Fruit Ninja slashes its way to Windows Phone 8 on Xbox, though previous owners will have to buy again

The popular game Fruit Ninja, which has taken the Kinect and Xbox 360 by storm, has not had an update in so long we though the game was dead. More specifically, the previous version had not been updated to support Windows Phone 8’s HD graphics or other advanced features like rapid resume, making the super fun game less exciting.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Halfbrick Studios has just published a new 1.0 version for Windows Phone 8 devices, which includes the aforementioned additions. That’s the good news, because truly Fruit Ninja is one of the best quick-play arcade games for mobile these days, even if it’s a few years old. The bad news is you’ll have to plonk down another $0.99 for the game, even if you have previously purchased it.

We suppose paying a combined $2 for both versions of an Xbox LIVE title with very high replay value is a fair gesture, though clearly by some of the tips we’ve received, it makes some of you peevish (either that or only cheapskates tend to tip us, which raises all sorts of fascinating socio-economic questions!). Regardless, we’re actually “ok” with the re-purchase because as we said before, super high replay ability. Plus, for you Achievement hounds out there, you get to relive the experience again.

New in-app purchase options

We’re just excited that Fruit Ninja is back on our modern 2013 hardware and while it evidently still lacks multitouch support, we’ll take the other benefits that this updated version brings. No formal changelog was given, though we have noticed it now includes ‘Gutsu’s Cart’, a place where you can “buy” cheats and shortcuts in the game, which means yes, this supports in-app purchases (it’s all the rage these days). Like always, you don’t need to buy those things, though it does make the game a little more interesting if you do (and it gives Halfbrick some more revenue).

Pick up the new version of Fruit Ninja for Windows Phone 8 here in the Store. All devices (incl. 512MB). $0.99/27MB.

Thanks, everyone, for the tips!

Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft here since 2007, back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and arguing with people on the internet.

184 Comments

Blitz is backkk yeaaaaayyy! Best regards!
Anyone who noticed that the game starts in less than 5 seconds ? It takes at least 20 seconds on my Surface RT to start up ....

Best regards!
I think your regards could do better
Yeah its great that its back, but screw them if I have to re-buy it again when I already own it for WP7. Microsoft should crack down on this sort of thing and not let developers double charge consumers that upgrade from WP7 to WP8, it does not make the platform look very good.
.
And yes, I know .99 is not a lot, but its about the principle of double dipping, not about the price.
... are you seriously or playing foolish?
You pay 0.99 for HD RESOLUTION [WP8 ONLY]... If you own it for WP7 (The fuck is that suppose to mean) you:
a) Have a WP7 device... You cannot download this version of Fruit Ninja
b) Have a WP8 device... If you preffer the -100 resolution version then shut up and deal with it
c) Have serious issues.
Meaning that if you already spent money on the WP7 version then why should you have to buy it again on WP8 just for HD resolution graphics!!!!
My feelings exactly, the only new feature is HD resolution graphics yet I'm expected to pay again for it, WTF!!!!
No Multitouch support, really ?
I'd rather play it on my iPad
This is what is wrong and why you shouldn't buy Nokia exclusives.

They should really simply remove the Nokia only flag on the store when an app changes from an exclusive to mass-market, moving everyone to the same version.
Wat?
Evidently @realwarder is so ready to complain about anything, he's inventing problems now.
LOL .. que in "DAMN NKOIA ExcLUSiveS, $kreww uuuuu, rarrarara" complaint.
I only generally complain about 1 thing: Crappy battery life on the 920. Biggest Windows Phone seller in the world when talking to friends and most posts here are supportive.

Perhaps I've missunderstood this article though, however the split of Nokia Exclusive/non exclusive apps is an annoyance to me, not from a principle perspective, but an implementation perspective.

It annoys me that some apps come out as an exclusive and then are also put in the store as a non-exclusive. Then you get two versions of the same app, of which often one gets left behind in terms of upgrades. You then cannot migrate data/game playstate and you have to buy again if its paid.

So, my original post is suggesting they change a Nokia Exclusive into the main release when an exclusive enters the main store. And you don't have then have these issues.

However as it looks like this was not a Nokia exclusive, my comments are of course valid but mute in this instance.
I get a full day with my 920 with about 30% battery left.....so why complain if you have a Nokia 920, let someone that can't get it complain please.
You are clearly not using your phone than. But i guess there are also people buying a flag ship device for not using it :)
Lets start with skype. it sucks the battery empty even though it is on a charger .. great ! :)
I use Skype all the time... It only sucks battery while using it. The 920 could have a stronger battery, but amount left all depends on your usage pattern. If you're a heavy user, buy a cheap small battery for $25. As for the Nokia game issue you describe, I don't think anyone even knows what you are talking about. You don't have to rebuy games when they go off Nokia exclusive...
I literally have Skype active all day and chat session at least once an hour. I easily get through a whole day with my 920.
So much wrong in that rant... I'm not sure if he's a troll or just ignorant.
Actually, your comments are moot and not mute. The later would imply that your comments could, at one time, speak or make an audible sound. :-)
One question: have you ever used an iPhone in your life? Nokia 920's battery life is night and day compared with an iPhone 5. "Then you get two versions of the same app, of which often one gets left behind in terms of upgrades."
can you provide 2 examples to support this?
lol
Lol what
Does this even concern Nokia in any way?
A) you clearly don't own a Nokia, because that's not how it works B) you missed what happened here entirely C) you invented this non existing problem as Daniel pointed out D) #firstworldproblems
Do achievements/progress etc on the Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 versions now Sync? I find it annoying that you can't pick up where you left off on games like Cut The Rope (which I love) and progress isn't consistent...
Could anyone confirm whether the game has new set of cheevos ?? I already got 100% on old game.
Don't wanna spend 1 dollar again
I can't see how they couldn't be different. They're two separate titles, different IDs, etc.
Yeah .. Just confirming coz I had already bought this game, don't wanna spend a dollar again just for HD graphics
You are free to keep playing with the version you own, then :)
Unless you uninstall it... or have to do a factory reset... or you get a new phone. Because then it's gone unless you have an old Windows Phone 7 device around. I have no problem with them coming up with HD versions of games costing more money, just don't remove the older version from the store.
Yes it has a new set achievements, a couple that differ as well if I'm not mistaken. 200 gp.
Graphics and performance has improved a lot, it's totally worth it imo.
Yeah.. Bought it
The rebuy thing is lame
Same thing here. It might be 'only' a dollar. They did the same thing with angry birds moved to windows phone 8. Nope, not happening
Except they made Angry Birds free for a week (or more), so anyone that had already bought it (or even if they hadn't) could snap it up.
Doesn't help if you didn't own a WP8 device at the time...
Exactly, I just got my first WP8 now and I payed for Angry birds on my WP7, so I am screwed and will have to pay again if I want the game on my new phone.
$0.99, I mean, I've wasted more typing this sentence
Just under $.02 a character. Is that a good rate? I feel we can find a cheaper way.
It's the principle man, I just spent $1.99 typing this :)
^^ this, its not about the damn .99
I'm with you. $0.99 for US or EU is nothing to complain about. I keep thinking of the field of dreams whisper for mobile OS "if we buy it, Devs will come"
For you it may be ok but its not same for everyone. Here in india it matters a lot and must accept socioeconomic of diverse population
It's actually $1.08 tax included
Tomorrow, I want you to take a dollar bill and throw it in the trash. ;) And it's not even about the dollar. The problem is... how many more games/apps do we have on our phone that are not HD that will get the HD treatment? And if that happens, will the old version go away from the store? Someone could have bought Fruit Ninja last week, played it once or twice, then had to do a factory reset on their phone today because of say... the Other storage problem. Too bad. Can't re-download that game you just bought. Have to buy the new one. If they didn't get rid of the old version for Windows Phone 8, this would not be an issue.
Start a live chat with Microsoft customer service and state that you find it unacceptable to rebuy items. I did that because I was having issues redownloading apps from two years ago. They didn't give me a direct credit, but they comped me a month of my Zune pass (the 14.99 good one).
That's exactly what I've just done, I got into a live chat and explained my issue and they refunded the money for the original purchase in April 2012 and I've just bought it again and downloaded it.
I agree it's a dick move. But I also agree that the expense is minor enough I can get over it.
It is a bit of dick move that hopefully doesn't set a precedent that other developers will follow - paying for updates would not bode well.
+1
Err... What if you already have Fruit Ninja installed on your phone?? I purchased it for my 810 back in November and then installed it on my 920 in May.
Err..then you still have a Windows Phone 7 version on your device? Not sure what the question is. They're two separate games, two separate installs, two separate Store IDs.
Two separate rip off's
79p.
If that's too much money for you then you shouldn't have a smartphone.
To each his own. If you like paying for the same thing twice, go for it. Enjoy.
Might as well start paying for every update.
People who bought it before on WP7 shouldn't be charged again for the same game. Either make it free for 10-15 days like it was the case for AB Classic back in May-June or people who bought it before should get a free update. This is the same case with Crimson Dragon:SS. The game didn't worked at all on WP8, then the 1.2.0.0 version fixed that (and also fixed the jewel exploit :( ) and we were able to redownload it without buying it again.
"Two separate rip off's" could not have put it better myself
i cant even install the old version (bought for WP7 last year) on my WP8, it's on my SD card (xap) but greyed out in the Unsupported app category.
I was about to write a rant bitching about the re-buy. But your comment here made me remember that you can still play your WP7 copy on your WP8, it just won't be in HD. So whatever, there are worse things to complain over than having to pay $1 to play your game in HD.
The old version continues to work fine.
First Angry Birds, now Fruit Ninja. Having to rebuy this stuff is just wrong on principle. What ever happened to doing right by your paying customers? Geez.
On a plus side u get hd graphics & extra set of achievement
...and the Pomegranate :)
Start a live chat with Microsoft customer service. They will take care of you.
Yep, I just got refunded :P
and guess what those chargebacks go to Halfbrick, so they will feel it. I encourage everyone to do this until Halfprick gets the message.
Not sure why people are complaining about rebuying Angry Birds. I got it for free. It was free for a week and practically all Windows Phone news sites reported that, even wpcentral.
People that did not have a WP8 at the time could not get it for free!
I just upgraded to WP8 last week, went to my purchase history and reinstalled most of my apps. Angry Birds though? "Your version of the Windows Phone software is not supported by this app." What? No, it IS supported. Except they want me to pay for it again. It makes no sense! It's the same game I already paid for. This is a flaw in an otherwise generally customer-friendly platform.
Exactly.
"We suppose paying a combined $2 for both versions of an Xbox LIVE title with very high replay value is a fair gesture"

Fuck no it is not "fair" It is the exact same fucking game! I'm so SICK of this app republishing bullshit. It is completely against the spirit of Microsoft's intent!

I have SEEN two OS versions published under the same app id. I KNOW it works. This is either ignorance or greed, pick one. Hell pick both!
You complain a lot about seemingly trivial things, so long as we're expressing opinions.
I used to love this game, and was annoyed when I got WP8 and the graphics still sucked. I will HAPPILY pay .99 to play this..
oh yes, it is "trivial" to people who get to expense these as a cost of doing business.

It is a systemic and ridiculous problem that should not be a "trivial" problem in the first place. The fact that you are trying to smooth this egregious practice over as no big deal is just gross.
Like I keep telling people, talk to Microsoft customer service, they will get you sorted out.
I don't "expense" games, they come out of my pocket, but thanks for pretending you know how this all works. Smooth over this egregious practice? It's a $0.99 game that you don't have to buy if you don't want for a smartphone that costs hundreds of dollars and that you pay money every month for just to operate. I just find the whole issue trivial and filed it under #firstworldproblems.
You don't expense the games as part of your doing business, which is reporting on Windows Phone? Well that is rather unintelligent. But then again that might be why Mobile Nations was willing to shell $15k for crackberry.com....money apparently grows on trees.
Yikes... inteller sure seems... assholeish.
and you are willfully ignorant of the REAL problem. Since you only seem to respond to the monetary portion of this problem let me put it to you in simpleton terms. You buy a GPS app on WP7 for $50. Then, when you get WP8 the publisher updates the app with some gee whiz WP8 only feature and republishes it again and you have to shell out another $50 to get some piss ant feature like lock screen support.
To make matters WORSE, I've seen app publishers UNPUBLISH the old version, STRANDING the app you purchased and unable to install again if you get a new phone. In that instance it is pure greed plain and simple.
That problem should not exist, and I can tell you it does NOT exist with intelligent app publishers.
Actually, my comment was completely directed towards your calling Daniel "unintelligent", the cheap crack about spenidng money on crackberry.com, and your general offensiveness.

As for the actual issue, I agree in principal and am not in any way "willfully ignorant". However, I have not seen any expensive apps do this (in fact I recently received a WP8 update to the Garmin GPS softweare I purchase on WP7). There will always be examples of some company "doing it wrong"... I'm not sure I would jump to the conclusion that it is an epidemic because of one or two examples. Most of the examples we have seen have been with $0.99 games, which are pretty easy to overlook due to their very limited cost.

I would, howveer, advise you to spend some effort learning how to interact with people in socially acceptable ways. Your behavior obscures any logical arguments that you present, because you offend people before you've even made your point. When your posts are as abrasive as they are, people will not be willing to listen to your arguments, regardless of whether they have merit or not.
see there you go again, willing to "overlook" the problem because it is just a little money. Quit being simpleton about this. The problem has nothing to do with the amount of money. Furthermore I don't need your advice. You and others are going to pick and choose facts that are convenient to you. No "soft" approach works on complacent people that would just as well easily part with their money because it is no big deal.
You seem to have some larger issues in place here.

On the one hand, it must be nice to have plenty of time to obsess over an optional $0.99 purchase. On the other hand, it also seems like you probably spend most of your time mad at someone or other for a perceived injustice. That seems like a difficult way to spend time.

Good luck in your life and your dealings with others... you're going to need it. In the meantime, enjoy your outrage.
...if you only knew..
Just to ask, does this app work for WP7 devices? Because if it doesn't, then I may see the reason why it was submitted with a different Store ID.
No that is not a valid reason. Other publishers have different OS versions for the same app ID. Apparently though this is rocket science to places like Halfbrick.
When you submit an app to the marketplace, you can upload multiple XAP files for targeting different platforms (WP7 and WP8). I had to do that for my app. Heck I think you can even have multiple XAPs for different versions of WP8 (512MB, 800X480, etc...). So inteller is right about one thing, there is no valid reason for the double publishing here other than charging twice, which is another debate unto itself.
THANK GOD someone understands what I'm talking about! THIS IS MY POINT!
I did understand what you mean, but to non-dedicated devs like Halfbrick, its like news to them
+1025
Its not trivial for some. I don't care about the price, I care that these damn developers think they are going to win over customers by double charging them for the same thing.
Just read my reply, cause i can't post it here.
http://imageshack.us/a/img203/9761/0hkx.png
At least it's only 99 cents; will redownload now :) and i kind of like "re-getting" the Achievements. It's kind of like back-in-the-day when Unreal Tournament *first* came out and you'd hear "head shot" "head shot" "double kill" "multikill" "killing spree" back-to-back....ahhh, memories :)

time to slice some fruit...

Update: Weird...the old version is on my 1020 (i owned it previously on my WP7 phone and redownloaded it when i got the new phone). I forgot about that and re-bought it oops...n00b...now both versions are in my XBL game list...
Bought again just for cheevos .. Lol :P
I used to hate the term cheevos. Now I like it lol
I bought it again for the achievements, it took me 2 hours to get all of them...so much for replay value...oh well it was only 79p not exactly going to go bankrupt over it like most of the people in this thread seem to be lol.
Oh man, Unreal Tournament... My friends and I still have Unreal Tournament 2004 LAN parties. The game looks and runs great on just about any computer since the year 2000. Me thinks its about time to port UT to WP8...
Yeah, paying twice...don't count on that. I don't like being robbed and this is nothing more than that. Robbery.
lol, robbery is taking money against your will. That's not the same as voluntarily clicking "buy", c'mon.
Damn Daniel you talked me into it. But I got a week till payday.
See...that's the problem with English language. You only have one word for that. We have more than one to define these things. Let's se...Perhaps..."attempted extortion" would define this better. Happy?
Lol robbery .. Never go full retard bro
It's not like the old game has stopped working *facepalm*
It stopped for me, I was having an issue that required a hard reset and was unable to re-download fruit ninja, claiming it did not support my resolution. So that kinda sucks.
I shall now deviate the extra dollar I would pay for my latte and buy Fruit Ninja!! Regular coffee for me today :)
With your username, I'd expect nothing less :P Smart thinking!
Holy hell! Didn't even realize haha! Though, fighting fruits was too stressing.
I had given up a long time ago and switched to a blender. Win-win for me :p
$0.99 to replay an awesome game in HD and get another 200G!? Guess I'm the only one who's okay with this, but count me in!
This is one area Microsoft really needs to fix. They need to mimic the ability for offline installs using the downloaded xaps from internal memory, and unify the store so apps purchased on mobile translate to being able to use them without repurchase on the desktop similar to how Android and IOS handles it.
This is different .. What u mentioned wont solve the rebuy thing.. It is as good as 2 different apps with same name
Good thing I never bought it yet.... Maybe it will go free at some point. Does this version have multiplayer finally?!
I don't think it will go free anytime .. The Android version is ad supported which is against Xbox version certification
Angry Birds was free for a Week :)
And a lot of good that strategy was for WP7 people who hadn't yet shelled out for a new phone to get WP8...
Angry Birds (the classic one) is also ad supported on Android and the WP8 version was free for 1 week in May-June.
Also, this version of FN has IAP which should a be a freemium game right away (like UNO & Friend released yesterday or Monster Burner or even Jetpack Joyride released also by Halfbrick studios).
A freemium game should be free or else the devs should remove the IAP features in their games.
Jetpack Joyride = free + IAP = good
UNO & Friends = free + IAP = good
FN = 1$ (again for people who bought the WP7 before) + IAP also = inacceptable. A free update or at least a free 1 week promotion would be better.
Well, multiplayer would require multitouch support, which for some God awful reason, they have yet to implement. Perhaps in the next version 1.0? :P
And this new version isn't available here in the Brazilian Windows Phone Store. :'(
Im willing to shell out the 79p for the HD. Being fair Halfbrick do a really good job. Jetpack joyride is one of my most played games and that was free. If i have to give back for some more ninja action then im all for it.
They should do exactly what Rovio did when a WP8 version of Angry Birds was released: make the new version free for a limited time...