How about dropping the price of pro to $199?

revoltandreverbrevoltandreverb Member Posts: 159
edited July 2014 in Working with GS (Mac)

As far as I can see there's going to be a bigger influx of pro members since free members can't publish to app store. Why not drop the price of pro to $199, since surely the higher numbers of new pros will make up for the difference.

Comments

  • imjustmikeimjustmike Member Posts: 450

    Why would they lower the price of the software, they're not offering any fewer features? I'd rather them keep the price the same, earn more money to pay for more developers...

  • revoltandreverbrevoltandreverb Member Posts: 159

    "surely the higher numbers of new pros will make up for the difference."

  • ookami007ookami007 Member Posts: 581

    Two philosophies...

    1) Make the price lower and attract more users.

    2) Keep the price higher and make less sales, but more money per sale.

    Both work. Which would work better for them... probably the first, since they're a start-up. In the beginning, it's more important to build your base than to make the extra profit... especially if they can later monetize said base by... oh... say... template sales, percentage of profit from the marketplace, etc.

    Or even offer multiple tiers and offering additional features for the different teirs.

    So many ways to make money...

  • revoltandreverbrevoltandreverb Member Posts: 159
    edited July 2014

    True. My reasoning is that I probably wouldn't have started with GS if there wasn't a way to publish on the app store in whatever way with ads etc. for free just to start of with. Seeing my free app on the store gave me confidence. I think they will be bouncing a lot of new members by charging $300 in an all or nothing approach.

    My suggestion would be to perhaps charge $200 for apple publishing and $300 for apple and andriod

  • jamie_cjamie_c ImagineLabs.rocks Member, PRO Posts: 5,772

    The issue with the free publishing will be fixed and it will no longer be an issue.

  • revoltandreverbrevoltandreverb Member Posts: 159

    Is there an ETA on that?

  • jamie_cjamie_c ImagineLabs.rocks Member, PRO Posts: 5,772

    I have no idea, you'd have to get in contact with support. But as with any software issue I'm sure the reality is 'when it's complete...' whenever that is.

  • ArmellineArmelline Member, PRO Posts: 5,369

    I've argued for different pricing plans before, but it's not something I feel strongly about.

    GameSalad could avoid this whole problem though by just disabling the ads for free users until they fix the issue. They have a toggle they flip when a Pro user publishes a game, I find it hard to believe it would be that difficult to temporarily flip it for free users too.

  • revoltandreverbrevoltandreverb Member Posts: 159

    Thanks. I apologize for assuming that the ad bug was permanent. I thought it was an Apple thing that there was no way around.

  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934

    @revoltandreverb said:
    "surely the higher numbers of new pros will make up for the difference."

    It doesn't always work that way. Personally the price is fine. GS could get more if they wanted. If your not paying for it. Then you get to deal with the trade offs that's life and unlike life, that's fair.

  • AfterBurnettAfterBurnett Member Posts: 3,474

    I reckon a lower priced monthly subscription would work. Even Adobe do that now. People can afford ten or twenty bucks a month but a couple of hundred in one lump (or thousands, in Adobe's case) is a bit more of a whack to the wallet and over the long term, GS would make more money, anyway :)

  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934

    The only way monthly would work is if there's terms for how long the subscription is to be paid for. Otherwise people would pay for a month and launch all their games at once. Then not pay again until they have to update.

  • AfterBurnettAfterBurnett Member Posts: 3,474

    @tenrdrmer said:
    The only way monthly would work is if there's terms for how long the subscription is to be paid for. Otherwise people would pay for a month and launch all their games at once. Then not pay again until they have to update.

    Yeah, that's how it works. Other dev kits offer the same service, you pay when you need it. Because a lot more people take up the offer, it's a lot more profitable. Even if they only use pro when it comes to distribution time, I'd bet there'd be more than ten times the amount of people signing up.

  • BazookaTimeBazookaTime Member Posts: 1,274
    edited July 2014

    @POLYGAMe is correct. I forgot what the number of free users is but it was an incredibly high number. I can assure you a good number of them would pay for a month or two here and there when they actual need to release a game/update a game. The fact of the matter is most people don't need 12 months of Pro, they need month(s) here and there that fit in with their development.

  • WbokoWboko Tennessee, USAMember, PRO Posts: 621

    I think they need to do away with the free version so it would help cut down on some of the crud games in the App stores.

    It is hard enough to show the coolness of GS and have it taken as a great game engine with so many GS games that don't even have any artwork, just naked actors running around on a screen, or all the crap bird games... Oh Look, another flying bird with Mario's sewer pipes flying around...LOL

  • WbokoWboko Tennessee, USAMember, PRO Posts: 621

    And if you are not happy with the $299 then if you are a student swing over to Studica and get it for $149!

    http://www.studica.com/us/en/GameSalad/gamesalad-creator-pro.html

  • jigglybeanjigglybean Member Posts: 1,584

    Ive said before that there should be more options for payments. Subscriptions is the way to go. Adobe, Unity, Unreal Engine, Microsoft - they are all switching to offering a monthly subscription service.

    The downside is that income will fluctuate, but there is still no harm in remaining free and having adverts in place like they do currently.

    However, the whole advert/reject problem only came about because Apple are so far up their own rear end. #controlfreaks

    Like Balls? Then click here! We've 100 coming soon

  • UtopianGamesUtopianGames Member Posts: 5,692

    Try and get a job as a mod, they get GS for free :)

    If we made an SDK similar to GS we would make one version thats free to use then charge $99 a year if you want to publish to the stores.

    Darren.

  • jonmulcahyjonmulcahy Member, Sous Chef Posts: 10,408
    edited July 2014

    @DeepBlueApps said:
    Try and get a job as a mod, they get GS for free :)

    If we made an SDK similar to GS we would make one version thats free to use then charge $99 a year if you want to publish to the stores.

    Darren.

    mods never got it for free, there was a line cook program a while back that gave out GS for free provided you tested the beta releases and submitted bugs. If you didn't submit feedback for 2 consecutive releases you were dropped from the program. It just happened that most mods were in the program, but there were many others outside of it, something like 20-25 people. That stopped at the end of 2013.

    i think the free to use 100% of the app and pay to publish is a good way to go, it seems to be that's the way most places are heading. Who knows, GS might end up that way once the new interface comes out.

    but for everyone who says they would only pay for the month to publish, remember things like open URL / twitter and networking are pro only, and something like networking really needs to be implemented throughout the process.

  • AfterBurnettAfterBurnett Member Posts: 3,474

    A pay to publish system wouldn't be a bad idea. Even if it was like $20 or more per game. Would hopefully help keep the level of crAPPS lower. That or subscription (which can be used that way).

  • WbokoWboko Tennessee, USAMember, PRO Posts: 621

    @POLYGAMe said:
    A pay to publish system wouldn't be a bad idea. Even if it was like $20 or more per game. Would hopefully help keep the level of crAPPS lower. That or subscription (which can be used that way).

    crAPPS... Nice one @POLYGAMe‌!

  • AdamgoproAdamgopro Member Posts: 310

    This post would be more relivant coming from someone who is already a pro user.

  • WbokoWboko Tennessee, USAMember, PRO Posts: 621

    @Adamgopro said:
    This post would be more relivant coming from someone who is already a pro user.

    Most of the people making the comments look to be Pro, @Adamgopro‌....LOL

  • ArmellineArmelline Member, PRO Posts: 5,369
    edited July 2014

    I never once bought Creative Suite or Photoshop, but have been happily subscribed to Creative Cloud for over a year now. A monthly charge is much easier to accept than thousands up front. I'd love to see GameSalad shift to a monthly model. Perhaps they should strip the free version down to an even more basic version and make the expanded Pro version only usable with a monthly subscription.

  • AfterBurnettAfterBurnett Member Posts: 3,474

    @Adamgopro said:
    This post would be more relivant coming from someone who is already a pro user.

    Actually, I think it would be the opposite. The reason they're not a pro user is tha price barrier.

  • Thunder_ChildThunder_Child Member Posts: 2,343

    I think it's funny...we as devs think of an app...we build it...send it out free with limitations with available in app purchases to unlock its full features...but when it's our money well....that's just not acceptable !! Hahhaa. I totally agree with a free to use and build software.....pay if you want to unlock and publish....although I don't think of GS as freeware...it's no different than apps we build.

  • WbokoWboko Tennessee, USAMember, PRO Posts: 621
    edited July 2014
  • firezombie444firezombie444 Member Posts: 49

    Well, that's how GameSalad makes their money. If they just dropped the price when someone asked them to, they might be out of buissness.

  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934

    @DeepBlueApps said:
    Try and get a job as a mod, they get GS for free :)

    Not true at all!! The free pro I have right now was earned through participation in contests and promotions where free pro was a reward. I have had pro in the past through the linecook program and I have also paid for it.

    @Thunder_Child said:
    I think it's funny...we as devs think of an app...we build it...send it out free with limitations with available in app purchases to unlock its full features...but when it's our money well....that's just not acceptable !! Hahhaa. I totally agree with a free to use and build software.....pay if you want to unlock and publish....although I don't think of GS as freeware...it's no different than apps we build.

    You quit that level headed rational thinking you silly boy. That's not allowed here. :stuck_out_tongue:

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