French publisher Gameloft has issued a formal apology to its fans over its clumsy switch of Hero of Sparta 2 into a freemium title.
The game has returned to its original paid format, having had the offending advertisements removed after fans cried foul.
"We are hearing lots of complaints from the fans of Hero of Sparta 2 on iPhone, after the game became free," read a post on Gameloft's Facebook page.
"We believe the gaming experience has been dampened in this new version. With the craziness of the Christmas period, this game update didn't go through our usual quality process."
Revert to premium
Highlighting the seriousness of the situation, VP of worldwide publishing Gonzague de Vallois also took the opportunity to convey his regrets.
"Gameloft wishes to apologise to the fans of Hero of Sparta 2 given the poor gaming experience, brought by the free version," he said.
"We acknowledged the advertisement included into the game deteriorated the gaming experience.
"We have now completely removed all ads from the game and switch [sic] it back to its previous status on the Appstore. Thank you for sharing your feedbacks [sic] and for being a Gameloft fan."
Gameloft is currently heavily experimenting with new business models including subscriptions and free-to-play.
Another recent odd example have been the real world offers available i the free version of UNO on Android.
[source: Gameloft]
News
When Matt was 7 years old he didn't write to Santa like the other little boys and girls. He wrote to Mario. When the rotund plumber replied, Matt's dedication to a life of gaming was established. Like an otaku David Carradine, he wandered the planet until becoming a writer at Pocket Gamer.
Related Articles
Top Stories
News
May 31st, 2024
Week in Views - Squad Busters goes global, broken app stores, and Hill Climb Racing gets the LEGO treatment
News
May 31st, 2024
Mobile Movers: All the latest appointments and job moves from around the industry
Events
Indie Game Fest & Indie Campus 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
Indie Craft K-Game Festival 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
BostonFig Online 2024 | Jun 1st | |
GameSummit Summer 2024 | Jun 1st | |
Gotland Game Conference 2024 | Nordic | Jun 3rd |
Games Mental Health Summit 2024 | Europe | Jun 3rd |
Dev Play Conference 2024 | Europe | Jun 3rd |
Tribeca Games Festival 2024 | North America | Jun 5th |