Trey Parker and Matt Stone were given many proposals for a freemium South Park mobile game, most of which were based upon the "rebuild the town" structure of The Simpsons: Tapped Out and Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff. Jordan Thomas, the creative director of South Park: The Stick of Truth, advised Parker and Stone of the ethical issues surrounding this, including the possibility of publishers taking the license and essentially disguising the game as a slot machine. While Parker and Stone weren't against the idea of microtransactions, the pitches were shut down due to publishers and developers being more focused on making a game that was addictive rather than fun, comparing them to gambling and the alcohol industry. Three years before the game's release however, these ideas were spoofed in the season 18 episode "Freemium Isn't Free", prompting some critics to call the game's creation and similar predatory use of microtransactions ironic.