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Monument Valley dev sees app piracy a bit differently
Monument Valley was one of the biggest mobile titles of 2014, and that's a pretty big deal given that the game carried a premium price tag. On Monday, developer Ustwo revealed that just 5% of Monument Valley downloads on Android -- and 40% on iOS -- were paid for, suggesting a huge piracy rate across both platforms. In a subsequent Re/code interview, Monument Valley producer Dan Gray took a less critical stance on piracy than some might expect. "It's essentially free marketing," Gray said, noting that he believes the vast majority of those who obtained the game illegally wouldn't have purchased it anyway, and that by spreading word of the game it may have led to additional sales. It's impossible to know just how things would have panned out without piracy as an option, but the fact that Monument Valley ended up as a success in its the eyes of its creators shows that paid games are still a viable option. It's also important to note that not all of the unpaid downloaders were necessarily the result of piracy, as installs across multiple devices from a single App Store account are impossible to filter out. So, for example, if an iPhone user downloaded the game on both their phone and iPad, one of those downloads were show up as "unpaid."
Monument Valley dev: 5% of Android players paid to play
Monument Valley developer Ustwo revealed that only five percent of the game's installs on Android are "paid for." It divulged "interesting data" about the game in recent tweets, clarifying that a "small number" of the other 95 percent of installs were legitimate. Additionally, the data does not account for the one promotional day in which Monument Valley was free on the Amazon Store. By comparison, Ustwo said that 40 percent of the installs for the game on iOS were paid for. Piracy isn't a new problem for the Android platform, as indicated by games such as Lucky Frame's Gentlemen!. The Edinburgh, Scotland-based independent developer announced in August 2013 that just 144 of the 50,000 downloads for Gentlemen! on Android were legitimate. Ustwo first launched Monument Valley on iOS in April 2014 before it arrived on Android one month later. The game reached one million copies sold in July after having recouped its development costs after one week on the App Store. It received eight new levels on iOS in November and earned a year-end award from Apple last month. [Image: Ustwo]
Monument Valley gets eight new levels on iOS today
Pretty puzzler Monument Valley received a new set of levels today called Forgotten Shores. The pack is available as a $1.99 in-app purchase for iOS, opening up eight additional levels for players to solve. The new levels slot between the game's original final two acts, operating as a "director's cut" of sorts, executive producer Dan Gray told Wired. Forgotten Shores explores a few new gameplay ideas that developer Ustwo didn't fit into the original 10 levels, resulting in more steps to complete the latest puzzles. As designer David Fernández Huerta put it, the developer is "asking the player to think ahead a bit more" in Forgotten Shores. Gray also noted that Monument Valley recently celebrated 1.4 million downloads since its April launch, a steady climb since it hit one million downloads in July. As for Android players, the Forgotten Shores update will be available "very soon," Ustwo noted on Twitter. [Image: Ustwo Games]
Monument Valley is getting new levels and you should be excited
Monument Valley -- the gorgeous puzzle game that managed to catch fire at US$3.99 despite the free-to-play takeover happening on the App Store -- is getting an in-app purchase that will add a further eight chapters to the title. The add-on is titled Forgotten Shores and will go on sale Thursday, November 13, according to Wired. Developer Ustwo notes that Forgotten Shores isn't a sequel or direct continuation, but more like a bonus feature akin to something you'd find on a movie disc. Ustwo has also released a development video to accompany the announcement (which you can check out above), and also revealed that the game has sold a whopping 1.4 million copies thus far. Keep an eye out for the add-on pack, which will launch in a little less than a week and will be priced at $1.99.
Dice cuts the crap to change the way you buy concert tickets
While you might own every single release your favourite band has put out, nothing beats going to see them live. If that's something you do regularly, you know that you'll not only have to fight it out with any number of like-minded fans to get your ticket, but you'll also have to run the gauntlet of booking via one of the major ticketing providers, which often includes submitting captchas, paying any number of booking fees or printing fees and running the risk that you won't come away with what you actually wanted.
A peak at one of Monument Valley's new levels
Yes, that is a pun in the headline. Thank you for noticing. Monument Valley is getting new "lost scenes" designed to double the average gameplay time of 90 minutes, and this is one of those levels. Well, it's part of one of those levels, as this one appears to be fairly grand. Developer ustwo shared the photo on Twitter (view it in full below). There's no word on a launch window for the new levels. Monument Valley recouped its cost of development in one week, reached 1 million sales in four months and won an Apple Design Award since launching in April.
Award-winning Monument Valley recouped costs in one week
Monument Valley, winner of an Apple Design Award and an all-around beautiful brain-buster, made back its development costs after just one week on the App Store, Lead Designer Ken Wong said during a presentation at GDC Europe. Even though it's a $4 app and it launched alongside other premium games, including Hitman: Go, FTL and Leo's Fortune, Monument Valley crested 1 million sales within four months. "Now, that doesn't make us rich by any measure, but we made our money back and it means that the team can stay together and make another creative, crazy project with complete creative freedom," Wong said. "This is all we ever really wanted, not to get rich, but to be sustainable."
Bend your brain for 2 bucks with Monument Valley
Monument Valley, the physics-bending and fantastical puzzle game, is on sale for $2 on Google Play, down from its normal price of $4. This is the game's first sale on Android. Monument Valley took home an Apple Design Award (and a lot of players' hearts) this year, and it recently passed 1 million in sales. Developer ustwo plans to release "lost scenes" for the game that should double its current playtime of 90 minutes or so. The scenes are due out in the fall, though whether they'll be paid or free is still up in the fresh monument air. [Image: ustwo]
More than 1 million sales are comin' round Monument Valley
Monument Valley, an Apple Design Award-winning game that twists player perspective like an MC Escher painting twists stairs, has surpassed more than one million sales. We're not sure what that number means to a game that cares nothing for the laws of physics, but developer ustwo seems pleased enough to start planning for post-release content. Producer Dan Gray told TechCrunch that the team plans to double the average gameplay time of 90 minutes with additional "lost scenes" for the game. Gray wasn't sure if these scenes would be sold or free to download, but either way they'll take place outside of the main story. Ustwo is aiming to release the extra levels sometime in the fall. If you're not sure what all the fuss is about, Monument Valley - along with its fellow Design Award winners - is on sale in the iTunes store. [Image: ustwo]
Illusory puzzler Monument Valley out now on Android
Ustwo's playable optical illusion Monument Valley is now available for Android devices, following up on a successful launch last month in the iTunes App Store. Monument Valley challenges players to explore fantasy worlds filled with unlikely architecture, sussing out illusory patterns as they solve puzzles and traverse tricky level geometry. Developer Ustwo recently revealed that the game earned over 500,000 downloads following its iOS debut in April. Monument Valley is priced at $3.99. [Image: Ustwo]
Monument Valley debuts two trailers to tide you over until launch
Monument Valley developer ustwo has revealed that the colorful indie adventure will make its iOS debut on Friday, April 4. To celebrate the announcement, ustwo has also issued two trailers for the game. The first, which you can see above, stands as Monument Valley's first official gameplay trailer, though with that near-term release date, it doubles as a launch trailer. As you can see, Monument Valley's stages are optically challenging tributes to the mind-bending work of M.C. Escher. The game's protagonist, the adorably angular Princess Ida, is tasked with navigating each of these geometrically impossible levels in her ongoing search for forgiveness. The second clip, which can be found past the break, offers a polished behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Monument Valley, which translates to just over four minutes of indie developers explaining their motivation for creating the attractive, off-kilter adventure. Unfortunately lacking from ustwo's announcement is a price point for Monument Valley. [Image: ustwo]
Monument Valley finds beauty in impossibility, beta sign ups now
Monument Valley is an optical illusion presented as a game – or a game presented as an optical illusion – starring Princess Ida as she travels alone, seeking forgiveness for a past misdeed. The levels twist and turn to create impossible pathways and shapes, allowing Ida to travel where she needs to go. It's due out on mobile devices "soon" from indie developer ustwo, and beta registration is live now directly through the studio. Ustwo's past work includes mobile game Whale Trail and a handheld game with a murky history called Papa Quash. Ustwo pulled Papa Quash from the App Store last year following a cloning controversy – the game was commissioned by a third party to play like JS Joust, but it wasn't sanctioned by that game's creator, Die Gute Fabrik. The air was cleared in May and Die Gute Fabrik Lead Designer Douglas Wilson said he didn't harbor any ill will toward Ustwo. Monument Valley takes cues from the mind-melting art of MC Escher, with gameplay influences from Zelda and Myst. That sounds like the right kind of inspiration to us.
JS Joust creators respond to Papa Quash controversy
Johann Sebastian Joust developer Die Gute Fabrik deliberated over its response to inquiries about the similar iOS app Papa Quash for more than a day, delivering a comprehensive response on its blog last night. "To be clear, we've never given anyone permission to make a derivative version of any of our commercial products – existing or forthcoming," DGF said. "That said, the definition of 'derivative' is elusive. We generally don't believe that game mechanics themselves can or should be copyrighted or otherwise protected." "We've also never requested any studio to pull any of its products," the studio added, referring obliquely to Papa Quash's removal from the App Store. "We believe that game developers have the responsibility to decide for themselves what is "over the line" in terms of cloning vs. innovating (separate from legal obligations regarding copyrights, trademarks, patents, and other intellectual property rights)." As for the specific case of Papa Quash, Die Gute Fabrik demurred from outright calling it a clone – while still expressing disappointment about cloning in general.In an email to Joystiq, Die Gute Fabrik lead game designer Douglas Wilson provided clarification about the email conversation that took place between Papa Quash creator Sam Pepper and DGF."Sam Pepper did email me back in January," Wilson said. "However, I never gave him 'permission' to develop Papa Quash. In his emails, he told me about his general plans to make a motion control game, which he indicated was different from J.S. Joust. He never provided a well-formulated game/design, and as such, there simply was nothing to 'approve.'"According to Wilson, the decision to pull Papa Quash was not his. "I spoke with Steve Bittan from Ustwo last night, and I made it clear that the determination was theirs (and potentially Sam Pepper's) to make as to whether the game is "different" enough (separate from legal obligations regarding copyrights, trademarks, patents, and other intellectual property rights). I don't harbor any animosity towards Ustwo or Sam Pepper."
