How Much Should An iPhone Game Cost? [GDC 2009]

During the post-mortem panel for the "Super Monkey Ball" iPhone game, SEGA's Producer of Digital Content Ethan Einhorn told would-be iPhone developers to not "play price wars" with their apps. He advised to keep the highest price you can while staying in the top 50 and resist the temptation to drop your price prematurely; "Super Monkey Ball" saw a boost in sales during the holidays. He added, "A $10 price point is not reasonable." Eihnorn also said to consider the pros and cons of "Lite" versions, free demos of the full-priced product. While he said they were good for new, complex games, developers should "think twice" before putting a "Lite" version; many users may feel that just a small taste of the game is enough, impeding possible impulse buys.