Will the Free to Play model be successful in the long run?
Crack cocaine, magic mushrooms, marijuana, LSD and Candy Crush Saga for android and iOs devices. Of course, the odd one out is marijuana, because it’s only a class B drug. Candy crush is probably the most successful “Freemium” game of all time, and it makes around £400,000 daily ($647,000) from in-app processes. In fact, it’s the most played game in the world. And it’s basically just a rip-off of bejeweled, which is quite frankly a sub par mobile game.
As you can tell, I'm not the biggest fan of the game, but that doesn't mean I'm completely against the whole F2P market. Some games use it very well, for example Team Fortress 2, Planetside 2, or the recently released MMORPG Path of exile. All of these games have cosmetic items you can buy, and some have weapons similar to the free versions, but slightly different, and maybe a tiny bit more effective. But just because a game is on Steam doesn't make it untouchable, for example I recently tried "Ridge Racer Driftopia" and found it god awful. It was a really lazy attempt to grab my money, making it hard to progress with out parting with my dolla, dolla bills (y'all).
Crack cocaine, magic mushrooms, marijuana, LSD and Candy Crush Saga for android and iOs devices. Of course, the odd one out is marijuana, because it’s only a class B drug. Candy crush is probably the most successful “Freemium” game of all time, and it makes around £400,000 daily ($647,000) from in-app processes. In fact, it’s the most played game in the world. And it’s basically just a rip-off of bejeweled, which is quite frankly a sub par mobile game.
As you can tell, I'm not the biggest fan of the game, but that doesn't mean I'm completely against the whole F2P market. Some games use it very well, for example Team Fortress 2, Planetside 2, or the recently released MMORPG Path of exile. All of these games have cosmetic items you can buy, and some have weapons similar to the free versions, but slightly different, and maybe a tiny bit more effective. But just because a game is on Steam doesn't make it untouchable, for example I recently tried "Ridge Racer Driftopia" and found it god awful. It was a really lazy attempt to grab my money, making it hard to progress with out parting with my dolla, dolla bills (y'all).
Of course, the Free to play model is appealing. It means it's risk free to try a game, and if you enjoy it, you can pay. I have, once or twice given into the need to buy a hat in TF2, to make me feel special. And that's how it should work, not having to wait 10 minutes to try a level again. But of course, not all developers can be Valve (in Gaben we trust), and another acceptable form of Freemium is that shown in Blacklight: Retribution. The game is made easier if you purchase in game "zen" points, which allow you unlock weapons faster, and for longer, but there are some guns which aren't unlockable without paying, which isn't my favourite feature, but heck, maybe it's better to pay £4 for a gun instead of the full price of a game. I don't like it, but I can live with it.
So yeah, I do think the Free to play model is a permanent fixture for video games. Some games are going to use it well, like Team Fortress 2, the excellent Path of Exile or Blacklight, and others, like Candy Crush, Driftopia or a recent release Tactical Intervention (By the way, I wouldn't try it. It's an okay shooter which becomes impossible unless you pay to win). We can adapt to it, or die. Or don't play Free to play games. Dieing is a bit extreme. Really, don't die.
So yeah, I do think the Free to play model is a permanent fixture for video games. Some games are going to use it well, like Team Fortress 2, the excellent Path of Exile or Blacklight, and others, like Candy Crush, Driftopia or a recent release Tactical Intervention (By the way, I wouldn't try it. It's an okay shooter which becomes impossible unless you pay to win). We can adapt to it, or die. Or don't play Free to play games. Dieing is a bit extreme. Really, don't die.
So that concludes today's article. As always, [email protected] is ready for emails. I know today is a Monday, but I'm going to try to upload these on Wednesdays and Sundays.