The future of the industry may be free mode?

I think the future of the industry is obviously a free model. With the closure of stores and the decline in retail revenue, more and more studios are beginning to regard the free business model as their life-saving straw. And by this mode in the PC and mobile platforms now encouraged by the good table, video game developers have begun to try to participate in them. But is this really a good thing?

Free mode games can help potential users get rid of the barriers to entry, allowing them to experience a wide range of content for free. After entering the game, players will face a large number of consumer choice, to support the free trial, and all of these are paid. And set free and paid content in one, this model is called a free value-added model.

The freemium model is clearly able to achieve outstanding results. Because on the mobile and PC platforms, this type of game offers more revenue than paid content. From "Bejeweled Blitz" to "Corps Fortress 2", MMO games can get many users off this pay-per-use model, with significant increases in game content consumption and revenue levels. In simple terms, this is a viable model.

So game console developers are beginning to pay attention.

At last week's Taipei GDC conference, Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, said the freemium model game is an inevitable trend in the industry's future. He said, "We created pieces like the War Machine, you went into the store and bought a plastic box, you just bought the DVD, and that's going to change very soon."

Not only that he thinks so. Crytk, creator of Crysis, recently announced that the company is moving to a freemium model. Soon, all content they make will be in free mode. Cevat Yerli, the company's CEO, said: "In my opinion, this is a new game that is about to change the industry and is the most humane business model."

Positive effect is very obvious. In theory, this means you do not have to invest $ 60 in a bad work before it's tested. It also reduces risk, allowing developers to add content to the game based on the popularity of the work. When properly designed, this can lead to more fun and less risky games. These are all favorable factors.

But is not the freemium model really "the most humane business model?" This is not the case at this point.

cevat yerli from ps3trophies.org

The freemium model is designed differently than paid games. Its success relies entirely on getting players to buy goods. Obviously the content needs to be fun, but if you do not invest any money, then the designer will eventually end in failure (so freemium gameplay drives the player through a variety of tricks).

This usually means that non-paying players will be at a disadvantage, they have less equipment, face time constraints and content restrictions. Designing such a game usually means that if you are willing to pay, you can effectively pay for it. This is not about skills, reactions, or problem-solving skills, which are mainly about funding issues. The bad freemium model is not really a real game, but a clever trap.

Edmund McMillan, developer of Super Meat Boy, takes a stronger view. In a recent blog, he said, "This model now contains numerous misconduct, from abuse and manipulation of moneymaking strategies to complete plagiarism."

"In our opinion, the main mistake with mobile platforms is that there is no respect for players, and it seems that many companies see their users as" dumb fighters, "gather them to squeeze milk, and then starve them Submerged. "

He continues, "With language alone, you can not express the terrible impact this has on the game, the player or the entire platform, a commercial technique that is an insult to real game design, a mistake in mobile / casual video gaming. "

Sharp words. However, following this model of outstanding achievements, this act now began to affect the hard AAA game. EA CEO John Riccitiello talked about the company's future free model plan at last year's shareholder meeting. This makes people look at fear of heart and soul.

"When you put in six hours to experience Battlefield and use up your stored ammunition, and the game charges you $ 1 to reload your content, most of the time you are not sensitive to that price."

Riccitiello from ps3trophies.org

"The net result, that is, the feasibility of experimenting with the postpay model, was that users became enthralled with an asset and then invested heavily in them as they went deep into the game."

Riccitiello continued, "By that time, investability has become quite high, which is a pretty good model for a better future for the industry."

Games are a better future for the industry, but obviously not for gamers. The abuse of the freemium model has led to a lot of angry users in the mobile space, with several publishers (including Capcom) having to impose caps on monthly purchases. When a business needs to be managed in this way, is this a benefit to the consumer? Clearly unfavorable.

So what about games that do not use the freemium model? Assassin's Creed's narratives Will the future unlock the chapters, weapons, locations, and missions through charges? Do we have to pay to see the final storyline for the story? Will value-added game design cease to exist? These are not good for players.

Free mode is not a solution for all developers. The revenue of the traditional AAA masterpiece will continue to surpass the freemium model. The traditional model still has room for growth in subscription services like premium and paid versions. But the fact is that in the future we will see more and more free-to-play games.

The field of video games continues to grow at an alarming rate and change is a good thing. However, when this future development endangers the design of the game, this poses serious problems when the future is oriented toward exploiting the absurd direction of paying for loading.

While host games may move toward free mode, we expect the industry to find models that are both player-friendly and profitable for publishers.

via: GameBack / gamerboom.com