Rovio defends free-to-play Angry Birds Go! kart racer

Angry Birds creator Rovio Entertainment has spoken out to defend its newly released kart racer Angry Birds Go! after some fans and reviewers alike called out its in-game microtransaction system as an element that negatively impacted an otherwise enjoyable game.

Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Rovio executive vice president Jami Laes said the game was originally conceived as a free-to-play game so it could reach as many people as possible.

"It's not about what is a more lucrative business model from the revenue point of view. We look at this from the audience-reach point of view," Laes said. "We have had free versions and paid versions before, and that can create confusion in app stores. We wanted to create the best possible fan experience, where we have just one version."

Laes also explained that Rovio has heard the feedback from fans and critics alike and has adjusted the in-game economy accordingly.

"We did change the price points for some of the cars. We changed the price for the coin doubler. We changed the regeneration rates for energy," he said. "We basically tweaked the whole balance of the experience of the game to what best resonated with the players."

Overall, Laes said Rovio, like many other mobile game publishers, believes in the potential for free-to-play games to continue to dominate the mobile game market.

"It is kind of an implication of our future direction, where we are thinking more of games as free-to-play," Laes said. "We think that when done right, free-to-play is the best model for our fans, consumers, developers, and publisher."

Angry Birds Go! launched in December 2013 for iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8, and Blackberry 10 devices.