Ads don't pay

Ads were added as an experimental way to monetize Chiki's Chase. For every 1 person paying for the game, there are 150 that don't, so ads seemed like a way to let those 150 enjoy the paid perks while also earning a bit from them. Ads tend to singlehandedly ruin mobile game experiences for me, but I figured letting them be optional would put the ruining in the subjective hands of each player.

The reality of ad watches is that they pay very, very little. A person paying for the game (about 4 USD) supports me more than if they were to watch 50 straight hours of ads. Some people happily continue to watch them, believing they're a good way to support the developer, but that simply isn't true! There's virtually no way any person has spent 50 hours watching ads on Chiki's Chase, and they would probably be flagged by Unity for farming ad views long before then.

Also, although I earned a tiny bit of money from non-paying players, less people overall were paying to remove them, which cancelled out any profits.

Ads suck in other ways

They interrupt the game flow

They make the app's disk size a little bigger

They demand an internet connection

They add Unity's trackers to the app

Despite regulations, they can contain inappropriate content for some audiences (casino apps, cosmetic surgeries, really degenerate games...)

People still liked ads...

Despite all the negatives around ads, people still watch them because they don't mind them or have no way to acquire the paid game. I anticipate that removing ads will upset a lot of people that became dependent on them.

This is one of the most difficult parts about releasing game updates. Things I believe would improve the overall game experience always get met with people that prefer things the old way. I am remorseful to these players because I understand that everyone's preferences and access to disposable income can vary greatly.

In the end, I've decided to act in the interest of my vision of the game, because I'm responsible for making it!! I can't comfortably continue building on it knowing ads are a big part of many people's game experience.

To the players who depended on them, I'd like to offer some consolation:

The price of the game is adjusted per region to make it generally affordable, or comparable to just a couple cans of soda.

There will be occasional price discounts from sales.

There will be occasional giveaways online, including here on Tumblr.

There are already many things to do in the free version of the game, and none of them are blocked off by the paywall.

There will be more updates to come.

Stay tuned

Thanks for reading everything!

I thought about recording these kinds of updates as a video, but for now I'm more comfortable with written words.