Future of EA franchises is free-to-play(Pay-for-content)

[Gargantou]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6215298.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=hot-stories&tag=hot-stories;title;2

When I just begin to like EA again, they go ahead and start talking about shit like this?

I don't want to be forced into Micro-transactions to get a complete game, I want to be able to simply pay 60 euro for my 360 game and know it's the complete game I get, I far prefer this over a free-to-play model that practically forces you to buy the extra content to get the actual 'game content' itself.

FU EA, FU.

 

[Deleted member 56031]

I ****ing hate DLC!! It now costs like £70 to get a "complete" game anymore.

 

[Gargantou]

Yeah same, lucky for me, I'm not that big a fan of EAs sports games, but ****'em if they start messing with their franchises such as Dead Space.

 

[Deleted member 56031]

Dead space DLC already costs an arm and a leg :hmph:

 

[Murray]

I haven't played a sports game in ages. It's the least appealing genre I know of. Regarding any other game that EA might tamper with, yeah f*ck them.

 

[VirusType2]

It has the potential to be cool, like if you bought a racing game, and could choose from 1 of thousands of cars to download for like .25 each. Then you could have a collection of all your favorite cars, or, buy them all if you want.

Unfortunately, they won't use it like that.

 

[Gargantou]

You honestly think they would charge as low as .25? LOL, look at the price they already have on car DLCs, you'd at very minimum be paying like 1 USD per car, MINIMUM.

 

[VirusType2]

You honestly think they would charge as low as .25?

No, not at all. That's why I said it has the potential to be good, but they won't use it like that. I actually had more harsh words but I decided not to post it.

LOL, look at the price they already have on car DLCs, you'd at very minimum be paying like 1 USD per car, MINIMUM.

I don't own any consoles, but I figured they probably charge $10 for a few cars with only 1 good one.

Yet Gran Tourismo 2 had over 500 cars and about 20 tracks, all for the standard price of a game.

Things will never be the same. The thing is, all people have to do is NOT buy it. If nobody bought their rip off content, then they would have to lower their prices or change how they sell it. Consumers have all the power.

 

[jverne]

*cough*piracy*cough*

 

[Solaris]

I think this is a far better model, it will be more profitable for them in the long run I imagine.

Who's going to torrent a game when you can download it for free anyway.

 

[CptStern]

ummm did any of you actually read the article?

While traditional game retail will be part of EA's business for a "very, very long time,"

you guys underestimate the power of retail. most casual gamers still purchase their games in brick and mortar stores.

free-to-play online games are "the future of where our key franchises are going," he said. Paid subscription models will be key, but microtransactions will be the company's main way of making a success of these franchises, he said. Moore gave the example of a Tiger Woods game that's initially free to play, but in which 50 cents will get players a better golf club, or a $5-a-month subscription will unlock new courses on a regular basis.

instead of forking over $60 you get the game for free and then pay for what you want. Battlefield Heroes is a good example of this. the game is free, can be played without purchasing a single thing. none of the things you do purchase changes the gameplay whatsoever, it's all cosmetic.

EA isnt going to shoot themselves in the foot by going online only over night or charging a mandatory $20 for a new pair of shoes that unlocks Madden 2011

 

[PimpinPenguin]

I think this is a far better model, it will be more profitable for them in the long run I imagine.

Who's going to torrent a game when you can download it for free anyway.

People are going to pirate the additional content. Look at the Sims 3. EA removed Riverview and made it that you had to register you game to get it otherwise you had half a game, but all the pirates did was pirate it as well. The Sims 3 store also sells stuff that was removed from the game at typical EA rip off prices and people again pirated it.

This model will be more profitable for EA but at the expense of customers getting ripped off.