I’m starting to get the feeling, that people like stuff that happens to be free. You take a look at the hottest games on the charts right now, and you’ve got to wonder if any of those games would have scored massive audiences if they’d used a traditional model of generating cash. Would Fortnite have worked as well if you paid a large chunk of change to have the privilege of being shot up by tweens who regularly disappoint their parents by claiming that they’re going to pursue a career a professional streamer?
Would Apex Legends have managed to earn its audience if EA decided to slap a $60 price tag on it and a promise of future content to come thanks to your hard-earned cash? Probably not. People love their money, they love hoarding it, making it and not spending it. That’s why games like Fortnite and Final Fantasy Brave Exvius have done so well, as the balance between risk and financial investment is so incredibly one-sided.
Even Bungie has seen the light, with last night’s announcement of the base game now being offered up for free to all interested Guardians who want to pick up a rifle and take the fight to Dominus Ghaul and his Red Legion. Which got me thinking: Which games would you like to see ditch the traditional price tag and go freemium?
Would you give Mortal Kombat 11 a bash if it gave you free access to Sub-Zero and Scorpion but asked you to shell out extra for any of the other characters on the roster? Would you start a download for Diablo 3 if it had a Battle.net pass that allowed you to pay for access to other character classes? It’s an interesting topic, so sound off below. Don’t just tell us which games should try a freemium approach, detail how it should work, how a good pitch should reward developers who have sunk countless hours into creating the product that rests in your hands.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.
Last Updated: June 7, 2019
HvR
June 7, 2019 at 12:22
Anything as long as I do not like and play it.
Kromas
June 7, 2019 at 12:29
I like to pay for my products once off. Too many F2P economies have it all wrong. Fortnite and Warframe got their F2P economies right but most other games just screw you over. Hell even paid products with in game purchases can sometimes go overboard. Games like Fallout 76 and Shadow of War comes to mind.
Frik van der Hewerskink
June 7, 2019 at 12:35
Drop the World of Warcraft subscription, and you have one of the most played games in the world again. Sell cosmetic mounts and pets that make no difference on actual gameplay. Easy as that.
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2019 at 12:42
License to print money
Guz
June 7, 2019 at 13:06
All of the money!
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2019 at 13:34
ALLYOURMONEYAREBELONGTOUS
G8crasha
June 7, 2019 at 13:06
WOW’s model is older than the hills, so I’m not sure how its current player-base would take to the game becoming F2P, unless they got something absolutely priceless out of the deal. They’ve invested so much money into the game with all its expansions, it would be a bummer for them if it went F2P. Plus, I don’t think the game is hurting for players, although the numbers have apparently dropped.
G8crasha
June 7, 2019 at 13:06
WOW’s model is older than the hills, so I’m not sure how its current player-base would take to the game becoming F2P, unless they got something absolutely priceless out of the deal. They’ve invested so much money into the game with all its expansions, it would be a bummer for them if it went F2P. Plus, I don’t think the game is hurting for players, although the numbers have apparently dropped.
For the Emperor!
June 7, 2019 at 13:34
Yeah, I don’t mind paying for the game and expansions. But the monthly thing – if you don’t log in for a week or two it feels like money wasted. One of the reasons I stopped playing, as I was no longer in the mood to play it “exclusively” to get value for money.
Craig "Crios" Boonzaier
June 7, 2019 at 15:17
They have pay as you play models as well for certain regions, even that is a better option than the current one.
G8crasha
June 7, 2019 at 13:06
WOW’s model is older than the hills, so I’m not sure how its current player-base would take to the game becoming F2P, unless they got something absolutely priceless out of the deal. They’ve invested so much money into the game with all its expansions, it would be a bummer for them if it went F2P. Plus, I don’t think the game is hurting for players, although the numbers have apparently dropped.
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2019 at 13:13
World of Warcraft – Redux
OR
– Launch WoW – F2P
– Migrate current playerbase as ‘Veterans’ with perks
– Shut down old servers
– Get big bag
– Put money in big bag
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2019 at 12:42
Honestsly, Warframe is the best, as in best, F2P game. Enough content for ‘free’ players, enough economy to sustain for longevity. Continuous free content, and just enough grind to satisfy certain players and to keep others away and direct them to the credit card
It just works
If you can apply that business model to another game, you have yourself a winner.
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
June 7, 2019 at 12:42
But does free-to-play equal free-to-enjoy?
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2019 at 12:42
See pretty much all my comments about Warframe
Mark Treloar
June 7, 2019 at 14:30
Yeah Warframe is not for everyone though. After 20 hours of grind I got irritated and bored. Problem with free to play is that in order for them to make money they have to modify the drop rate of items and this increases the grind. Diablo 3’s main issue and the reason so many people deserted it on PC was for this reason alone. It became more effective to let Chinese bots grind the game and use the auction house to get ahead.
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2019 at 12:42
F2P will ONLY work if you keep GREED out of the equation
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2019 at 12:50
Diablo 4 F2P
Base game, and 3 characters free, additional characters and character save slots as MT’s, XP boosts as MP, expansion pack as a MINOR cost, no subs, daily login rewards, and also discount on items as random rewards (people love them some discounts)
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2019 at 12:42
Lekker header Darryn!
Llama In The Rift
June 7, 2019 at 13:20
Would work well for Anthem…give them more space to actually fixed the thing while players can enjoy the only good element of the game…flying around with your Iron Man suite. Make cash on extra suites, cosmetics and a real end game goal.
Admiral Chief
June 7, 2019 at 13:28
Fashion game is end game
Llama In The Rift
June 7, 2019 at 13:34
Maybe copy other dance moves?!?
G8crasha
June 7, 2019 at 12:59
I say all games that are primarily MP based. If a game was initially SP and had a MP bolted on, I can’t see them succeeding with a F2P. For example, The Witcher would never work in a F2P, neither would Doom, but games that rely on a large player base interacting with one another in order for the game to reach its full potential – now those are titles that would excel with a F2P model, as long as they have the model properly planned out.
But, if we are talking about specifics, I would love to see The Division 2 go F2P! In the same breath, so would CoD and BF benefit from a F2P model.
Craig "Crios" Boonzaier
June 7, 2019 at 14:03
Anything with additional in-game purchases