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iPhone dev accused of harvesting player phone numbers

by Justin McElroy { Nov 7th 2009 at 2:30PM }

As if, in this world of economic hardship and international strife, you need another thing to worry about. iPhone developer Storm8 has been accused of stealing the phone numbers of players that downloaded its apps like Vampires Live and Zombies Live in a suit filed in San Francisco on behalf of Lynnwood, WA resident Michael Turner.

The company acknowledged the number harvesting in August, calling it a "bug," though the suit claims only specific code could have recorded and transmitted the numbers. So ... apparently that's a thing that happens. Have a great Saturday!

Endless Racing Game demo is on the right track

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 2nd 2009 at 10:00PM }

A Dutch auto insurance company called VrijVerzekerd recently thought outside the box of flatulence simulators and gem-swapping puzzle games to come up with a truly brilliant iPhone offering. Titled Endless Racing Game (clever!), the application allows two or more users to sync their iPhones up via Bluetooth, then watch as a car drives between their mobile devices as they generate a continuous racing course.

If that explanation made little to no sense to you, check out the video demo after the jump. It's such a neat concept -- unfortunately, we don't think the iPhone has the install base needed to support that kind of multiplayer experience. Seriously, nobody has those things.

Continued →

Developer claims 80 percent piracy rate for latest iPhone release

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 26th 2009 at 12:30PM }

Apple's iPhone/iPod Touch is a lot like Sony's PSP in many ways: they both play games, movies and music -- and now both can struggle with the effects of piracy. According to iPhone developer Smells Like Donkey, about 80 percent of all downloads of Tap-Fu were illegally downloaded.

The developer notes that learning how to pirate games off the iPhone is surprisingly easy, thanks to "a kernel patch that bypasses Apple's DRM system" that "would take an average person 5 minutes in Google to find." Additionally, the developer discovered that an average of zero percent of pirates end up purchasing a legitimate copy of Tap-Fu -- it seems marking the game down to $1.99 didn't discourage anyone from taking a free ride.

"It is kind of depressing," the developer admits. However, other iPhone developers are encouraged to take a proactive approach in lieu of Apple's slow response to the piracy situation. "Detecting a pirated app is quite simple to do," the developer notes. "Probably the first thing we'll try is popping up a message reminding people that they really should buy the game if they like it and conveniently provide links to do so." An alternate plan to generate revenue? DLC. "This forces the pirates to change their strategy significantly and it might be a while before it becomes feasible to attack this system."

[Via Develop]

Volkswagen abandons traditional marketing in favor of iPhone game for GTI launch

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 22nd 2009 at 12:00AM }

A car manufacturer using a video game as a promotional tool is nothing new; Toyota generated a lot of buzz with its laughably bad (but free!) Yaris on Xbox Live Arcade two years ago. However, Volkswagen is taking the adver-gaming concept a huge step forward, by releasing a free iPhone game in lieu of a traditional advertising campaign. Don't expect to see any television commercials for the 2010 GTI -- for now, Volkswagen is committed to promoting its new vehicle exclusively through its App Store game.

Real Racing GTI should be available for download right now, and thankfully, it's no Yaris. Instead of crafting an entirely original game, Volkswagen collaborated with developer Firemint to release a free "lite" version of its popular Real Racing game that exclusively features the new GTI car.

"Launching the all-new 2010 GTI via the Real Racing GTI App allows us to connect with this savvy GTI consumer within his or her everyday life in a way that no 30-second spot ever could," Tim Ellis, Volkswagen's VP of Marketing, said in an advance press release. While it's true a free game will give individuals lengthy exposure to the brand, we still have our doubts about its reach. Ellis assured us that Apple was an ideal partner to work with, and that while alternatives (like PlayStation and Xbox) were considered, an exclusive arrangement with Apple ensured that the app would be prominently promoted, not to be lost amongst the dozens of fart apps that litter the service. Volkswagen hopes that through word-of-mouth alone, Real Racing GTI will be able to garner at least two million downloads. Considering the comparatively low cost of this promotion, coming shy of that benchmark probably won't be too devastating.

You can check out a video of the original Real Racing after the break.

Gallery: Real Racing GTI

Continued →

Lite iPhone apps now upgradable to full versions via in-app purchases

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 16th 2009 at 10:26AM }

One of our biggest complaints with the relatively streamlined iTunes App Store was the user's inability to upgrade "Lite" applications to their full, paid counterparts through the demo apps themselves. This led to the App Store being cluttered with two versions of nearly every game app, which sent us into fits of obsessive-compulsive rage. Fortunately, Apple has switched its position on in-app purchases, allowing developers to include the option to purchase and unlock the full version of an app (or even DLC) through the lite version's main menu, folding free and paid apps into one neat, orderly download.

Of course, with this new model, we're likely to see a lot more app developers attempt to nickel-and-dime iPhone owners with insubstantial DLC. Still, the changes should bring a much-needed simplification to the device's download service. Now, if someone could just find a way to fold Fart Machine, Fart Gun, Fart Helicopter, Fart Piano, Fart Bomb, Fart Generator, Fart Machine 2, and Fart Thesaurus into a single, unspeakably crude executable, the App Store would be pretty much perfect.

PSP minis developer surprised by cost of ESRB ratings [Update]

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 9th 2009 at 5:09PM }

Here's one reason why PSP minis are more expensive than their iPhone counterparts: the ESRB. Sony doesn't enforce any control over the pricing of minis, but they do mandate getting approval from the ESRB ratings board. That, apparently, has been a significant hidden cost some developers didn't expect. "You have to invest some money into dev kits and into getting ratings for your game. The costs of ratings such us ESRB is significantly more then we had realized," Fieldrunners developer Sergei Gourski told Gamasutra. According to a posting at GameDev.net, the cost of getting an approval is $2,500. [Update: The ESRB responded to our story, correcting the price. "ESRB has a reduced fee of $800 for games that have development costs under $250,000, which would likely apply to virtually all PSP Minis."]

Content developed for the iPhone doesn't need to go through the ratings board, an oversight which, surprisingly, has yet to attract a media call-to-arms. Should the ESRB succeed in courting Apple as the defacto ratings system for the iPhone, the high cost of approval should curtail one of the largest problems facing the iPhone store today: having too much content, a sentiment shared by Minigore developer Kimmo Vihola. Vihola noted that "[Apple's] process is starting to crack from the seams," and pointed out that Sony's turnaround time on minis is much faster than Apple's store. Sony takes three to five days for approval, while Apple varies "from a couple of days to up to six weeks."

Capcom places BombLink on iPhone

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 9th 2009 at 5:00AM }

Capcom is helping the terrorists win with the release of BombLink on iPhone and iPod touch. The $2 app basically asks players to organize bombs in such a way that the explosive devices detonate with the biggest "boom" possible. Talk about irresponsible programming.

Seriously, next thing you know there'll be games where you can pick up hookers, then kill them and take their money. Developers today, for shame!

BombLink Lite (FREE):

BombLink ($1.99):

Apple touts 21,178 entertainment titles in the App Store ... did somebody just fart?

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 9th 2009 at 10:45PM }

During Apple's "It's only rock and roll" event today, the company announced ... well, nothing important -- however, it did show off the nifty little graph above. During a section discussing how the iPhone/iPod Touch is a great gaming device, the company demonstrated the power of the iPhone OS by stating it had 21,178 "game and entertainment titles," far above the number of games available on Sony's PSP and the Nintendo DS.

Although Apple considers this grand number a triumph, it should be noted with cautious optimism. The great video game crash of the early '80s had a little bit to do with the lack of quality control happening in the industry, which was an issue Nintendo rectified with its "seal of quality" soon after. Then again, more recently, Nintendo itself has acknowledged a more Darwinian approach to games on its consoles. Forget quality control: Go nuts, Apple! Just please don't kill the games industry in the process.

iPhone Commodore 64 app removed from App Store

by JC Fletcher { Sep 8th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Were you happy to hear that C64, the iPhone Commodore 64 emulator app, had been approved by Apple and finally seen release? We were too. Try to remember that feeling, then, as we tell you that after having been rejected, and then finally accepted, it's been pulled from the App Store.

When developer Manomio learned that the C64's BASIC interpreter was the problem the first time, it removed obvious access, but left the interpreter in the software so it could be re-enabled later if Apple changed its mind. However, some users discovered how to access BASIC. Apple found out and removed it before anyone could use the C64's incredible computing power to blow the iPhone platform wide open.

Manomio has (re)re-submitted the app, so hopefully it'll actually make it to the App Store and stay there this time.

[Via Engadget]

Lumines coming to iPhone, console versions getting price cut

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 25th 2009 at 3:30PM }

According to a recent dispatch from Q Entertainment producer (and former EGM editor-in-chief) James Mielke, a huge marketing push for Lumines is set to kick off in September. As part of this bold movement, both Lumines Live and Lumines Supernova are set to have their prices cut in the near future -- but arguably more exciting is the news that the trance-inducing puzzler will be making its way to the iPhone sometime in September or early October.

Though an exact release date and price have yet to be announced, Mielke did confirm that the game would hit the App Store with brand new skins and music. Awesome -- nothing makes early morning commutes go by faster than a good case of rhythmic synesthesia.

Rumor: PSP Go 'app store' games coming, will be very low-priced

by Ben Gilbert { Aug 14th 2009 at 11:00AM }

If Pocket Gamer's sources are correct, we'll be seeing some shockingly low-priced downloadable titles coming to the PSP's next iteration, the PSP Go. Reportedly, games on the download-only handheld will be priced at "1, 2 and 5 Euros" per game (roughly 2, 4,and 10 dollars, depending on the exchange rate), apparently challenging Apple's App Store head-on. The piece unfortunately doesn't clarify if these will be existing UMD-based titles, PSN titles, or brand new stuff.

A few months back, rumors arose about the unveiling of an app store for the PSP Go at next week's Euro game convention, Gamescom. This report seems to corroborate the idea of an app store for the device and even posits that Sony is currently "sourcing iPhone developers to bring existing titles to PSN." We asked Sony for comment on the subject and will update this post when we hear more.

One thing's for sure: Sony has a whole mess of rumors on its hands and Gamescom would be a good place to put some of them to bed ... or bring them to fruition.

Namco considering Tekken, Soulcalibur for iPhone

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 4th 2009 at 10:00PM }

Namco Bandai is making a push to capitalize on the iPhone gaming "gold rush," as evidenced by the recent opening of its new Apple Games division. In an interview with Kotaku, Apple Games' recently ordained manager, Jonathan Kromrey, explained exactly how the company was going to win over the mobile gaming crowd -- by bringing arcade heavyweights "like Pac-Man, Galaga, Soulcalibur and Tekken" to Apple's handheld device.

Of course, those last two carry with them a substantial barrier: The iPhone and iPod Touch's limited control capabilities. Kromrey explained that Namco was "thinking about" how to make the brawlers work without a controller. We suggest some sort of voice control scheme, but only because we think it'll result in some hilariously awkward subway rides. "Punch! Punch! Kick! Punch! Block! Spinning Frankensteiner!"

Rumor: Alleged Apple tablet to be game console

by JC Fletcher { Aug 4th 2009 at 10:04AM }

If you spend any time on the Internet at all (hi!), you've no doubt heard the rumors of an upcoming tablet device from Apple -- supposedly, the company plans to enter the netbook market not with a tiny computer, but with a giant iPhone. And according to a nameless analyst who claims to have seen the device, as reported by Barron's, this new thing will play games.

The analyst reports that the tablet, with a 10-inch touch screen, is designed to be used as a "home media hub," streaming content over Wi-Fi connections and connecting with other Apple devices in the house. It's also reportedly designed to play games. Whether that means stretching existing App Store products or running new games designed just for the device remains to be seen, as does, you know, whether this thing really exists.

If Apple really is making a game console, what an inopportune time for Apple to lose one of its game producers. Of course, every single day so far has been an inopportune time to be a game producer at Apple, so we understand.

[Via Engadget, Develop]

Blizzard releases WoW Armory app for iPhone

by Randy Nelson { Jul 16th 2009 at 5:30PM }

There's no World of Warcraft client for iPhone (yet) but Blizzard is offering players a new way to stay connected to the game anywhere they go. The World of Warcraft Mobile Armory is a just-released free app that lets WoW users view their characters' stats, check PvP rankings, browse the game's armory database in detail, run talent calculations and access their in-game calendars from their phones (or an iPod Touch).

It seems like a slick -- not to mention useful -- app for serious players. Speaking of which, our pals at WoW.com (who just kinda sorta like the game, if you couldn't tell by their domain name) have posted their impressions of its functionality. Of course, you could always try it for yourself, what with it being free and all.

Pachter predicts 'game-enabled' Apple TV by 2013

by Randy Nelson { Jul 15th 2009 at 8:00PM }

Wedbush Morgan analyst -- and video game prognosticator -- Michael Pachter is back with more predictions for the future! Speaking with IndustryGamers, "The Pacht" said he believes it's only a matter of time (three to four years) before Apple takes a stab at console gaming by way of a "game-enabled" version of the Apple TV. "Apple TV is the device that they can turn into a console, and they have essentially the same goals as Microsoft -- to turn Apple TV into an entertainment and Internet hub," he proposed.

The game industry Nostradamus figures that "If [Apple] can get enough iPod users to download games, it's a natural that they can ultimately convince a large number of these users to buy a game-enabled Apple TV," for which he believes "a 2012 or 2013 launch" would be most likely.

Pachter feels that Apple will start off conservatively with regard to the scope of these "console" games, but eventually aim to take on the best its competitors have to offer. "We'd get cool stuff like World of Goo or Geometry Wars," he predicts, "But probably not super cool stuff like Gears of War until they bought a few developers." Of course, Apple could just fulfill another long-running prophecy and buy Electronic Arts.