As a point of reference, the story of North Korean prisoner Shin Dong-hyuk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr6Rw0ltFxc) is the single most broken, fucked up, yet amazing thing I have ever heard. Not trying to belittle hosiptal bill fuckery - I just love sharing this story.
Summary: Born in a concentration camp as punishment for family members defecting ("three generations punishment"). Turns in his mother and brother for trying to escape. Witnesses their execution. At age 23, inspired by the idea of being able to eat chicken and pork, he escapes. Manages to reach China with no prior knowledge of the outside world.
Don't forget the qualifier - "the company will take all profits from the game until the cost of hiring artists for the graphics is payed off".
So, what do they offer?
- Tutorials/community? Ubiquitous and free anyway, no value added.
- Analytics? Useless to everyone not doing highly targeted design (read: social games)
- Art? Well, as per the above, the devs pay for it anyway.
- Fit and finish? Now this is actually worth something. But all game devs should develop this skill anyway, and if you're a teenager learning game development, that's a good time to learn.
- Networking libraries? Could be useful.
The overall package might be worth something, but probably not worth having another finger in the revenue/IP pie. I say IP because, what happens if you publish game XYZ with them, independently iterate on the concept, and self-publish XYZ 2? Better to just own your work outright.
I really wonder what this world would be like if everyone who had a career, family, or life to risk over being a whistleblower took the safe, sure path and shut up and dealt with it.
Remember the people who thought music piracy was over after Napster got shut down?
Once the masses get used to a certain convenience, and that convenience is taken away, someone will inevitably spring up to provide it again.
So it really doesn't matter what direction ABP takes - just the fact that it set a precedent for an ad-free experience is enough to ensure someone will provide it in the future.
When I went shopping for gifts, it was remarkable how much the Lego section had changed from a decade ago. It was mostly filled with Star Wars sets, which were expensive (relatively) and against the spirit of universality and creativity.
I got lucky and found a pink brick box hidden on the bottom shelf. I bought it.