Company Announces $30,000 Prize For Solving iPhone Game

dlpasco writes "Puzzllotto. The game, styled after titles such as Myst and Zork, will be available in the iPhone App Store later this week for $4.99. 10% of the sales revenue from the game will go to the Madagascar Fauna Group. At this point, only US citizens may participate in the contest but it has been stated that UL wishes to make future events world wide. 'Even though Puzzllotto represents a significant investment of engineering and legal resources, the company refuses to apply for patents on any invention. Instead, the company hopes to share its investment with other developers through its fundware.info site, while the company's ten employees hope Puzzllotto will raise enough money to capitalize bigger dreams.'" This could also be seen as a test for greed, since the prize money will only start at $1,000 and will grow by $1,000 each day for 30 days, at which point, if no one has solved it, the entire pot will be donated to charity.

Comments

Hum

[Arthur B.]

Can't someone reverse engineer the enigmas, backtrack through the puzzles and 'win' the game ?

Will this work?

[Tony Hoyle]

How are they going to make money?

If I'm reading it right their prize pot is $30,000. They're selling at $5 a throw and apple get 1/3 of that. So to break even they've got to sell 9000 copies. Doesn't sound a lot but I bet the majority of iphone apps never get near that.

Re:Will this work?

[fermion]

286 sales a day would just about pay for the prize. As the prize money increases, we would expect more sales. I would assume the expected sales versus time would have an concave shape, where at some point people just buy the game in hope of receiving the prize money, and sales go up dramatically, then likely drop significantly. It is like the lottery where lines grow grotesquely long as prize money increases.

The scam tag may be appropriate here, because they can basically engineer the game to be so easy as to insure someone can solve it in a few days, or so hard that that no one can solve it in 30 days. Sure the money will go to charity, but the actual net loss such a donation would generate after taxes and publicity benefits are unclear.

This seems like a credible piece of advertising to boost sales in a market with few opportunities to get noticed. It is low cost, of limited duration, and will encourage people to buy the product with a minimum 200X ROI, for those with a gambling mind.

From the contest rules

[rminsk]

Puzzllottoâ is an interactive logic-based game which is set in the jungles of Madagascar. The rules, fundamentals of Game play, Game format and overall objective of the Game have been intentionally omitted by Sponsor (i.e., the developer of the Game). The Game does not tell you how to play or how to win: the challenge of the Game is for the player to figure these things out for him/herself. In order to solve the Game puzzle, the player must deduce and determine the Gameâ(TM)s format and what is required of him/her to successfully advance through all levels of the Game notwithstanding the presence of certain obstacles. Puzzllottoâ may be played as long as the device used for Game play (i.e., iPhoneâ or iPod® Touch**) is active for the Game. But, once the Game ceases to be active on the device regardless whether the device is used for another, different application (e.g., an incoming telephone call on iPhoneâ; watching a movie on iPod® Touch**) or has been shut off or is being recharged, the Game will automatically end and will be reset to the start screen; and, in such event, all previous Game play will be lost. Partial Game plays cannot be stored or saved by the player. The first player to solve the Game puzzle by successfully advancing through all Game levels and to thereafter communicate that he/she has done so (by following the procedure set forth in the Game, such procedure being made a part of these Official Rules and incorporated herein by reference) wins the prize subject to verification by Judges (see Â5 below). The solution to the Game puzzle has been pre-determined by Sponsor as developer of the Game. Prior to the start of the Contest Period, Sponsor has securely transmitted the solution to Judges who, in turn, have secured the solution and have agreed to keep the solution strictly confidential. Such solution, without alteration, amendment or modification of any kind, shall constitute the sole accepted solution to the Game puzzle for purposes of this Contest.

Re:Link omitted

[lysergic.acid]

i'd rather read "slashvertising" for an interesting and original game that helps fund a charity than slashvertisements about some crappy Microsoft mouse with a blue tracking light or more Apple product updates. really, of all the slashvertisements that get posted, this is the one you have a problem with? is it because of the lemurs? why do you hate lemurs so much?

saving lemurs > !saving lemurs.

besides, their fundware idea is pretty cool. it creates a way for software producers to be less reliant on VCs while directly involving end-users in the development process. perhaps this model will mean more products that are created for/by the average user instead of all software being made to the specifications of profit-driven CEOs and PHBs.