'Dead Trigger' now 'free' on Android due to 'extremely high' piracy rate

[garyopa]

Plus, an app dev thinks Android is designed for Piracy



Dead Trigger, a zombie FPS for smartphones is now 'free' to download on Android because of 'piracy concerns'.
Also a dev explains why he thinks Android apps are laboring under a broken business model.

Dead Trigger is a zombie FPS for Smartphones from the makers of Shadowgun.

Well, it looks like the game is now "free to download" on Android thanks to the 'rampant piracy on the platform'.

Here's the Madfinger Games statement from their Facebook page:

Regarding price drop. HERE is our statement. The main reason: piracy rate on Android devices, that was unbelievably high. At first we intend to make this game available for as many people as possible - that's why it was for as little as buck. - It was much less than 8$ for SHADOWGUN but on the other hand we didn't dare to provide it for free, since we hadn't got XP with free-to-play format so far. - However, even for one buck, the piracy rate is soooo giant, that we finally decided to provide DEAD TRIGGER for free. Anyway - DEAD TRIGGER is not FREEMIUM, it always was and still remains FREE-TO-PLAY, that means, all players are able to play it without IAP! We stand up for this statement, because all members of our team are playing (and enjoying) DEAD TRIGGER without IAP.

Following this, software developer Matt Gemmell wrote a lengthy post explaining why he thinks Android apps are laboring under a "broken business model".

"People have to get paid. There has to be a revenue stream. You can’t reliably have that revenue stream if the platform itself and the damaged philosophy behind it actively sabotages commerce. If you want a platform to be commercially viable for third-party software developers, you have to lock it down. Just like in real life, closing the door and locking it helps make sure that your money remains yours. Bad behaviour has to be more difficult than good behaviour - and good behaviour means paying for your software."

[...]

"Nerds like to say that people care about choice at that level. Nerds are wrong. Nerds care about choice, and nerds are such a tiny minority of people that nobody else much cares what the hell they think. Android is designed with far too much nerd philosophy, and open is gravy to those people because it’s synonymous with customization. ... Open is broken as a money-making platform model, unless you’re making the OS or the handsets. Most of us aren't doing that."

So, what do you think?

NEWS SOURCE #1: Dead Trigger free Android piracy rate (via) TheVerge
NEWS SOURCE #2: App developer Android designed for piracy (via) SlashDot

Our thanks to 'Gauss' for this news item!

[tech3475]

Hello and welcome to how to get publicity 101.

Seriously, i only heard of this game because of the piracy excuse.

[Cyber Akuma]

Don't you think you abused quotes a bit too much in this post? Won't somebody please think of all the poor quotes?

[Battlefield]

I have played loads of Android games, but i never heard of this game. At this low price i usually buy good games on Android. I bought about 70 apps+games for Android so far.

Its now free anyway, so i cant buy it to support the dev.

When thats said, Android have alot of piracy, but alot of devs also earn money on it. They just have to let people know the game exist. Its not always easy thou since most stuff released each day is just drowning in the store jungle. Its not easy to be spotted when there is probably over 500.000 apps+games there.

[Signa]

Generally, I got no problem with a person that doesn't want to blindly contribute money to a company without checking to see if the product is worth the money, but at $1, I'm having a hard time coming up with acceptable excuses. The devs do sound like they are taking a knee-jerk reaction to piracy though. It wouldn't take much to bring in cash if they just embedded a message saying that the game is only one measly dollar, and you should buy it if you like it. I'd like to know how they even know the game is being pirated as much as they are saying, because a pirate copy isn't exactly traceable.

I don't own a smart phone, but freemium games seem to be the way to go on them. People who choose to play a game on a phone aren't looking for the greatest games, just something to pass the time. That usually means free is the only price to charge. Revenue can be brought in afterwards for the people who are being entertained constantly by the time-waster.

[Cyber Akuma]

Its now free anyway, so i cant buy it to support the dev.

Well, if you want to support the devs, then good news!

It has IAP! :P

(BTW, these are the same guys that made Shadowgun if you have heard of that)

[tech3475]

Generally, I got no problem with a person that doesn't want to blindly contribute money to a company without checking to see if the product is worth the money, but at $1, I'm having a hard time coming up with acceptable excuses. The devs do sound like they are taking a knee-jerk reaction to piracy though. It wouldn't take much to bring in cash if they just embedded a message saying that the game is only one measly dollar, and you should buy it if you like it. I'd like to know how they even know the game is being pirated as much as they are saying, because a pirate copy isn't exactly traceable.

I don't own a smart phone, but freemium games seem to be the way to go on them. People who choose to play a game on a phone aren't looking for the greatest games, just something to pass the time. That usually means free is the only price to charge. Revenue can be brought in afterwards for the people who are being entertained constantly by the time-waster.

I suppose if the game uses a device id (eg. imei) which is sent to the dev, it just requires maths to work out the piracy rate.

there are possible legitimate reasons to pirate, for example, Google doesnt have a prepaid card system like Apple so no card=no purchase.

There is also a 15 minute return window for Android but i dont know how this works (eg. if its from the start of the download) so that could be another if you just wanted to make sure it worked.

This can happen, for example sonic cd has some slowdown issues (think worse than the pal version of sonic 1) on my gsiii but if i had paid for it and couldnt get a refund id be annoyed.

Personally I find it weird people risk using pirated apks considering there's enough risk just trying to be legit (unless again they have no choice).

[Battlefield]

I have just installed this game, and its actually maybe the best FPS i tried on Android so far. Good GFX, and slick controls.

This game just a nice gem which drowned in the market jungle. Its their own fault for not marketing it a little.
It may not be piracy, ut just may be that most people never heard or seen anything about the game.

Zombie games still sells alot, and this one is one of the best. I would gladly have payed the price they asked for.

[msanchez]

I would feel sorry for them, but:
1) How do they know it's been pirarted as much as they claim?
2) I was pretty ticked off at the dev when I purchased this game and saw that I had to buy game currency to get some items.

I actually hoped they would pirate the living hell out of this game for suckering me in to spending $1 only to want me to spend $20 later. I mean, it's one thing if it's a free game and then they expect me to pay for sh*t, but the moment I PURCHASE a game, I'll have none of that microtransaction BS.

This dev makes some very good games, Samurai Vengeance, Shadowgun, and Dead Trigger, and up to now I had bought each of their games as soon as they were released. Dead Trigger in particular I bought without even reading the description since it was released by Madfinger.

Anyways, next time charge me $5+ like you did for the other games, and drop this penny pinching BS... or not and in that case F.U.

[Signa]

I would feel sorry for them, but:
1) How do they know it's been pirarted as much as they claim?
2) I was pretty ticked off at the dev when I purchased this game and saw that I had to buy game currency to get some items.

I actually hoped they would pirate the living hell out of this game for suckering me in to spending $1 only to want me to spend $20 later. I mean, it's one thing if it's a free game and then they expect me to pay for sh*t, but the moment I PURCHASE a game, I'll have none of that microtransaction BS.

This dev makes some very good games, Samurai Vengeance, Shadowgun, and Dead Trigger, and up to now I had bought each of their games as soon as they were released. Dead Trigger in particular I bought without even reading the description since it was released by Madfinger.

Anyways, next time charge me $5+ like you did for the other games, and drop this penny pinching BS... or not and in that case F.U.

Wait, wait wait... There's $20 of in-game content, and they are bitching about the measily dollar that people don't want to throw down? What the hell? Why charge that initial cost if that wasn't your only source of monitization?!

[msanchez]

Wait, wait wait... There's $20 of in-game content, and they are bitching about the measily dollar that people don't want to throw down? What the hell? Why charge that initial cost if that wasn't your only source of monitization?!

Exactly, I'm sorry but I'm just NOT a fan of this freemium crap. I refuse to pay real money for virtual gear, it's retarded and clearly goes against Darwin's theories on natural evolution.