GameCenter players - app sales = pirates?

Solar2D General Questions/Discussion
#1

Our sidescroller shmup Parallax is available in the AppStore for 2 weeks now and we see a significant discrepancy between app sales and game center players.

So we’ve done a little googling and found our app on several relevant websites with pirated versions downloadable for free. what a bummer!

but are we drawing conclusions too fast, maybe?

I mean, look at my account:

  • 3 PCs connected
  • my 3 iDevices, my partner’s 3 iDevices
    you can create a new GC account on each device.
    that means that I can buy an app and install it on 6 devices.
    I can also create more than one GC account on a device.
    considering that, the number of GC players compared to sales is not unrealistic… or is it?

However, are pirated versions hurting sales at all?
I can imagine that it doesn’t. Because the 12 year old who has spent all his money for a shiny new iDevice and needs to install cracked apps now because there’s no money left, would he buy our apps anyway? I guess not. He rather waits for that inevitable “free weekend”…

So maybe we should think of it as some kind of advertisement?
A thousand kids running around playing our games and challenging their friends. Isn’t that a good thing after all?

let’s discuss…

-finefin

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#2

Personally although I don’t like my apps being pirated, it’s a reality for all of us.

I don’t think it’s a big loss in sales; most pirates wouldn’t buy the app anyway.

I like to think of it as free publicity - that’s why I always include Twitter and Facebook in my games :slight_smile:

Just my two cents :slight_smile:

Peach [import]uid: 52491 topic_id: 13063 reply_id: 47957[/import]

#3

I have to agree with peach. Most of the pirated apps/games would have never been bought in the first place. It’s like the people who go out and buy a REALLY big car to show off and then realize 2 weeks later they can’t afford to put gas in it much less buy a new tire when they get a flat.

I’ve found two distinct groups of pirates, those who believe they deserve the software for free and those who jailbreak and load tons of apps just to show off that they’re a “hacker”. Either way I would take it as free advertising and just hope for the best, piracy will NEVER go away.

-syntax- [import]uid: 70009 topic_id: 13063 reply_id: 47979[/import]

#4

yeah, I think you’re both right.
and honestly, we were kinda proud when we found out that our 1.5 year old kid’s app Canupa Band deluxe is available on the pirate bay…

you know, I’m absolutely no copyright sheriff that wants to hunt down pirates until they give up - that would be tilting at windmills.
I love the idea of sharing ideas and solutions. the LUA community is one of the reasons I chose corona sdk.

And I believe most little pirates will be good customers in the future. Damn, I used pirated software myself back in the 90s, where I had no money but an unquenchable thirst for computer technology.

Using pirates as an advertisement source sounds like the most reasonable thing to do. Including twitter and facebook is a good idea - I’ll definitely do that, too!

but wouldn’t it be very easy for Apple to ban pirates from Game Center? They just have to check the account’s cloud if that particular app has been bought or copied in a legal way. If not: sorry, no sugar on top, honey!

-finefin
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#5

I tend to agree. Those who get pirated apps wouldn’t have bought initially, though they may up as buyers sometime later… and they may tell non-jail breakers about the apps.

I’ve been tucking code to check our servers for “news” into our apps for a little while now… So, eventually as versions increase, I start noting (via an in-app news screen) to those who are still using old versions that they can upgrade to the latest version in the app store for free. Of course, “for free” means i’m talking to anyone who’s bough the app before… those who’ve pirated would have to actually buy it. Someone who’s found value in the app since getting the pirated version is likely to then tap the link and just buy the full version of the app in the store. Someone who is looking to still save $1 or $2 will try to find a more current pirated version.

Now whether or not that actually converts sales or not, I really don’t know. I do think it helps make sure your pirate app version gets updated quicker cause those who didn’t want to spend the $1 or $2 may very well make a request @ one of those hack sites for the current version… Still, if you’re looking at it from a publicity perspective, that does mean less people use/find “old” versions that still have known bugs, etc. If you’re hoping people spread the word to real buyers, then hoping they have the best experience is something to consider. *chuckle*

Best wishes,
~~Kenn [import]uid: 13859 topic_id: 13063 reply_id: 48039[/import]