Rhythm Thief and the Emperor’s Treasure Getting Free-to-Play iOS Port

3DS title Rhythm Thief and the Emperor’s Treasure made its debut not too long ago, but it looks like Sega is changing their approach with the game this winter to another audience. Like The World Ends With You and the Ace Attorney games before it, Thief will be making its way to iPads, iPhones, and iPods everywhere. Unlike those games, however, Rhythm Thief can be downloaded free of charge. That is, except for some undisclosed parts of the game, which will cost money. Additionally, the game will be retooled slightly to make it more apt for the social aspects of iOS. Little else is known about the port, but Sega will be giving more information soon at the Tokyo Game Show.

While making the title available to a broader audience is a good idea, the way that the company is doing it is insulting to the people who bought Rhythm Thief for $39.99 when it first came out on the 3DS. At least with games like The World Ends With You, Square Enix is charging about as much as the game would cost for DS today. Giving away the game for free, and just a few months after no less, seems like something that would make Sega lose quite a few fans. But those are just my thoughts. For those of you who already own the game: How do you feel about the port being free?