Mobile apps have been a huge boon to indie game developers, but one of the risks is that a great mechanic will be copied by free games and eat into your revenue. That’s what happened to Threes.
The game is simple: you swipe tiles around a 4×4 grid, and when the numbers are the same (or add up to 3), they’re combined. You get points for stacking more tiles. It’s game over when you run out of space. The .gif to the below tells the whole story.
Threes’ simple gameplay was quickly cloned, as detailed in this excellent (and long) postmortem blog post by Threes’ creators. Free clones easily surpassed any popularity that the $3 Threes could have ever achieved. They didn’t have the cute animated monsters or pleasant sound effects, but they were free and accessible.
You’ve probably seen its most popular clone, 2048. It’s simpler to learn than Threes, easier to restart when you inevitably back yourself into a corner, and is freely available from any web browser. The open-source 2048 inspired countless variations, including just about any meme you could think of.
But starting today, you can finally pick up an ad-supported version of the original Threes for free on iOS, Android and Windows Phone. You earn credits by watching ads. Those credits can be spent on rounds of the game, just like quarters at an arcade. The ad-free version is still available for $2.99, but now the original game, with all its cute art and more challenging gameplay, can be had without paying a cent.
GeekWire Picks is a regular feature linking to our favorite products and deals. GeekWire or its partners may receive a share of the revenue from your purchase through affiliate referral fees.