forgotten shores
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App Store gamers are cheap, angry and whiny
Monument Valley developer Ustwo learned a harsh lesson about App Store customers this week when the group released a sizable update to its highly regarded iOS title. A level expansion titled Forgotten Shores added a further eight chapters to the popular puzzle game for $1.99, and if you had read any of the glowing user reviews for the game ahead of the expansion's launch you'd probably have guessed more paid levels were exactly what everyone wanted. "I've completed it 4 times already. Even though I already know how to get through each level, I still enjoy playing it so much. But please add more levels or release a new version. I am happy to pay for this!" "Hope the developers will continue to expand on this game. The puzzles and their beauty is amazing and I would certainly pay to keep this app alive." "Absolutely loved it. Took my time finishing, but really hoping for a sequel or more levels. Don't mind paying, really great game." After the release of the add-on -- which, I have to emphasize, cost about as much as a cup of coffee -- the reviews took on a drastically different tone. "You want me to buy a new levels in a $4 game? Well F U then." "I was really looking forward for more levels, only to be bumped out when I discovered that i had to pay for them." "Stingy developer. Game is already expensive and developer expect us to pay more." Reading the one-star reviews that have popped up for Monument Valley over the past 48 hours is like a comedy routine. I've never seen so many people who claim to love something immediately resort to bashing it when they realize getting more content out of it isn't free. This is like buying the first season of Game of Thrones on DVD and then writing an angry letter to HBO, demanding that the second season be given to you for free because you already paid once. It's asinine and it needs to stop. When Monument Valley first launched, many wondered if it could fight the good fight against free-to-play games and come away with something to show for it. Word of mouth and plenty of positive press resulted in the game becoming one of the most popular paid apps on the App Store, but it seems the free-to-play trend has finally found a way to bite back, with tons of customers assuming that any new content would be added for no cost. This is the expectation that games like Angry Birds and Candy Crush have created, where new content arrives regularly and is added for no cost. Where those games make up for it is in tiny microtransactions for items or in-game powerups, and even if the majority of users aren't falling for that trick, others are making up for them. Monument Valley doesn't have in-app purchases in that sense, which means new content -- and let's be honest here, a content update to a free-to-play game doesn't hold a candle to what Ustwo is offering -- costs real actual money. If you want to complain that you think the game is too short, go ahead. If you don't think the art style is anything special, that's totally fine. If you think the music stinks, that's absolutely a legitimate criticism. You can put all of these in your adorable little user review and there's not much anyone, including me, can say, because that's what a review is. But don't you dare expect every game developer to follow the content giveaway model that publishers like King and Zynga -- who, by the way, are hemorrhaging cash because their creations are eating them alive -- have popularized. If you're going to demand something for nothing, I personally hope you stop buying games entirely and go back to whatever it was you were doing before Candy Crush completely ruined your perception of what a game really is. If you feel like supporting real game development, Monument Valley's Forgotten Shores update is now available, and it's more than worth the price of a late fee at the public library.
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.
