Apple has allowed iOS developers a lot of leeway when it comes to App Store promos and prices. Developers can mark down the price of their apps and games for a limited time, promote them through various codes, or offer them for free (Freemium) with In-App Purchases (IAPs) as ways to generate an income from said apps.
However, despite all of these, Apple has not had provided an option for developers to generate promo codes for actual In-App Purchases themselves. The promo codes were issued for the actual apps and not the IAPs they contain within.
Apple has decided to add this feature in an effort to make it easier for developers to allow people to test their apps and content within their apps as well as promote freemium apps. Critics or beta testers can get these IAPs for free in an effort to gauge the content within the game, and this wasn't possible before due to the IAP prices being set for all.
It still isn't clear if the new feature is available for all developers or specific ones that requested this from Apple. However, it is already being implemented by EA in its Real Racing 3 game. Players can take advantage of this promo by going here from their iOS device. They will gain Gold Pack for free, which usually costs $1.99 as an IAP.
This should definitely make it easier for us in the media to try out freemium games and be able to review them more objectively, due to their nature to rely on IAPs.
Keep in mind that IAPs have gotten some parents in a bind previously where both Google and Apple were subjects of some lawsuits due to angry parents whose kids ranked up their credit cards using IAPs. However, freemium as a gaming genre is definitely taking both stores by storm. Many of these apps rely on their addictive nature to hook users into spending money non-stop through updates to their gardens or houses within the virtual worlds they reside in.
