Dead Trigger dev: "I do not believe that piracy can be stopped"
That's why the iOS version is now free as well.
Outspoken mobile developer Mad Finger Games has made zombie shooter Dead Trigger free-to-play on iOS, and accompanied the move with more outspoken comments about the state of mobile piracy.
Dead Trigger went free-to-play on Android devices last week, as Mad Finger spoke out about the "unbelievably high" rate of piracy on the platform.
Mad Finger's lashed out again, targeting consumers who pirate games as well as bemoaning the lack of support that studios receive from platform holders such as Google and Apple.
"Games are always stolen, there is not much we can do about it," Mad Finger boss Marek Rabas explained in a post on Gamezebo. "I do not believe that piracy can be stopped.
"Just imagine if the piracy rate was 9:1 and 10 players played your game. It would be enough to convince at least one pirate user to buy your game and 'voila!', immediately you would have double your money.
"Our main goal is not to make lots of money, we do not want to be the second Disney or sell out the company for millions of dollars. Also, we do not have to please investors each financial quarter with better results on their profit. We just simply enjoy making games."
Hardware manufacturers have a responsibility to protect the rights of developers, Rabas continued.
"Their hardware is selling because of our content, and they should protect our games from being stolen."
Marek Rabas, CEO of Mad Finger Games
"We need help with security from the companies who make the hardware. Their hardware is selling because of our content, and they should protect our games from being stolen."
A recent Apple security flaw allowed users to download in-app purchases for free. The company offered a workaround for developers to patch into games, but the hole will remain open until this autumn's iOS6 software update.
That's not to discount the role of players who pirate games themselves, Rabas concluded.
"I get tired of the excuses for downloading the game for free. The most typical example is made by players who allegedly download a pirated copy because a demo version did not exist to try, allowing them to decide whether or not they wanted to buy it. In our case, that's simply not true. Some of our games have demos, but the piracy rate was same for games with demo as for games without."
What if you can't afford a game? Eurogamer writer Robert Florence posed the question in his Lost Humanity: Killing Pirates column this week.