Android game downloaded 50,000 times, only 144 people paid - Polidicks

[URL]http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/22/4647240/the-indie-game-that-144-android-users-bought-and-50000-pirated[/URL] [quote][I]Victorian dueling game [/I][I]Gentlemen! was released in July for iOS and Android, with limited popularity [URL="http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/19/4537730/best-new-apps-gentlemen"]but excellent reviews.[/URL] Yann Seznec, director of studio Lucky Frame, says that over 50,000 people have downloaded his game on Android — far more than the 2,000 copies he hoped to sell overall. Unfortunately, only 144 of those people actually paid.[/quote][/I]

This is pretty much why I'm planning on releasing free games with some ads in them for Android, piracy is pretty rampant and DRM sucks.

This is why you have to have online verification when you create an app for any system.

I doubt these numbers are true. Why would so many people pirate a game that no one has heard of?

[QUOTE=Pepsi-cola;41949757]I doubt these numbers are true. Why would so many people pirate a game that no one has heard of?[/QUOTE] And how the hell does he know how many people have pirated it?

To be fair though £2.99 is a little steep for what it is. I don't condone piracy, but I think that if he lowered the price it would sell so much more.

[QUOTE=elowin;41949760]And how the hell does he know how many people have pirated it?[/QUOTE] He probably included something in the application that if you're connected to the internet, it will let him know you've installed it. Then all he has to do is look at how many people have installed it, and look at how many people have bought it

The reason this happened is because the app was flagged as only being downloadable on two tablets (IIRC). So if you tried to download it on any other device it would just outright refuse to let you purchase it, even though it would have most likely worked on it. If you don't let people purchase stuff easily they will move onto the next means of distribution... (see: what happened with TV series until Netflix became more convenient than torrents)

[QUOTE=djjkxbox360;41949789]He probably included something in the application that if you're connected to the internet, it will let him know you've installed it. Then all he has to do is look at how many people have installed it, and look at how many people have bought it[/QUOTE] And people generally seem to assume that one ip = one person. Particularly on something mobile like a phone, this is greatly flawed thinking. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the figures were less than 10% of what he is claiming. Anyone else remember the humble bundle stats and how completely insane they were when they first launched?

[QUOTE=Xystus234;41949750]This is why you have to have online verification when you create an app for any system.[/QUOTE] I bought Jamie Oliver's cooking app for like $10 or whatever it was, and the verification system kept insisting I hadn't paid for it. It was really annoying.

They can make a verification system that works

[QUOTE=MaxOfS2D;41949801]The reason this happened is because the app was flagged as only being downloadable on two tablets (IIRC). So if you tried to download it on any other device it would just outright refuse to let you purchase it, even though it would have most likely worked on it. If you don't let people purchase stuff easily they will move onto the next means of distribution... (see: what happened with TV series until Netflix became more convenient than torrents)[/QUOTE] Jesus. That's bullshit. I understand not wanting to troubleshoot for the hundreds of tablets/phones that actually were incompatible but for fuck's sake. The developer's an idiot.

[QUOTE=Alex_DeLarge;41949961]Jesus. That's bullshit. I understand not wanting to troubleshoot for the hundreds of tablets/phones that actually were incompatible but for fuck's sake. The developer's an idiot.[/QUOTE] Please read the Gamasutra article. While I do not agree with their reasons for not making it available for more devices, they have their reasons. Also the article make it sound like they're complaining about the piracy rates but they aren't. From the article, perhaps some posters should think about this: "[…]releasing this data was a great example of confirmation bias. One narrative that kept appearing was “this is why you shouldn’t develop for Android”, or more bluntly “this is why Android sucks”. I find this attitude pretty silly."

[QUOTE=MaxOfS2D;41949801]The reason this happened is because the app was flagged as only being downloadable on two tablets (IIRC). So if you tried to download it on any other device it would just outright refuse to let you purchase it, even though it would have most likely worked on it. If you don't let people purchase stuff easily they will move onto the next means of distribution... (see: what happened with TV series until Netflix became more convenient than torrents)[/QUOTE] like garry's mod??? :D just kidding

[QUOTE=nigerianprince;41949900]I bought Jamie Oliver's cooking app for like $10 or whatever it was, and the verification system kept insisting I hadn't paid for it. It was really annoying.[/QUOTE] Probably because the developer sucks.

[QUOTE=Francisco;41950553]Probably because the developer sucks.[/QUOTE] Well that wouldn't surprise me; but the fact remains that I'm a paying customer who pays for software like that and I end up getting punished through no fault of my own. I guess the openness of the Android platform means it is some sort of a haven for piracy; but the platform itself also allows the phone to be a whole lot more useful than an iPhone or any phone with a heavily locked down platform.

[QUOTE=elowin;41949760]And how the hell does he know how many people have pirated it?[/QUOTE] callback? Lots of applications actually do that.

[QUOTE=wraithcat;41950691]callback? Lots of applications actually do that.[/QUOTE] I believe google play can verify how many users have installed an app, sometimes pirated apps even download updates via google play.

I have a feeling the verge is just trying to fling anti-piracy bullshit at us without questioning the reasons.

Piracy has known to be huge on Android, there are numerous examples of it and it sucks since it affects mostly small indie developers. There are even cases of "pirated" free games.

I think this is a pertinant quote from the article- [quote]And 95 percent of the pirated copies went to Russia and China — countries he'd barely considered when selling the game. "The main problem is that most of these pirates probably exist in a commercial ecosystem where the Google Play Store does not even exist," he says. "It doesn't occur to them to buy any games from there at all."[/quote] but seeing the discussion about limited availability on specific devices seems like a huge oversight on his part

Piracy is a huge issue on any platform, especially in china and russia. [editline]24th August 2013[/editline] [img]http://i.imgur.com/mMM5lkX.png[/img] :v:

[QUOTE=Zephyrs;41949853]And people generally seem to assume that one ip = one person. Particularly on something mobile like a phone, this is greatly flawed thinking. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the figures were less than 10% of what he is claiming. Anyone else remember the humble bundle stats and how completely insane they were when they first launched?[/QUOTE] IP isnt valid, but you can get individual identifiers from the phone, such as mac address, google account identifier(email)...

[QUOTE=mobrockers;41951085]Piracy is a huge issue on any platform, especially in china and russia. [editline]24th August 2013[/editline] [img]http://i.imgur.com/mMM5lkX.png[/img] :v:[/QUOTE] apparently google chrome stopped spellchecking on me entirely, argh

[QUOTE=MaxOfS2D;41949801]The reason this happened is because the app was flagged as only being downloadable on two tablets (IIRC). So if you tried to download it on any other device it would just outright refuse to let you purchase it, even though it would have most likely worked on it. If you don't let people purchase stuff easily they will move onto the next means of distribution... (see: what happened with TV series until Netflix became more convenient than torrents)[/QUOTE] This, for some reason the google store doesn't work on my phone, so I am literally forced to find other means to get my downloads. [sp]not implying I pirate them, I'm talking about stuff like Teamspeak, spotify, Steam, Skype, etc[/sp]

[QUOTE=Richy19;41951365]IP isnt valid, but you can get individual identifiers from the phone, such as mac address, google account identifier(email)...[/QUOTE] Even those aren't really reliable.

[QUOTE=MaxOfS2D;41949801]The reason this happened is because the app was flagged as only being downloadable on two tablets (IIRC). So if you tried to download it on any other device it would just outright refuse to let you purchase it, even though it would have most likely worked on it. If you don't let people purchase stuff easily they will move onto the next means of distribution... (see: what happened with TV series until Netflix became more convenient than torrents)[/QUOTE] Netflix is still more inconvenient than Torrents, but has a much lower barrier of entry which gives an advantage for most people.

Sounds like this game had some weird restrictions, but I think you have to be a bit of a cunt to pirate sub $10 apps and games.

I've never, and never plan to, buy anything from the App store.