Alto's Adventure Will Arrive on Android Next Week for Free

Alto's Adventure, a skiing mobile game that debuted on iOS, will arrive on Android and Kindle Fire devices next week on Thursday for free, the developer said in a blog post on Wednesday.

Unlike the Apple App Store where the game costs Rs. 190, Built by Snowman decided to take the free-to-play approach to Android for a variety of reasons. "We thought long and hard with Noodlecake about how we could best monetize the game - to launch as a premium title (like on iOS), or to explore other alternatives that stayed true to our core values and vision for the game," Snowman's Ryan Cash said.

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The other is piracy. "Piracy on Android is a much bigger issue on the platform especially in the case of premium iOS titles that charge more than $0.99," Ryan Holowaty of Noodlecake, the company behind the port, told The Verge. Cash cited the case of Monument Valley, whose developer Ustwo Games produced an infographic that detailed only 5 percent of the game's install base had bothered to pay for the game.

And then there was Android's international reach to consider. "Android has a much larger install base than iOS internationally, and games that release in countries like China and Japan are basically free-to-play only at this point. So to really capitalise on the market internationally, it made sense to have a free version," Holowaty added.

Meanwhile, the game will remain paid for iOS users. Snowman will attempt to compensate for the money it doesn't receive upfront on Android by providing "opt-in bonuses for players who might need a little extra help" or in simpler words, in-app purchases.