Will free-to-play (F2P) with microtransactions in games dominate the future of online gaming?
Source: Composite by Daniel Osuna based on a Pierre Lecourt's image.
Microtransactions or micropayments are becoming increasingly common in F2P video games. Will freemium games replace the traditional pay-to-play model in the industry and become the future of gaming?
The video game industry is changing. Traditionally, online games have used a pay-to-play system which usually includes an initial downpayment (buying the game) and/or a monthly subscription fee. However many games have transitioned into a free-to-play (F2P) system. In F2P games users can start playing for free and only have to make some micropayments to unlock certain features or levels or to download additional content, following the logic of a freemium model. This can be very advantageous for those who don't want to invest a large amount of money to try a game that they may not like in the end. It can also provide a great amount of gaming experience for free. Many F2P games such as Dungeon Keeper, Hearthstone, League of Legends, and DotA2, have become extremely popular.
Microtransactions in games: the limits
However, the model is no flawless. Many gamers claim that many games are not really F2P because they force you to pay for content. Often the free part in some of these games is equivalent to a demo in a traditional pay-to-play system. Whatsmore, the total amount spent by gamers through micropayments can often be larger than the cost of simply buying a game and paying a monthly fee.
Do you think that F2P games with microtransactions will continue to grow and finally dominate the market of online gaming? Or do you forecast that in the end users will go back to a traditional pay-to-play system?
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1110 xp
341 posts
Very interesting comment, but I think that consoles won't be replaced by phones anytime soon. In fact I think phones have seems to have hit their ceiling. Phones shine on very particular types of games but they show incapable to displace even portable consoles.
The main issue with micro-transactions is the pay-to-win system which gives advantage to those spending more money. I am all for micropayments for skins, characters, dresses and things that do not fundamentally alter the equilibrium of the game.
1385 xp
283 posts
You are absolutely right. I think microtransactions should not be problematic, the problem is that the industry is slowly adjusting to this model and in the process there are hiccups. There are some abusive practices from some companies and some unjustified complaints from some users. Habits are difficult to change. But the industry will keep on evolving and converging to some kind of equilibrium were both traditional P2P and F2P coexist. Similar thing to what has happened on the TV industry.
19 xp
2 posts
I don't think the practice can constitue a true short-term danger for the video game industry. Perhaps this practice will fully democratize with the disappearance of consoles and their replacement by phones with integrated graphics chips but success licenses still have a bright future ahead. As a developer, I am sometimes faced the dilemma of providing a lower quality software (because of development time lost in creating the micropayment system) but that continually provides income to its ecosystem, or choosing to invest and add extra risk in case of project failure. I still prefer the second option but I'm not sure it will be for a long time.
As usual, if used sparingly, practicing microtransaction should not be a problem regarding the midterm quality of viable projects and their impact on video games ecosystem.
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