iPhone developer Bram Stolk: 'I don't think the sales would be much better without piracy'
Also says that offering Lite version is the best piracy protection
iPhone developer Bram Stolk, who created the physics-based title The Little Tank that Could, has claimed that piracy doesn’t have much of an impact on App Store sales.
His comments have come as something of a surprise, given his claims that 96 per cent of the users playing his game obtained it illegally. When asked about his reaction to the figures, Stolk said: “At first: disbelief. Then disappointment because I really hoped the game would sell well. However, currently I shrug it off. I don’t think the sales would be much better without piracy.”
Stolk admitted to being naïve when it came to implementing protective code in his games - “I thought Apple’s was pretty solid” - but that he believes the main protection against piracy is to offer a Lite version of your game.
Speaking of his first app store title, which was released in both Lite and Full versions, Stolk said “I would have to check, but I do not think that ’snake vs snake’ full version ever got pirated”.
Stolk’s conclusion seems to be that “People love free stuff,” so it’s better to give them it yourself along with links to the full product than to open the door for stingy pirates.
Hit this link to buy The Little Tank that Could.
iPhoneWorld.ca