iPad Pricing - Is Anyone Else Doing An "HD Tax"?
Koda89
Member Posts: 275
What I mean is, the gaming blog Kotaku had an earlier article listing the proposed price listings for some of the first known iPad releases, most of them sequels or just higher resolution updates to current iPhone games. Except, a lot of these games had a much higher price than their iPhone counterparts. Like the game Flight Control has a price of $1 on the iPhone, but the listed price for Flight Control HD is $5. Or Labyrinth 2, which is $5 on iPhone, but is currently sitting at $8 for the "HD" iPad version.
So, is anyone else going to list their iPad versions of any current iPhone games as a higher price? I, myself, am TEMPTED, but I dunno if I will. If anything, I may bump up the price for Escape From Zombie City: Infection and Nebula Pinball from their current $2 price on the iPhone to $3 for the iPad, simply cause there is going to be more content/definite changes. For example, I'm going to throw in an additional gameplay mode for Escape From Zombie City: Infection, and for Nebula Pinball, use the larger screen to add more bumpers, flippers, and goal areas and charge the additional buck for the larger play area. So, what about y'all?
So, is anyone else going to list their iPad versions of any current iPhone games as a higher price? I, myself, am TEMPTED, but I dunno if I will. If anything, I may bump up the price for Escape From Zombie City: Infection and Nebula Pinball from their current $2 price on the iPhone to $3 for the iPad, simply cause there is going to be more content/definite changes. For example, I'm going to throw in an additional gameplay mode for Escape From Zombie City: Infection, and for Nebula Pinball, use the larger screen to add more bumpers, flippers, and goal areas and charge the additional buck for the larger play area. So, what about y'all?
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Comments
Hopefully with it being a more appropriate "gaming" device, one will be able to command more for their apps (if they are not "taptard apps" - lol - good old Syn).
Hopefully the $0.99 trend will go by the wayside and trickle into the iPhone/iPod Touch side....well, one can dream, eh?
Starting at like 3.99
All it takes is a few people who start at .99 and thats the standard
That being said ill go ahead and start my first app at .99 lol
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Tickle Stones http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tickle-stones/id363484260?mt=8
Food Fight! http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/food-fight/id352646643?mt=8
If the iPad has extra functionality that I would charge a tier higher
if half the stuff in there is .99 ill be .99
If not ill go higher
Just gonna have to play it by ear.
I really think apple should have removed the 99 and1.99 tier for the launch at least
I know ill probably download four or five apps right out the gate rather they are.99 or 10 bucks and im sure most will do the same
.99 apps are hardly any money
any higher than .99 is some money
If it's higher than .99 people think before they buy.
I've found myself thinking quite a few times, oh it's only .99 which is hardly anything, I'll just buy it.
If you want to charge 4.99 for an app and someone in Argentina copies your game/app (with or without improvements) and sells it for .99...your app is dead tomorrow.
Welcome to globalization. It's so damn hard to compete...I know first hand.
But in the same breath...the pricing dynamic forces major corporations like EA and Disney to give up their massive control over the market (being in bed with BestBuy, Wal-mart, Amazon, etc. and controlling the product being offered as well as influencing price point inflation)...and get down in the trenches with us.
Example?
I just saw yesterday Pop-Cap's Zuma at Wal-mart. The same type of game on the appstore is $2-3. At Wal-mart...the game was $20. The difference...greedy and slimy MIDDLEMEN need their palms greased!!! I mean...does a plastic CD disk really cost $17 to manufacture and distribute? I can buy a plastic chair for half that...and its 100 times bigger in weight and volume.
It has all them scratching their head trying to figure out how to make money at it since their giant beast needs fed and the app store is draining their market share. Good for us in this circumstance all around.
Good games get respect I have found.
I understand what you are saying...
But the price dynamic is very unique on the appStore. If everything started at $3.99...then there will be lest TOTAL purchases overall. The fact that $.99-1.99 seems to be the majority means that more overall download counts will occur. In this way...users are more likely to "risk $1" than risk $5.
If you are at Wal-mart...and all the Wii games were $4...instead of $40...you would buy 5 or 6 rather than 1. Perhaps 1 or 2 of those would be a more obscure title or an Indie game maker (of course those aren't even available at Wal-mart). Plus your expectations for that game might be lower and you would be more accepting of less than perfect game-play or graphics.
The fact that prices are soooo low allows the appStore to become available to ANYONE really and allows small guys like you and me to actually have a shot at selling something up against major development houses.
If all the prices were $5 or $10 and up...your overall combined income (and download counts) will drop dramatically. The only ones making money will be devs building stuff like Tiger Woods Golf and Call of Duty. The rest of us would be scurrying around looking for scraps.
The case in point that Alpine Crawler was $.99 and it outsold MLB 2010 (@ $15 or $25...cant remember)...and probably made more money overall (seeing as MLB has dumped a major amount of capital into branding/building that app and cutting royalty kickbacks/branding fees where Hunn's crew spent zilch)...is a wonderful success story for us (meaning indie devs)...and should serve as a model.
If GS can get their game engine faster and better...we will have even more abilities and tools to better compete head to head with major title releases.
Every time we think we have a handle on how the appStore works...some "taptard" game like "More Cupcake!" comes in and completely throws any and all logic out the window.
I don't know the magic formula...if there is one. All we can do is play the numbers and build the best apps we can...and hope for the best.
This whole appstore thing is in its infancy. Times will change...you just have to be flexible, nimble and quick. And with a little luck...you might find some big successes.
To be quite blunt, sometimes we're producing games for the "lowest common denominator" when it comes to apps like "more cupcakes" etc
I'll admit, I've had apps featured of my own where I've said, what the hell were they thinking?? There's no rhyme or reason to the app store at times, and it is, like you said Synthesis, keeping up with the changes, and a little quick thinking!