ngmoco is probably one of the most successful iPhone game development firms. Their…
…game is a particularly interesting product for a couple of reasons…
First, it looks like a well drawn and thought out dog simulation descended from the amazing Nintendogs game for the original Nintendo DS. Nintendogs, more than any other game, probably convinced more parents (including me) that it was ok to buy a Nintendo DS for their child.
Second, it has an interesting bimodal customer rating. Of the 2211 ratings, 888 gave it five stars (high) while 632 gave it one star (low). The rest of the ratings are evenly split (193 two stars, 259 three stars, and 239 four stars). This is one of those games that you either really love or really hate it seems.
Third, it has an interesting pricing model. When I saw the free game, I assumed it had some kind in-app purchase system for purchasing virtual goods. I only played with it for a few minutes and could not find an in-app store. Instead ngmoco has a tiered model rating from free to $29.99 for a series of five versions of the same game: Free, 99 cents, $1.99, $9.99, $29.99. Each step up includes more food bowls.
Will this model work? The free Touch Pets Dogs app is currently #4 in the Free Games Apps list. However, the only paid version in the top 100 paid games is the 99 cent version sitting at #92. I suspect some kind of in-app micropayment system might be more profitable.
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