I'm developing a game, and am really struggling with the pricing model decision.
I've seen blog posts and online articles in recent months suggesting that paid games are pretty much dead now that the freemium model is taking over. However other articles suggest a backlash against in-app purchases, saying that they are destroying gaming, and do nothing but make people feel exploited if they're forced to pay up to carry on playing.
I'm well aware that getting this wrong is a short-cut to poor sales and unhappy customers, so if anyone can give any advice then I'd be grateful.
The situation - my game is a downhill skiing race game, with added perils such as snipers and land mines, descending a mountainside from summit to base. I could just sell it as-is, at a price, or if I go freemium I have a number of potential ways of implementing it. Maybe the free version is just like the full game except you're forced to start over if you crash (the paid one giving you lives, or allowing you to restart at a point before the crash). Or maybe the free version could be a solo practice run, covering the last 10% of the slope (still a good distance) with no competitors or mines, then the paid version brings those elements in. Or maybe the free version has all the features of the full game, except the start point only lets you do the final 10% of the course, and higher start points (ultimately the summit for the full descent) can be bought as extra "levels" (or a single fee to get a package of higher levels).
Does anyone have any feeling for which kind of game structure and pricing will be best for my revenues, and players' experience?
Thanks.