Halfbrick+ Lets You Play Popular iOS Games Like Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride and Mega Jump for $2.99/Month

[nottorp]

People expect for their wages to keep up with inflation but for games/apps they expect support for a 99c game bought 5 years.

Why do you need support, unless the game is endless and online because of the IAPs? Make a game with a beginning and end, sell it and forget it.

Maybe don't make it for a platform that breaks compatibility weekly?

In this case, I wonder what's left of the games if they remove the IAP incentives. Probably little to nothing.

 

[cnnyy20p]

This is actually not that bad. Reasonably priced and you could just only pay which you want to play.

 

[JohnRckr]

Or. I can just play it… for free????

Has the world gone completely mad or what?

 

[MacBH928]

"back to the icons of your childhood"?

I call those games "modern"

 

[MacBH928]

Subscriptions... subscriptions everywhere

 

[IGI2]

Unfortunately, the buy once and own forever model just isn't really possible in a world where the hardware and operating system those games are played on is changing constantly. Everyone looks back to the good ol' days of Nintendo cartridges, but the reason those games still work is because Nintendo could not update the NES. The NES hardware was the NES hardware and other than minor variations (like the top loader) it stayed the same. The games, and the hardware they're played on, is eternal.

This just isn't how things work anymore. Since the launch of the App Store, Apple has launched over 30 distinctly different devices, 18 major iOS versions, and hundreds of point releases during that time. What has broken things is the expectation that your 99 cent purchase in 2008 should have been supported through 16 years and all of these hardware / software revisions.

If you downloaded Trism on your iPhone 3G in July of 2008 running iPhone OS 2.0, disconnected it from WiFi and cellular, and threw it in your desk drawer, you can still play that same exact version of that game. That is the only way to have a buy once own forever experience. Subscriptions fix that because ongoing revenue allows for these games to continue to be maintained over time instead of just inevitably breaking with an iOS hardware / software update or requiring you to keep your device in this offline time capsule state.

Great write-up! You nailed the issue with the "buy once, own forever" model in today's fast-changing tech world. Loved the NES comparison, it really drives home how things have shifted. Subscriptions make a lot of sense for keeping games running smoothly with all the updates and new devices.

 

[gamerdude]

Why do you need support, unless the game is endless and online because of the IAPs? Make a game with a beginning and end, sell it and forget it.

Maybe don't make it for a platform that breaks compatibility weekly?

In this case, I wonder what's left of the games if they remove the IAP incentives. Probably little to nothing.

Clearly you have not worked in Software Development. Devices change, OS APIs change, Supporting backend services change, cloud servers are an ongoing cost. Games can provide updated levels. Some apps do not deserve subscription but some definitely have ongoing costs which cannot be covered by a 99c fee.

 

[Vulkan]

I’ve played all these games in the past and occasionally more recently fruit ninja. Fun games but really not worth $30 a year.

These are lazy developers, get off your chair and make a new game, what a concept! It will probably be a good game that you will sell at your usual price. We will buy and forget this sad attempt at remaining relevant.

 

[chucker23n1]

Halfbrick Studios is a game company best known for super popular iOS titles like Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, which have historically been freemium titles. Starting last year, Halfbrick decided to go with a different monetization model, offering all of its games for a low monthly fee.

OK, but… they aren't really doing anything in return. They made the game (in the case of Fruit Ninja, well over a decade ago!), and asking for a full monthly fee for something that hasn't changed much in years is silly.

What I can see, from a software developer's perspective, is asking for an annual reduced fee. For example, buy the game collection once for $9, then spend $1 a year to make it work with iOS 19. That should be plenty to cover their costs.

 

[chucker23n1]

Clearly you have not worked in Software Development. Devices change, OS APIs change, Supporting backend services change, cloud servers are an ongoing cost. Games can provide updated levels. Some apps do not deserve subscription but some definitely have ongoing costs which cannot be covered by a 99c fee.

Yeah, but the OS cost is a once-a-year thing, and even then, most years, games don't really even require a recompile.

As for backend services, we're talking Fruit Ninja. Most users don't really need any of those backend services. For simple things like "play with a friend", Apple already offers Game Center, which is free for developers to hook into. If Halfbrick licenses a third-party service or runs their own, that's mostly on them…

 

[Daniel Poulin]

I remember paying for the full version of Jetpack Joyride many years ago, and then a few years later I tried to open it again to let one of my kids play, and they had put mandatory ads into the game that I had already paid for. Now they are saying I can pay a monthly subscription fee to get rid of the ads that they added after the fact to the game that I paid for?

 

[gamerdude]

I remember paying for the full version of Jetpack Joyride many years ago, and then a few years later I tried to open it again to let one of my kids play, and they had put mandatory ads into the game that I had already paid for. Now they are saying I can pay a monthly subscription fee to get rid of the ads that they added after the fact to the game that I paid for?

That should be illegal but eh who is going to sue them? Amazon did the same by adding to ads to Video after we already signed for Prime.