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[Got_Rhythm]

Good afternoon, so my question is about releasing my game on Android and iOS.

I am going to have a Kickstarter for my game, and wanted to have a reward tier where backers can get a free copy of the game (the price of purchasing the game has not been finalized, but for example lets say its $4)

However, after some research it appears Apple will not allow developers to have a system for giving away some copies of a priced game for free (or if they do, its only around 50 copies for reviews and testing).

My second idea therefore is to have system where only KS backers can get the game early at a discounted price ($1) and then I increase the price after 2 weeks to $4 for general release. Is this possible?

My third idea is to have a special menu screen in game for KS backers where they can enter a promo code I give them to get refunded the price of the game (or partial price of the game). Is this possible?

One final idea is to have a demo of the game downloadable for free, and after some point players have to pay for the full version of the game to continue, unless you are a backer and then you can enter a code I send you instead...

So far I think that's the best option.
Or are there other methods? Thank you for your time!

[Oddball]

Non of these methods are allowed by Apple and they actively try to prevent devs from giving free copies to people who pay for the game elsewhere(i.e. Kickstarter). You could try your luck and maybe not get found out, but it's not allowed by Apple's rules.

[Got_Rhythm]

Thanks for the info, I guess I'll just have to buy them as gifts for backers. I'll make a small loss on each one but that'll do I suppose.

[cryptix]

You could do something a bit more long winded.

What if your app was free to download, then an in-app purchase to gain access to the full version? You could then have a section for KS backers to enter a code to unlock the features without buying it.

Then you could always switch it to a full featured paid app after a while.

[staticsteven]

Thanks for the info, I guess I'll just have to buy them as gifts for backers. I'll make a small loss on each one but that'll do I suppose.

That's your best bet, and what people who pre-sell apps on Kickstarter do. You aren't REALLY taking a hit since if you charged $4, you would lose the equivalent cut from Apple.