Gaming Future Could Be Impacted by Free-To-Play Models
Popularity of the free-to play pay model for video gaming is growing. Many wonder what players will be able to expect in the future.
Free-to-play payment models for video games are becoming more popular. Many wonder what the future holds. Fortnite and Apex Legends, Smite and Warframe are just a few examples of games that developers have discovered that players are more inclined to spend more money in-game if the upfront costs are reduced. This leads to higher profits. We won't see this pay-method replace the full-priced version of the game. We can however expect this to become a viable secondary product for many publishers. This could become the norm as more free-to -play titles come out. We could also see other revenue streams that could help lower costs for players and provide more stability for publishers.
Since the 1980s, free-to play has existed in some way or another. It is easy to attract players with its low entry cost. When done well, game developers can influence user purchasing decisions through microtransactions. Although it seems strange that this idea has not been adopted by the home-market crowd immediately, perhaps players simply needed better online capabilities in order to keep coming back.
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This new trend is similar to other gaming trends of the past decade, and we are at the point that it can work. Many similarities can be drawn with massively multiplayer online game (MMOs). Although the genre is still very popular, it does not dominate the industry conversation as much as it used to. However, studios used to try to emulate the success of World of Warcraft by creating their own brands. DCU Online was given DCs characters. This allowed players to live their best life and be a superhero. Square Enix transformed Final Fantasy into a MMO. Star Wars also entered the MMO genre with Star Wars: The Old Republic. These titles include Elder Scrolls Online and Lord Of The Rings Online. Warhammer Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online. Although some of those series attempted to get on the MMO train before boom, there was a renewed focus in 2004 (the year of World of Warcraft's release) to make significant strides in this genre.
This is likely the next logical step in free-to-play games. This is a trend we are starting to see. Established brands sell better than new products, and it's easier to do so now. Respawns's Apex Legends series is actually the newest kid on campus. It takes place in the Titanfall world. This could be a rising trend since fighting franchises such Street Fighter and King of Fighters, Arms and Guilty Gear would all lend themselves well to this pay method, even as secondary titles. EA may be salivating at Apex Legends' success and want to make the most of the opportunity to bring that success to their other brands. Star Wars would make the best choice, although Battlefront would have been a better fit with this pay-method.
The publisher also makes video games for some of the largest sports franchises. Although they make a lot of money, they could easily lend themselves to the free-to–play model. EA could offer its sports catalog without charge for properties like the NHL or NFL. The user will need to pay for stats upgrades, roster updates and league expansions. Although it's unlikely that this will happen, it can be a great way for EA to profit from a payment method which is proving to be a huge revenue stream. Instead of targeting their highest-earning customers, they might offer other games such as a fantasy league, or an NBA Jam revival.
Apex Legends shows us that secondary franchises may work better. Although publishers are eager to make their game the next big thing there will still be casualties. The cost of making a game can be expensive. Companies won't have the money to pay that initial $69.99 fee if their title isn't successful. MMOs have relied heavily on subscription services pay model. This was evident in Funcom's Age of Conan, APB All Points Bulletin, and many other MMOs. As more titles compete for positions, free-to play games are not financially sustainable. There will always be failures. With the increasing costs of game development and almost no safety net, there will also be companies who place too much trust in this pay-method and cannot sustain themselves as the market continues saturating.
However, it doesn’t have to all be doom and gloom. Publishers and developers can offset their initial loss with brand alliances or commercials. Sega tested this idea recently, when it re-released old Genesis titles to mobile devices. Instead of charging $3-$5 USD for Phantasy Star II, Sonic The Hedgehog or Sonic The Hedgehog port (which would result in lower sales due the perceived price point on Google Play Store and App Store), the Japanese publisher offered the games for free. There were also commercials throughout the gameplay. For those who prefer fast-paced action games such as Fortnite or Apex Legends, this could cause problems. It is possible to drop ads during matchmaking or after a match. It wouldn't interfere with the flow of play and fans won't be offended. Weezer used Fortnite recently to promote their latest album. It also created an area for players to explore. Maybe this feature could be replicated for other games but with Pepsi brands.
It doesn't necessarily have to be that obvious. While Crazy Taxi was not a free-to play game, it was a powerful commercial for brands like Tower Records and KFC. Mario Kart 8 had a unique brand partnership with Mercedes. Users could download a GLA crossover as well as other classic cars from Mercedes for use in real races. It's surprising that this hasn't been used more widely, but it's likely to become more common as free Players Can either Play for Free Or Cash
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