Speaking in an interesting interview with Kotaku, the EA’s COO Peter Moore talks about microtransactions and how games will transform to use the free-to-play model in the next 5-10 years. He things that “microtransactions will be in every game, but the game itself or the access to the game will be free.”
“I think, ultimately, microtransactions will be in every game, but the game itself or the access to the game will be free.
“Maybe when I’m retired, as this industry progresses, hundreds of millions are playing the games. Zero bought it. Hundreds of millions are playing.
“We’re getting 5 cents, 6 cents ARPU [average revenue per user] a day out of these people. The great majority will never pay us a penny which is perfectly fine with us, but they add to the eco-system and the people who do pay money—the whales as they are affectionately referred to—to use a Las Vegas term, love it because to be number one of a game that like 55 million people playing is a big deal.
“I think there’s an inevitability that happens five years from now, 10 years from now, that, let’s call it the client, to use the term, [is free.]”
Interesting indeed. The approach opens up the game to a wider audience, but only the dedicated would shell out of those extras that make the game better. There are already a handful of games out there (Free Realms and Treasures of Montezuma Blitz to name two) that use this model, but it would be interesting to see if it works.