asian-mmos
Latest
PAX East 2011: Turbine makes the case for the free-to-play model
"Pioneers get the gold!" Turbine's Fernando Paiz is fond of saying. "And they get the arrows too..." Instead of the wild, wild west, Paiz was referring to the frontier of MMORPG business models, companies that have diverged from traditional subscriptions over the past 10 years. In a presentation at PAX East titled "The Game Monetization Revolution," he shared how this movement has come about, ways that it can fail, and how pioneers have grabbed the gold by getting it right. Of course, Paiz has a great perspective on this revolution, having helmed Dungeons & Dragons Online as it made the transition from a pure subscription game to a hybrid free-to-play/subscription title. Both DDO and Lord of the Rings Online have done tremendously well since moving to this business model, proving that AAA titles can thrive outside of the subscription-only checkout lane. Hit the jump as Fernando Paiz takes us down memory lane and addresses the biggest fear players have with F2P.
