Tag: Free to Play

$20 Says Darkfall "Relaunch" Is Free To Play


When was the last time you heard the phrase “this patch is like a completely new game?” In my line of work (work? Blogging), a whole lot. Such is the case with Darkfall, where on the Epic Blog head boss man of Aventurine Tasos Flambouras talks about a complete relaunch of the game. How much of a relaunch is it? Well it is certainly no linguine, and it is without a doubt not just an expansion pack.

This relaunch is not an expansion.

Thank you, Tasos, but we need more information.

It’s a new game we’ve been developing in parallel with the current version of Darkfall. The scope is massive, and it has been difficult to stay on schedule after several unexpected issues we’ve had with the current version, changes and additions we decided to make for the new version, some business developments, and the decision to add the siege system into this version of the game rather than in the relaunch.

That’s more like it. But let’s discuss the title of this post, and my assurance that this is likely a prelude to a free to play announcement, and continue reading the announcement:

There are shifting priorities having to do with business issues for this relaunch, and another part being some Asian developments we also need to take into consideration. We can assure you that everything we’re doing in this regard is in the best interest of our players and of Darkfall, and that the relaunch of the game will be very exciting for everyone.

I distinctly remember Dave Georgeson saying something along these lines shortly before Everquest II went free to play, when they announced big changes coming but wouldn’t actually announce free to play because the service was going to be considered a new game, because the existing community would have flipped the chess board and went home if they had to share space with the freeloaders. By that I’m referring to the comments about making this decision for the betterment of the community.

The current estimated completion date for development is August, which makes release somewhere between now and when Rift consumes World of Warcraft as the most subscribed MMO…In Burundi. At least we can be assured, despite the vague language, that this isn’t a prelude to Darkfall shutting down or being sold to Gamersfirst. It’s a new version being developed, Tasos isn’t in the process of lifting Darkfall up so he can suplex it.

Age of Conan: Free To Play Comes Today


Age of Conan’s anticipated romp into the free to play world goes live today with the release of Age of Conan: Unchained. Heading over to the Age of Conan website will greet you with the above splash page. The game servers came down approximately two hours ago, and will be offline for another six (estimated). When the game comes back online, players both free and paid will be able to log in and see the new changes, not the least controversial will be what Funcom decides to stick in the cash shop.

You can see the trailer below. Blood and Glory, Funcom’s attempt at hardcore PvP (with looting players) does not go live with this update.

To those of you still confused about what is being offered for free, read this. Yes, I am aware that the Free to Play update was originally called Unrated.

Let's Talk Free To Play "Customers"


Today I wanted to talk free to play, primarily the base that makes up the players and customers, two terms I want to keep separated for the purpose of this article. Let’s take Lord of the Rings Online as an example. A player is someone who downloads the game for free, accumulates Turbine points using in-game rewards and not buying them, and makes it as far as he can before running out of free points, getting bored, and quitting. A customer is someone who pays, be it in any amount of Turbine points, or through the VIP system.

I used Lord of the Rings and not Runescape because Runescape free players are, in a way, customers. Although they don’t pay any money out of pocket, they view advertisements which, according to Jagex’s financial reports, made somewhere around 7% of their revenue in 2009, and have likely remained about the same since. Getting in free players is a financial incentive in itself to Jagex.

For the rest of you, however, I’m going to use the drug analogy. Your first hit is always free, because the goal is to get you hooked and going back for more. Going back to Lord of the Rings Online, my readings are sporadic, but from my understanding a player can get around level 30 buying quest packs (many of which are rather cheap) using only the Turbine points given as task rewards. By that point, your next inclination is likely “well that Turbine point card at Target is only ten bucks. Might as well buy one.” Of course you know where the addiction goes from there.

But the companies that make free to play games aren’t sinister drug dealers who want you hooked, they recognize that the players who pay will be footing the bill for the players who do not, so they offer incentives to dole up some money. Turbine offers free points for VIP members, others offer extra bag space, better loot, and higher experience for subscribing.

Like drug dealers, you have to learn to avoid the bad ones. There is a very fine line between incentives for subscribers and punishing free players. Years back I had a chance to talk to an ex-customer service rep (not here on MMO Fallout) for a Korean MMO whose player (not subscriber) numbers rivaled World of Warcraft’s. What I found most interesting was the company’s policy on free vs paying members. A lot of the time, paying members were allowed to cheat, farm gold, use bots, etc, while free players would be routinely banned for minor offences. The internal policy was that the people were paying, so why not let them do whatever they wanted? As for the free players, “screw em.” There would be many more to take their place.

Harsh, but I’ve been called rather unsympathetic for indifference towards a group I’ve referred to as “permanent freeloaders” in the past so not at all surprising. What you need to understand when entering a game with full resolve that you will never pay a dime, is that the company has minimal interest in your presence. Sure you might bring friends into the game and they might pay for some stuff, but your demands will be met with a deaf ear.

On games like Runescape, Champions Online, etc, I often hear the permanent freeloaders complain about being treated like wallets waiting to be opened, but why would you expect anything else? A grocery store doesn’t offer free samples because you look famished and they’d like to feed you, and a developer doesn’t offer up their game for free because they hope less people will pay and more will simply enjoy the game. At the end of the day, the company has to pay its employees, and they’ve found a way to do that but far more efficiently with the free to play system. Like I said with Dungeons and Dragons Online, going free pays off more.

One of MMO Fallout’s core principles runs around MMOs as like a relationship between the developer and player, and free to play just goes to further the analogy. Developers have realized over time that a great majority of customers need to see what they’re getting into before they want to saddle up and cash in, and this system is just the way to do that. To go even further, a good cash shop game is like a gorgeous person you meet at a public place. You talk, have some things in common, and decide to have dinner. Slowly, but surely, you get to know each other better and the relationship becomes solid and loving. Next thing you know, you’re buying your love that brand new 2011 Kia to go in the garage of the house you just bought together. This is the best way to form a long-lasting relationship.

Then you have folks like Astrum Nival (Allods Online) who approach you in a bar, drunk, and just start dry humping you and spilling martini all over your good clothing. When you push them away, they get angry and violent, and start shouting about how you should be privileged to even call for their notice, and how anyone else would be throwing themselves at them. Sure, they might get successful with one or two people, but none of the relationships will be long, they will definitely be expensive to those they sucker in, and the ordeal will probably just put their partners off of forming future relationships.

Are we still talking about video games?

Let’s Talk Free To Play “Customers”


Today I wanted to talk free to play, primarily the base that makes up the players and customers, two terms I want to keep separated for the purpose of this article. Let’s take Lord of the Rings Online as an example. A player is someone who downloads the game for free, accumulates Turbine points using in-game rewards and not buying them, and makes it as far as he can before running out of free points, getting bored, and quitting. A customer is someone who pays, be it in any amount of Turbine points, or through the VIP system.

I used Lord of the Rings and not Runescape because Runescape free players are, in a way, customers. Although they don’t pay any money out of pocket, they view advertisements which, according to Jagex’s financial reports, made somewhere around 7% of their revenue in 2009, and have likely remained about the same since. Getting in free players is a financial incentive in itself to Jagex.

For the rest of you, however, I’m going to use the drug analogy. Your first hit is always free, because the goal is to get you hooked and going back for more. Going back to Lord of the Rings Online, my readings are sporadic, but from my understanding a player can get around level 30 buying quest packs (many of which are rather cheap) using only the Turbine points given as task rewards. By that point, your next inclination is likely “well that Turbine point card at Target is only ten bucks. Might as well buy one.” Of course you know where the addiction goes from there.

But the companies that make free to play games aren’t sinister drug dealers who want you hooked, they recognize that the players who pay will be footing the bill for the players who do not, so they offer incentives to dole up some money. Turbine offers free points for VIP members, others offer extra bag space, better loot, and higher experience for subscribing.

Like drug dealers, you have to learn to avoid the bad ones. There is a very fine line between incentives for subscribers and punishing free players. Years back I had a chance to talk to an ex-customer service rep (not here on MMO Fallout) for a Korean MMO whose player (not subscriber) numbers rivaled World of Warcraft’s. What I found most interesting was the company’s policy on free vs paying members. A lot of the time, paying members were allowed to cheat, farm gold, use bots, etc, while free players would be routinely banned for minor offences. The internal policy was that the people were paying, so why not let them do whatever they wanted? As for the free players, “screw em.” There would be many more to take their place.

Harsh, but I’ve been called rather unsympathetic for indifference towards a group I’ve referred to as “permanent freeloaders” in the past so not at all surprising. What you need to understand when entering a game with full resolve that you will never pay a dime, is that the company has minimal interest in your presence. Sure you might bring friends into the game and they might pay for some stuff, but your demands will be met with a deaf ear.

On games like Runescape, Champions Online, etc, I often hear the permanent freeloaders complain about being treated like wallets waiting to be opened, but why would you expect anything else? A grocery store doesn’t offer free samples because you look famished and they’d like to feed you, and a developer doesn’t offer up their game for free because they hope less people will pay and more will simply enjoy the game. At the end of the day, the company has to pay its employees, and they’ve found a way to do that but far more efficiently with the free to play system. Like I said with Dungeons and Dragons Online, going free pays off more.

One of MMO Fallout’s core principles runs around MMOs as like a relationship between the developer and player, and free to play just goes to further the analogy. Developers have realized over time that a great majority of customers need to see what they’re getting into before they want to saddle up and cash in, and this system is just the way to do that. To go even further, a good cash shop game is like a gorgeous person you meet at a public place. You talk, have some things in common, and decide to have dinner. Slowly, but surely, you get to know each other better and the relationship becomes solid and loving. Next thing you know, you’re buying your love that brand new 2011 Kia to go in the garage of the house you just bought together. This is the best way to form a long-lasting relationship.

Then you have folks like Astrum Nival (Allods Online) who approach you in a bar, drunk, and just start dry humping you and spilling martini all over your good clothing. When you push them away, they get angry and violent, and start shouting about how you should be privileged to even call for their notice, and how anyone else would be throwing themselves at them. Sure, they might get successful with one or two people, but none of the relationships will be long, they will definitely be expensive to those they sucker in, and the ordeal will probably just put their partners off of forming future relationships.

Are we still talking about video games?

Lego Universe Heading Free To Play This August


I have to admit: Second free to play announcement of the day, yet not as exciting as the first. MMORPG.com is reporting that Lego Universe is set to go free to play this fall, although reading the announcement, the transition sounds more like calling Warhammer Online’s endless trial a free to play system.

The LEGO Universe free-to-play experience will offer a limited selection of game content, including two adventure zones and one player property area for building their own virtual LEGO models. Paying members will have access to all areas in the full game, along with membership benefits such as competitions and community events. In addition to the 15+ robust adventure zones and instances as well as 5+ property worlds currently in-game, access to new expansions, like major Ninjago content coming later this year, will require players to register for full membership.

Hopefully this will entice players to join up and subscriber. More information on an actual date when it is released. This move is likely related to the Lego team being sold by NetDevil back to Lego.

City of Heroes Free To Play Coming


Age of Conan isn’t the only game getting in the spotlight. City of Heroes is the first big name Superhero MMO, launching in 2004 and since spawning two expansion packs, twenty “issues” (big content updates), and countless holiday events. Despite the game’s obvious decline in subscribers as it has aged, City of Heroes has managed to survive the competition of Champions Online and the recently released DC Universe Online, while maintaining its level of income.

So imagine my surprise when NCSoft announced today that City of Heroes will go free to play. Free players will have access to heroes and villains up to level 50, with 45 zones of content, 8 archetypes over two characters, and 105 power sets. The veteran rewards program is being discontinued, instead VIP players will receive points for every month they are subscribed, which can be used to purchase the rewards previously found in the veterans program. Veteran reward points will be transferred over, even if you do not subscribe.

There will be a VIP only server, although the current 15 servers will remain intact. Free players will not have access to super groups (guilds), Whisper chat, in-game mail, posting on the forums, limited auction house, and of course queue priority and VIP server access. Free players will have to purchase access to the mission architect, inventions, purchase server transfers, and will not have access to in-game customer support.

Given the success of previous game (don’t forget the 1000% increase in revenue for Champions Online), there is only one way to spell this out for NCsoft: l-o-d-s of e-m-o-n-e, and what does that spell? Loadsa money!

…Probably…

Age of Conan Going Free To Play This Summer!


Crom, I don’t normally pray to you. I don’t have the time, what with writing all those forum posts making jokes like “Funcom? More like… not… so… funcom!” If you will grant me one thing, make it Age of Conan free to play. I’m playing in the welcome back week, and I’m very much enjoying the game, but I need to see more. And if you don’t, then to hell with you.

At least that’s what I imagine some Age of Conan player somewhere prayed before he went to bed last night, because Funcom delivered. Formally announced on the forums, Funcom is launching Age of Conan: Unrated this summer, allowing free players access to the majority of the original game, and a little bit of Rise of the Godslayer, absolutely free. Free players are limited from certain dungeons, Alternative Advancement points, offline levels, and veteran rewards, as well as specific raids, certain classes, and sieges altogether. Still, there is a lot to see in new Age of Conan free…for free.

You can check out the free/members perks here. Age of Conan free to play goes live this summer.

Of Course NCsoft Believes Subscriptions More Profitable…


I push this idea as much as I can here at MMO Fallout, but the old adage that free to play was a last ditch effort by subscription titles that were tanking died when Dungeons and Dragons Online pulled off the transition, and proved to the industry that throwing in a cash shop wasn’t just a way to stave off death for another few months, but rather a way to revitalize a game, boost the community, and (in the case of Lord of the Rings Online) cause a successful game to become even more successful. That being said, I find myself in a lot of arguments with hardcore loyalists to the Guild Wars games who claim that the business model (buy to play) is “wildly successful,” and is something the entire industry should adopt. What they don’t pay attention to is that Guild Wars brings in a whole 2% income for NCsoft. If NCsoft were to switch all of their games to buy to play, their profits would plummet to around 10% of what they are making now, assuming similar sales to Guild Wars.

So Massively had an article where NCsoft’s Jeremy Gaffney states that subscriptions are “probably” more profitable than microtransactions.

“There’s still a lot of money being made in subscriptions right now. Worldwide there’s a lot of money being made in [micro]transactions, but there’s probably a bit more money really being made in subscriptions worldwide,”

I’m sure the boots are quaking at Turbine (with their paltry double income from LotRO, and 500% increase in DDO), Cryptic (with their laughably small 1,000% increase in revenue), and Nexon (who posted over 50% increase in revenue over last year), not to mention Sony Online Entertainment, Gala-Net, T3fun, GamersFirst, Perfect World Entertainment, and the host of other companies who have found solace in the cash shop model.

Gaffney is correct in one sense, there is still a lot of money to be made in subscriptions, and both business models are equally viable. As for subscriptions bringing in more revenue than cash shops, I’m going to have to request Gaffney show me the money.

Global Agenda Going Even Freeer To Play


I’m not entirely sure that “freeer” (the comparative term for “more free”) is a word, but if it isn’t a simple phone call and bribery of my glass D&D dice should get that added into Webster’s Dictionary toot sweet. Global Agenda technically went free to play back in June last year, following its February launch. In a post today, Hi-Rez announced that Global Agenda will be going entirely free to play, removing previous restrictions on free players. For a one time fee of $20 (with those who had purchased the game already receiving this bonus) players are upgraded to Elite Agent, and receive bonuses to experience and loot.

Free players are not entirely devoid of restrictions, however. Going by the news post, free players will have limited or no restrictions to various features, including the auction house, mail system, chat, agencies, and will also receive ads over the in-game voice feature, as well as being lower on the login priority list.

“Global Agenda has never required a monthly subscription to play and, for a while now, we have offered a generous free trial for the game.” said Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios COO.  “Our experience with the limited free trial has demonstrated to us the great demand among free-to-play gamers for a AAA-quality Shooter MMO like Global Agenda. We believe this latest change will further broaden the game’s popularity and appeal.”

This comment from the news article confuses me, unless Todd Harris is spinning words. On second thought, I get it now. Global Agenda never required a subscription, in the sense that my crab legs at Red Lobster didn’t require me to pay, if all I wanted was the free water. The side of the game no one would have paid a subscription for anyway, the lobby-based shooting, was free. With restrictions. It does remind me of what I said last year, however:

I do get the hunch that, much like a certain Cities XL game that came out in 2009 and shut down in March, Global Agenda’s paid MMO side is not doing as well as the company had hoped. Oddly enough, this seems to be a trend with games that release with one half free, one half paid content, unless the game’s name is Guild Wars of course.

If it is any consolation, I still stand by that Global Agenda is a game worth getting into, and if you want to get into the game, the best time to do so may be before the game goes free to play. There is no guarantee that the coupon codes will still work after the game transitions, so you still have an opportunity to purchase the game (and obtain Elite Agent status) for $10, using one of the 50% coupon codes below.

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Ryzom Going Freemium


Ryzom is one of those titles that may have slipped under your radar. Originally launched in 2004 by Nevrax, Ryzom is a science-fantasy MMO. The game aims to create a living breathing world, offering features such as animals that hunt one another, resources that become unavailable at certain seasons, and more. The game operates on a skill-based system. After Nevrax was acquired, and the game went bankrupt, Ryzom was picked up by Winch Gate, who currently publishes and develops the game.

Starting March 9th, Ryzom is opening up the trial to include the first 125 levels (out of a maximum 250), with no time or area limitations. There are other limitations on inventory, apartment, and guilds that apply.

And as Yumeroh put it:

Despite the freedom of this new system, we would like to remind you that Ryzom can only live on through your paid subscriptions. Thank you for the confidence you have in us.