Video summary

Kick the Buddy: Ruined by Corporate Greed

Main summary

Key takeaways

News and Commentary

Overview

The video argues that the “Kick the Buddy” franchise was originally fun and relatively consumer-friendly, but was ultimately “ruined” by corporate ownership and monetization practices, especially those attributed to Playgendary.

Rise of Mobile Gaming and the Original Appeal (2011 onward)

  • After early iPhone-era mobile hits such as Angry Birds, Flappy Bird, and Temple Run, Kick the Buddy (2011) is described as a standout “stress relief” game.
  • Players harm a ragdoll named Buddy using weapons and objects.
  • A major hook was photo-based customization—placing the player’s own photo on Buddy’s face—intensifying the fantasy of venting at someone you dislike.
  • The gameplay loop is framed as:
    • Hit Buddy → earn money → buy weapons → repeat
  • This loop is said to make the game feel addictive and satisfying.

Sequels and Growing Content (2012–2014)

Kick the Buddy: Second Kick (2012)

The second game is portrayed as a major improvement, featuring:

  • Better UI
  • More weapons
  • Improved physics/controls
  • Voice lines
  • Customization
  • iPad support
  • Spin-off themes (e.g., Halloween, Independence Day, Office)

It also introduces a second currency (gold) earned via ads and/or microtransactions, foreshadowing later monetization concerns.

Kick the Buddy: No Mercy (magnum opus)

The video describes it as expanding the experience with:

  • More weapons
  • Minigames
  • Achievements
  • Daily slot-machine mechanics, encouraging daily logins

Ownership Changes and Re-releases (2014–2016)

  • The video claims Crustalli removed the original apps from stores and shifted to Crazylion Studios’ Buddyman reboot.
  • Buddyman uses the same concept but with Buddy rebranded.
  • Later Buddyman sequels introduce changes such as:
    • Renamed currencies
    • A “Final Blow” fatality-like mechanic
  • The video describes Crazylion’s Origins as the last Buddy-era game from that studio, noting:
    • A shift toward 3D/cartoon art
    • A monthly subscription (“Premium”)
    • Real-money purchases

Playgendary’s Acquisition and the “Corporate Greed” Thesis (late 2016 onward)

After:

  • iDreamSky’s unrelated Buddyman Run (2016), and
  • Playgendary’s acquisition of Crazylion (late 2016),

the video positions Playgendary as the primary driver of the franchise’s decline.

The central argument is that Playgendary is unusually aggressive with:

  • Expensive subscriptions
  • Constant ads/pop-ups
  • Paywalls that lock previously accessible content
  • Rampant microtransactions
  • Exploitative or controversial advertising practices

Examples of Alleged Advertising Misconduct

The video cites claims that Playgendary:

  • Used a YouTuber’s song (“Rusty Cage”) in game ads.
  • Reused gameplay footage with overlayed reactions, including for late YouTuber Etika, described as especially disturbing.
  • Included homophobic language (e.g., “gay”) and insulting language in Kick/Buddyman ads (e.g., “your mom was fat”) as ragebait intended to drive downloads.

Experimentation and Re-release Tactics

Before the Kick the Buddy re-release, the video claims Playgendary tested similar/derivative titles such as “Despicable Bear”, described as a near-copy (but with a bear character).

In 2017, Kick the Buddy was re-released with:

  • Worse/bad UI
  • A surge in microtransactions
  • A costly Premium subscription:
    • $6.99/week
    • $18.99/month
    • $94.99/year
  • Frequent pop-ups/ads every ~30 seconds
  • Items (including blood) locked behind paywalls or Premium

The video also alleges the re-release added a paid option to:

  • Remove ads permanently for $14.99
  • Offer “skip’its” (passes to bypass ads), which the video argues still don’t justify the cost.

Value Comparison vs. Original Pricing

The video contrasts modern monetization with the earlier model, particularly an original $0.99 paid version, described as good value.

It criticizes the re-release approach as effectively locking the “real” experience behind:

  • Ads
  • Subscriptions
  • Paywalls

Finally, it recommends avoiding Playgendary monetization and instead playing the original versions via APK files.

Conclusion and Recommendation

The video concludes that Playgendary damaged a beloved franchise by using intrusive monetization and marketing tactics, and recommends playing the original versions rather than the re-releases.

Presenters or Contributors Mentioned

  • Rusty Cage (mentioned as a YouTuber; the video claims Playgendary used his song “Rusty Cage” in ads)
  • Etika (mentioned as a late YouTuber; the video claims his content was used in ads)
  • The video creator/narrator (no specific name provided in the subtitles)

Original video