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Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

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Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#241

Post by gen220 »

JohnFen wrote: post #126
tombert wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm right up there with you. I will admit that paying like $15 four years ago for Stardew Valley on iOS felt a bit weird, but $15 is pretty cheap considering that it's the full game . It doesn't make you buy gems every twenty minutes, or watch an ad every time you plant six crops, or spam your friend to share your status for some extra gold. It's a full game, and you pay a nominally-high-but-ultimately-reasonable pri…

$15 is a screaming deal for a game like Stardew Valley.

I imagine that a lot of people would retroactively pay $100 (i.e. future-you would be able to easily convince past-you that paying $100 is worth it).

I wonder what mechanisms exist for capitalizing on that retroactive price. You can obviously make the up-front price higher, but this obviously erects a barrier to people experiencing the retroactive value.

Some other ones that come to mind: paid DLC, "remastered" versions released N years later (Skyrim has famously done this. I think I've paid for 3 or 4 $60 versions of Skyrim at this point), and open "tip" jars / patreon style support. Any other ideas?

Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#242

Post by flangola7 »

cptcobalt wrote: post #205
joenot443 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell me about it. I'm an iOS engineer at FAANG, but I've been shipping my own apps since 2011. It's depressing that there's no longer a market for paid, high quality, ad-free, fully packaged apps and games. I actually interned at a mobile games studio for a summer and it was made clear to me what the profit model was: pander solely to the whales, ignore the free users. Something like 70% of our revenue came from 2% o…

you're not an engineer at one of the A's (Apple) if you're shipping your own apps — the employment agreement restricts it.

Those agreements aren't permitted in many countries, where OP might be at.

Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#243

Post by rchaud »

justeleblanc wrote: post #132
rchaud wrote: post #110

The mobile gaming landscape could have been completely different if Rovio charged a flat $10 for Angry Birds all those years ago. I'm sure they've made significantly more money by going freemium with ads, but in doing so they also poisoned the well of mobile gaming. Everything now is Pay to Win. Despite there being genuinely impressive games on mobile (Asphalt racing for one), the mechanics of how the game actually w…

It's not one company's decision ten years ago that shaped that whole behemoth of a market.

They were the first hit game on iOS, they set the standard for monetization strategy in the then-nascent app store world.

Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#244

Post by JohnFen »

falcolas wrote: post #216
JohnFen wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that an Apple thing? I don't remember seeing anything like that in the android Play Store. That would be useful.

I thought it was both stores, but yes, I'm referring to the Apple app store.

I just checked. I don't see anything like this in the Play Store, sadly.

Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#245

Post by WastingMyTime89 »

axus wrote: post #223
joenot443 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell me about it. I'm an iOS engineer at FAANG, but I've been shipping my own apps since 2011. It's depressing that there's no longer a market for paid, high quality, ad-free, fully packaged apps and games. I actually interned at a mobile games studio for a summer and it was made clear to me what the profit model was: pander solely to the whales, ignore the free users. Something like 70% of our revenue came from 2% o…

The Netflix Games you can get for being a subscriber are decent quality with no ads. I imagine that will get cut at some point unless they've got a way to measure how much this benefits their subscription numbers. The Amazon Underground thing they used to incentivize their app store was pretty great also, the "Actually Free" games let you unlock everything in the App. That was discontinued in 2019. It's interesting h…

Netflix has been licensing some top indie games for their offering. Some of them are a cut above decent. Just Kentucky Route Zero, Immortality, Spiritfarer and Into the Breach would be worth the subscription by themselves.

The App Store and Play Store are full of ad free and micro transactions free good ports of popular PC games if you are ready to pay the price. Some are strictly targeting the iPad but others can be played on a phone. I have spent an insane amount of time playing Slay The Spire on mine. They are not really put forward by Apple and Google however.

Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#246

Post by jareklupinski »

mdip wrote: post #206
joenot443 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell me about it. I'm an iOS engineer at FAANG, but I've been shipping my own apps since 2011. It's depressing that there's no longer a market for paid, high quality, ad-free, fully packaged apps and games. I actually interned at a mobile games studio for a summer and it was made clear to me what the profit model was: pander solely to the whales, ignore the free users. Something like 70% of our revenue came from 2% o…

That's so sad. I had this pain with my kids a few months ago while "looking to kill some time" in the Android world. I don't play a lot of phone games and was dismayed at the crap that was out there. I like to introduce the kids to more low-fidelity games -- I started with 2048 -- I want to say probably 5-10 different choices; all I was looking for was "lets me buy away the ads", works offline (one choice was a webvi…

strangely happy that I grew up with Solitaire

every platform has a free version (hidden beneath the ad-ware ones)

Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#247

Post by ssully »

somenameforme wrote: post #227
ssully wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, but you are just generalizing based on the top blockbuster movies. Films have never been more diverse in their style and quality and, in my opinion, offer something for everyone. If you are looking for movies that focus on strong dialogue and character work those movies are still being made and are fantastic.

Mind if I pick your brain? I enjoy compelling era pieces, though some fantasy or sci-fi is also great. I dislike identity politics and infantilizing exposition. By contrast I enjoy subtle metaphor and stories with nuance. My favorite films would include Das Boot, I Claudius, and Seventeen Moments of Spring. For something more contemporary, I also enjoyed The Expanse. Any recommendations? Films or series in any langua…

In terms of recent releases, Banshees of Inisherin was the first thing that sprung to mind.

Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#248

Post by hn_go_brrrrr »

ye-olde-sysrq wrote: post #97
cld8483 wrote: post #11

They can't compete with what they once were, so they bury the past. I suspect many industries are like this. If classic movies were played alongside new Hollywood releases, the new movies would probably be choked out. Accordingly, Disney will even restrict the availability of their old movies on DVD. They can't stand competing with their former great selves.

I don't think Disney can quite be put in the same breath. (disclaimer: shareholder, though not in any grandiose quantities) I always imagine Disney as basically 3 apparatuses: 1. A squeaky-clean princess printing machine that reliably churns out 50 billion dolla- I mean, a new Disney Princess franchise every 5-10 years. No expense is spared on making the movie a lavishly animated, voiced, scripted, and instantly trea…

You're dead wrong on Pixar being in #2. Cars is an absolute money printing machine.

Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#249

Post by troupe »

JohnFen wrote: post #189
humanizersequel wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't even need the sensationalist reference to crack — this is already plausible with gas stations being convenience stores (and sometimes much more).

Indeed. Modern gas stations make very little money selling gas. They make money by people buying the stuff in their store.

I don't think many intentionally lose money on gas though. If they weren't covering the cost of the gas, they would raise the price, which seems like a rational thing to do for a popular game.

Re: Rovio delists original Angry Birds from PlayStore because it's still too popular

#250

Post by tombert »

gen220 wrote: post #241
JohnFen wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$15 is a screaming deal for a game like Stardew Valley.

I imagine that a lot of people would retroactively pay $100 (i.e. future-you would be able to easily convince past-you that paying $100 is worth it). I wonder what mechanisms exist for capitalizing on that retroactive price. You can obviously make the up-front price higher, but this obviously erects a barrier to people experiencing the retroactive value. Some other ones that come to mind: paid DLC, "remastered" versi…

In regards to Stardew Valley specifically, I ended up purchasing it on multiple other platforms after I bought it on iPhone.
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