Your opinion on Freemium in iPhone and iPad games: results of the iPhon.fr survey and summary of comments

If today, the freemium model, that is to say a free application
containing in-app purchases, is very widespread on the App Store, this has not
always been the case and we wanted to know more about your opinion of
player, on your attitude towards this basic trend that nothing seems
be able to stop.

For this, a little over a week ago now, we have
proposed toshare
your opinion on freemium through a survey but also your
comments in this article
Here is a summary of the responses:

Your answers

First, let's look at the numbers.

According to the nearly 900 responses to the survey, we note that 22.5% of you
aretotally resistant to this way of doing things and made the choice
of the boycott: freemium will not pass through you!

Inversely,21.6% of you say you have already carried out
achats in appeven if only 2% do it in a manner
regular.

But for a majority of you, 56% to be precise,the
Freemium is the opportunity to play without paying anything
cent.

So much for the raw figures, but if today freemium is very
present on the App Store, it is obvious that it can take forms
diverse: the responses to this survey reflect this, but what is
Even more informative are the comments posted on
l’article :

Several freemiums… several types of consumption

In some cases,freemium has replaced so-called apps
‘Lite' that we knew before. Now, some apps
are free to download and levels can be unlocked later
with a purchase. In this case, the app performs a demo function that allows
to test before buying and for some of you, this is a very good thing
which allows either to play with the content offered and that is enough. For others,
it's a good way to not be disappointed after purchasing a game that you don't have
could test.

Other games, andthis is the case ofReal
Racing 3For example, made the bet tosuggest a game
completely free. If it is feasible to go from one end of the
game without having to pay a cent, it is also possible for a few
euros not to have to wait to carry out repairs or to
buy new cars.Here, free at a price… that
patience.If the player is more in a hurry to play, then he can
choose to checkout, but otherwise, there is no obligation to do so. Your answers
for this case are varied and if some are stuck on the concept, many
are those who opted for patience and it paid off, you make yourself
fun in the game after being able to obtain several cars, reducing
especially the waiting times. Morality, here is a type of Freemium which seems
successful, balanced and ultimately rather appreciated for those who took the plunge.
But this is not always the case and certain games are calibrated to do
pay first, preventing progress after a player's investment
more or less long. There, frustration is felt and it is very
probably the origin of the poor image of the model.

Finally, purchasing in the app can also unlock bonuses that do not
would not be accessible otherwise or that the game will deliver sparingly
(Think for example of the Mighty Eagle in Angry Birds). This case is debated
in multiplayer confrontation games, because it does not put all players
at the same level. If unblocking can be practical, it remains only on
clashes, this leads to a certain frustration with the players who have
took the step of payment.

Finally, other applications have chosen to pay in disguise. Under a
initially free, anyone who chooses not to pay will not be able to complete it,
and if he wishes, the only way will be to put his hand in his wallet.
More sneaky, it is this type of application which gives the freemium model a
such a bad reputation.

A few words to conclude

Your feedback was rather surprising in terms of openness and variety.
In the end, neither perfect nor bad, freemium is varied in its forms and
this is the model towards which the App Store publishers have gradually moved
turned. On the other hand, if a significant part of you has chosen not to
adhere to it, the majority copes with it rather well while remaining reasonable
in its consumption. With a philosophical aspect raised: choosing not to
not paying can also be a way of making the difficulty worse and therefore prolonging
the number of hours of play!

In the end, it is the pleasure of the game that will guarantee interest in a game,
and its long-term success... As for games that abuse, they should
quickly fade into oblivion and not remain on the App Store. In all
case, you have to hope so!

We will notably cite "Phaab" which sums up your impressions rather well in the
comments: "if you're not fun (the height of a GAME) but
that you are frustrating and intrusive, YOU GET OUT. if you are intelligent and you
respect your players/customers, you can succeed."

If you wish, it is still possible to vote on the
survey :