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Team Meat’s Edmund McMillen has condemned what he calls ‘abusive and manipulative money making tactics’ employed by the mobile industry.
The makers of the hit game Super Meat Boy are developing a mobile version, and McMillen’s blog post is dedicated to explaining what they plan on doing that’s different from current mobile trends.
In an industry that refers to its customers as MAU’s and DAU’s, and sees player satisfaction in terms of conversion rates, McMillen’s comments hit home.
Today, Gree and DeNA saw their shares tumble over twenty percent when a Japanese agency called a mobile game mechanic that drove profits "illegal".
"To us the core of what is wrong with the mobile platform is the lack of respect for players," said McMillen.
"It really seems like a large number of these companies out there view their audience as dumb cattle who they round up, milk and then send them on their way feeling empty or at times violated."
It seems customers feel the same way.
Rising complaints have forced governments to act, and today’s action comes shortly after the Japanese government pushed mobile companies to impose limits on the amount a child can spend in-game.
"Words can not express how [edited] wrong and horrible this is, for games, for gamers and for the platform as a whole," wrote McMillen.
"This business tactic is a slap in the face to actual game design and embodies everything that is wrong with the mobile/casual video game scene."
McMillen explained his rant was as much about getting his own game right as addressing a serious issue in the industry.
"What im trying to get at is, we are approaching development to SMB:TG with very open eyes," he said.
"We want to make a game that WE would love to see on the platform, a feature length reflex driven platformer with solid controls that doesn’t manipulate you with business bullshit in order to cash in."
