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Superdata CEO: F2P audience has 'reached its limits'
SuperData CEO Joost van Dreunen spoke yesterday at the GameON: Finance conference in Toronto. He posited that the F2P monetization model is declining in popularity. "So I think what's really happening is on the one hand you have the free-to-play audience, and I think that's reached its limits, to some degree," van Dreunen said. "And then there's the premium audience saying, 'Yes, I want to buy a game. I don't want to deal with the ads and in-game items. I want premium.' While in the mobile market, three-quarters of stuff is built with free-to-play as its dominant monetization model, you see somewhat of a backlash." He cited Apple's recent decision to remove the word "free" from F2P App Store titles, and he also mentioned Warlords of Draenor's success as an indicator of healthy demand for paid titles.
The Daily Grind: Has F2P made your MMO habit more expensive?
Two years ago I used to have fewer than five line-items in my Quicken budget for MMORPGs. I maintained three or four monthly subs more often than not, and it was easy to keep track of how much I spent as well as determine whether or not it was worth it to continue doing so based on playtime, enjoyment, and various other factors. Nowadays I'm more likely to have a dozen MMORPG-related line-items every month on account of cash shops and the fact that flat-fee payments no longer include all of a given game's content. In a nutshell, playing multiple MMOs has gotten more expensive for me with the transition to free-to-play. What about you, morning crew? Assuming you keep a careful watch on your gaming expenditures, has free-to-play helped or hurt your bottom line? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Anvil of Crom: Downgrading an Age of Conan account to F2P
As I mentioned last time, I'm currently test-driving the EU servers. As such, my Age of Conan subscription fee is spoken for, and my US server characters are now relegated to free-to-play status. Since I'm still deciding on an EU main (I just rerolled after getting a PoM to 22), I figured I'd use this week's column to take a quick look at my veteran account through the eyes of a free-to-play customer. When AoC Unchained debuted last summer, I read the account services matrix like everyone else, but to be frank, I didn't pay it much attention because I'd always been a subscriber. In the back of my mind, I figured that anyone who's halfway serious about Age of Conan would want to sub up, and my experiences this weekend have only reinforced that notion.
'RIFT Lite' announced, makes first 20 levels free to all [Updated]
Trion Worlds has just announced that its fantasy MMO RIFT, which released to wide acclaim just 11 months ago, will today launch an introductory version of the game known as RIFT Lite. Similar to Warhammer Online's Endless Trial and World of Warcraft's Starter Edition, RIFT Lite will allow "anyone with a Trion account to experience the game's first 20 levels at no cost and with no playtime restrictions." Players will be able to access the capital cities as well as Terminus, Mathosia, Freemarch, and Silverwood, all the way up to level 20 and on any server, for the low, low cost of zero dollars. In the press release, RIFT Executive Producer Scott Hartsman, who told fans last November that Trion had "absolutely no plans whatsoever" to turn RIFT F2P, stated that his company believes "a Lite edition with no time limit is the best way for players to see what an amazing experience RIFT continues to be." Diet RIFT launches today in conjunction with the latest patch, Carnival of the Ascended, which brings player weddings, dungeon overhauls, and PvP tweaks to Telara. [Update: The official RIFT Lite website has now gone live.]
The Tattered Notebook: An insider's guide to the Beastlord
Beastlords have only been in game for a few weeks, but already quite a few EverQuest II fans have rolled one up to and taken it for a test drive. There are several new facets to the class that are refreshingly new to the usual EQII adventure classes, and it's little surprise that they've become arguably the most popular class around lately. I tracked down a good friend and guildie, Nauralea, who has already reached the level cap with her Beastlord and has also finished her class epic and done a little raiding. If you're curious about how the class works or whether it's still fun to play at the higher levels, read on for a great look at the nuts and bolts of the class and even some helpful tips for leveling up one of your own!
The Anvil of Crom: A four-month F2P report card
Greetings barbaric faithful, and welcome to another installment of the Anvil of Crom. In between bouts of getting frustrated with the Isle of the Iron Statues dungeon this week (I know, I know, it's sooooo easy, and how bad can I be if I have trouble with it?!), I've been giving a fair amount of thought to Age of Conan's free-to-play experiment. It's been nearly four months since the devs rolled out the freemium Unchained patch, and that's ample time for me to have formed a few opinions (and to have revised a few others). Join me after the cut for some discussion on what works, what doesn't, and what I hope to see going forward.
The Anvil of Crom: Six reasons why
Normally I avoid top 10 (or top five, or top whatever) lists like the bubonic plague. I've talked before about how they're not my thing, and with the exception of our own Justin Olivetti and his always chuckle-worthy Perfect Ten, I tend to avoid reading them (not to mention writing them)! This week, though, I'm indulging in The Anvil of Crom's second top-random-number list, and I'm doing it in response to two reader mails that asked me why their respective authors should give Age of Conan a second shot. In short, there's never been a better time to try (or return to) AoC, so join me after the cut for six reasons why.
The Daily Grind: EQ2X or LOTRO?
EverQuest II's free-flavored server has been available to the public for a few weeks now, and yours truly finally found the time to check it out several days ago. While last week's major MMO news centered around Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online going free-to-try (as well as its cleverly blasphemous use of Gandalf in a television ad), EQ2X beat the land of hobbits and Haradrim to market by the better part of a month. It's not much of a stretch to say that the two games compete for a similar audience, and while both focus on stellar PvE content, there are marked differences between them. One rides the coattails of the most renowned fantasy license in history, while the other owes its existence to one of the massive genre's granddaddy titles. One features fugly character models and beautiful environments, while the other is starting to act its age when it comes to visuals. There are more differences (and similarities) of course, and listing them all would take the better part of a feature column, so let's get to the meat of today's question. EQ2X or LOTRO? Or both?
The Tattered Notebook: GU57 reactions and a sad ratonga
Hoo boy. Well, GU57 is upon us, and if you haven't heard the cries of SOE devs as they're burned at the stake on the official forums, you're not paying attention. After a brief day's delay, the patch hit last Wednesday and proceeded to generate what passes for an uproar in the veteran EverQuest II community. What's the big deal? It looks to be a UI update, a few new quests, and the usual tweaks, fixes, and improvements, right? Well yes and no, depending on whom you talk to. Many people on the boards are convinced the sky is falling; most people in-game are convinced the former are taking things a little too seriously and everything is just hunky-dory; and a few (such as your humble author) think the reality is somewhere in the middle. Turn the page for more.
