You may be familiar with Linden Lab as the folks behind the once very popular online world Second Life. The company also has a cross-platform mobile app called Creatorverse, which used to cost $4.99. Now, that app is free with in-app purchases, and users who paid for it are a bit confused.
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Creatorverse is a sandbox-style app that lets you build various contraptions, machines, and puzzles with a wide array of tools. You can think of it like Apparatus, but even more open. The free version of Creatorverse includes a subset of the tools from the original paid edition, but Linden Lab says anyone who paid for the app will still get access to premium features at no additional charge. Perusing the Play Store reviews reveals a number of users unable to access any of the additional content.
We got in touch with Linden to ask about the discrepancy, and the company responded:
Anyone who previously purchased the app *should* have received the Advanced Creator pack automatically. If they did not, they should let us know a https://support.creatorverse.com/report-bug/ so that we can fix it for them.
The new free app includes two $4.99 packs that add elements like rockets, teleporters, elemental forces, and more. This may be a simple problem of UI confusion. Anyone who paid should have access to all the advanced tools included with the paid app. Now that Creatorverse is free, it can't be transformed into a paid app again. Google Play simply doesn't allow free apps to start charging an upfront fee. Like it or not, this is how Creatorverse works now.
Update: The What's New section now contains the following blurb:
*Note: Anyone who purchased Creatorverse when it was priced at $4.99 will automatically receive the Advanced Tool Set (normally $4.99), which includes all of the advanced creation tools they enjoyed prior to the pricing change. If you updated from the paid app and did not receive the Advanced Tool Set, please contact our support team at creatorverse_support@lindenlab.com.