowledge and experience in the iOS market as you, but I do see some of these examples and wonder if you aren't just being a little too pessimistic.
As for the article, it's cool and spot on and all, but probably won't change a thing.
I agree. I know there's lots of devs struggling out there. But the vast majority of indie devs won't make any more money with freemium regardless. It's harsh and I acknowledge that crappy freemium games like the stuff that Zynga puts out do make a butt load of cash. But even those devs had to make a name for themselves. It's not like a cool retro platformer is going to make a lot of cash just because it's freemium. Word of mouth makes hits. Good placement on Apple's store like "New and Noteworthy" and reviews on big gaming sites. That IMO is what makes a difference.
Not saying there isn't some crappy and even slimy devs who somehow get noticed like the casino games I see on the top grossing lists.
There's been plenty of premium games like the ones JBRUU mentioned that make money because of quality and people recognizing a dev from previous efforts.
I have no doubt that Gameloft will make a killing with DU4, but I also have no doubt that they still would have made a sizable profit if they had sold it for $6.99. The Dungeon Hunter name recognition alone would have made it a hit. It's Gameloft and EA that are showing that all they really care about is greed when they come out with games that have systems like DH4 and RR3 have.
It's funny how there are some devs that do strive to balance things and make freemium work. I'm not opposed to that. Subway Surfers is a game that's also in the Top Grossing apps and it's a game that can be enjoyed without IAPs, or buying a few to give back to the devs, or if you really want to go whole hog you can. But it isn't forcing you to get them.
Also agree with the author's comments about PC shareware style IAPs where you get to play some then fork out the dough to buy the full game. A one-time IAP to unlock a game is perhaps the best freemium model there is. You still get to let people try your game, but you're not killing them with constant purchases beyond the first one.
To me, it's the big companies using name recognition like even Smurfville to abuse customers that are killing the App Store. Premium can still work and even freemium CAN be okay if done right. Giving into the companies like Gameloft, EA and Zynga is what's hurting.
I really don't think freemium is what helps small devs. You either make or you don't, but IAPs aren't going to be worth crap if no one knows about your game.