I despise micro-transactions, I’m not big on free-to-play games and that’s a sentiment shared by many of you. Tough. According to guys who’ve made a ton of money with micro-transactions, it’s the future, and all developers should transition to using them.
That’s the word of King Games Guru Tommy Palm. Yes, it actually says “Guru” on his business card.
“The micro-transaction is so strong and it’s definitely a much better model. I think all companies have to transition over to that,” he told IGN. “If you talk to many hardcore gamers, they’re not happy about it right now, but if you asked them about the long term, “Do you want to continue playing your favourite game for years to come?’ And the answer will be yes.”
He does concede that the pricing needs to be sensible, an that $5 horse armour isn’t the way to do it. He also says F2P games really do need to be free. Buying stuff should be an option, and never a necessity.
“I think for companies it is very important to find a good balance. Free-to-play games are difficult to do, and you really need to be good at making it feel balanced to the gamers. So it’s not too greedy.
“At King, for instance, we took the decision to make our games truly free-to-play, so you will never end up in the position where you’re forced to pay. So you can play all the way to the end without having to pay. For instance, in Candy Crush, of the players who are on the last level, more than half of them didn’t pay to get there.”
A good example of that, aside from Candy Crush Saga, of course, is Blizzard’s Hearthstone.
“Just looking at Blizzard’s Hearthstone – it’s a great example of a F2P game that is made really well, it’s well balanced, and I don’t think many people are complaining about that business model. It’s easy to see if there’s concept that is close to your heart. It works out really well.”
Unfortunately, with game development budgets sky-high, and publishers looking to extract as much cash out of games as possible, micro-transactions are only set to increase – as is the entire free-to-play model.
Last Updated: April 15, 2014
Ottokie
April 15, 2014 at 11:35
Although I agree with Hearthstone from blizzard being free to play was a really good move.
But when you actually start to play tournaments and ranked you start to see really really fast why you got to throw a butt load of cash at the game just to be competitive. I haven’t even opened my Hearthstone in the last 2 Months because I got so fed up going against these golden legendary cards that cost 1600+ dust to craft 😛
Ultimo_Cleric N7
April 15, 2014 at 11:43
Have to agree, it is a bit annoying. Same reason why I haven’t played any competitions.
Johan du Preez
April 15, 2014 at 12:12
Pay to win baby pay to win
Kromas
April 15, 2014 at 12:38
But it is a TCG. If you play magic online or if you play the physical version either way you will be buying cards upon cards just to stay relevant.
Johan du Preez
April 15, 2014 at 12:56
Mentioning Heartstone and magic in the same sentence is not allowed you will be struck down by the Nicol Bolas 😛
Good point but I have never spend money on virtual cards, I have over 2000 physical cards though.
Kromas
April 15, 2014 at 13:05
Sold almost everything I had a few years back for R16000. That was one hell of a PC upgrade.
Kyratic
April 15, 2014 at 12:47
You guys should be playing Infinity Wars on steam.
way better than hearthstone, Sure you can buy cards, but they are definitely not needed to be competitive.
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 15, 2014 at 11:41
This is the same chop who tried to sue people for using the word “saga” in their game title?
Mark Treloar
April 15, 2014 at 15:09
Nope using the word candy.
Ultimo_Cleric N7
April 15, 2014 at 11:41
Guru? Seriously……reckon his job title shoudl be Douchebag M.D
Admiral Chief in Space
April 15, 2014 at 11:41
If something were to happen with my Planetside 2 character/account and I had to start from scratch, I’d probably quit the game before I buy all the gear again (you can buy or unlock)
Umar's Sin
April 15, 2014 at 11:42
…………No. Sometime I feel we’re just tiny ants compared to this huge corporate suits. But we can overcome any obstacle….So stop buying into these damn games…please people. Not just F2P but obnoxious DLC, Season Passes …Just…stop please…..
No force is unstoppable….
http://www.deltaattack.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/shadow_of_the_colossus_fan_art_collection_0400.jpg
Kensei Seraph
April 15, 2014 at 12:28
If there’s any good DLC I’ll wait for the GotY Edition like with Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.
oVg Errorist
April 15, 2014 at 12:32
It will never happen. That beast represents every child in the modern age. Like how we used to do anything to own the Black Bird in a deck of Trump Cards, kids today want golden horse armour DLC for $5.
Skylanders just prove that the huge corporate suites know their shit.
Bobby from Activision knew that every pre adolescent school boy who is going thru puberty has the perfect release on his on-line murder simulators called COD. Good for him and his bank account.
Umar's Sin
April 15, 2014 at 12:43
I feel like it’s a losing battle man, Gosh these kids know not of struggle. And as soon as the suits saw this, bam! It was over before we knew it. The new Jimquisition is really good, you should watch it. He says AAA games fall into three categories. Clash of Clans, Candy Crush and CoD …. So sad man, to see video games fall into the abyss…
Jonah Cash
April 15, 2014 at 11:44
Fifa Ultimate Team…. Lets play against a team that has Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo, Bale, Rooney and Arjen Robben as their midfield and strikers…. Yes that is always fun when that happens!!!
Jonah Cash
April 15, 2014 at 11:46
If I had never bought anything and kept all the coins I received from playing FUT I would still not be able to buy even 1 of those guys… Maybe Rooney, but who the hell would do that?!?!?!?
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 15, 2014 at 11:51
I have an even bigger problem with F2P than micro-transactions. It’s always-online & invariably MP – because who’ll buy a giant pink codpiece if they can’t wave it around for everyone to see. It also won’t be your game to play the way you want to, or unsurprisingly, when you want. Because it’ll all be going through servers that won’t just have down time, they can also be shut off. Games as a service – welcome to the future. Well you can piss off, don’t want it. I can read, and I don’t get charged for turning the goddamn page or multi-syllable words.
That’s more than one problem. I gave you the others for free because I’m not a dick like this moron who wants to charge you for every single click or button push so he can buy his trophy wife a new Lambo because she’s pissed after finding out about his mistresses’ Ferrari. Nickle & diming douche.
Rikus
April 15, 2014 at 11:52
It will be a sad day, but when we reach the point where all games are F2P riddled with Microtransactions is the day I stop gaming.
Jonah Cash
April 15, 2014 at 12:05
No we will just be stuck with all the games we already own and all the old ones we missed!! We will have game libraries like no other medium!!
Rikus
April 15, 2014 at 12:06
Good point. Maybe I should start stocking up 🙂
Hammersteyn
April 15, 2014 at 11:56
We will never have just F2P games. It’s impossible, plus they tried that games as a service shit with Simcity and look how that turned out. People aren’t stupid and only stupid people spend thousands on microtransactions
InsanityFlea
April 15, 2014 at 11:57
Look at GW2’s model. I like that and that has micro-transactions. It’s not PAY TO WIN.
Johan du Preez
April 15, 2014 at 12:19
Really as far as I can tell f2p is dying out. MWO and Hawken have dismal numbers you dont realize it because of matchmaking. Planetside 2 only got the people that paid for items still playing it as everyone realized its pay to play.
The only successful f2p title I can think of is war thunder.
Kensei Seraph
April 15, 2014 at 12:25
Bought platinum for Warframe last night.
I only did it because with work I can’t spend the 12 hours needed to farm one of the mats.
If I was still studying it wouldn’t be a problem though.
Johan du Preez
April 15, 2014 at 12:29
Pay to win …. why do you think it takes you 12 hours ???? To make spending money on it seems less stupid but at the end you realize you wasted money on something that does not even exist.
Kensei Seraph
April 15, 2014 at 12:34
Well I have nearly every resource in the 10s of thousands from when I was still studying and just needed to get enough of the new resource.
If I had the same amount of free time that I had back then I could get enough in about 2 ~ 3 days.
But with work and part-time studies I don’t have nearly as much free time.
Johan du Preez
April 15, 2014 at 12:43
Dont get me wrong I am not judging you and if you enjoy the game and have invested allot of time in it hey then go for it.
It just grinds me that companies will make the grind extra long just to make spending money so much more appealing. Warframe is one of the big offenders there with Planetside 2.
Kromas
April 15, 2014 at 12:45
Eve Online did it best. Sure you can buy money using the PLEX system but to fly your 250 Billion isk Titan you still need to train your skills for 10-14 months and that’s just basic flying. 😛
Johan du Preez
April 15, 2014 at 12:48
Yeh very true im one of the offenders there I got myself some plex to sell on the market just to have money to buy new ships 🙂
The funny thing is its so dangerous flying my Moros in Providence that I probably spend a total time of about 5 hours in it the rest of the time all activity it gets is hanger spinning.
Kromas
April 15, 2014 at 12:49
I have a Kronos worth 15 Billion isk and a backup 5 Billion isk one. They have left their respective hangers twice. 😛
I almost exclusively fly the waaayyyy cheaper Megathrons around.
Johan du Preez
April 15, 2014 at 13:00
Yeh same here but only in big fleets if I go solo I go with my enyo lol im stingy like that 😛
Kromas
April 15, 2014 at 13:04
I am a miner. Those little guys sitting in high sec with the Hulk in one account and the Orca in another. Mining while listening Eve Radio and bugging out the the first thing that hints at moving towards you. Then again I have had quite a few scrapes in my Megathron and my Oby once got massively hit by gate campers on the way to Jita so I am quite jumpy.
oVg Errorist
April 15, 2014 at 12:26
They try to compare Micro Transactions to the Arcades of old. You cant do that.
The Arcade machine allowed you to progress further depending on your skill level.
Micro Transactions just kill it dead, no skill required.
Kromas
April 15, 2014 at 12:36
HS is a card game and king makes smartphone crapper games. Leave my traditional (some would say hard core) games alone. Touch anything ME and I will rip off your head and **** down you neck.
Kensei Seraph
April 15, 2014 at 12:37
Just remember to sow it back on so that the rest of us can also rip it off.
Kromas
April 15, 2014 at 12:39
Sowing it back on will cost you $5.
Kensei Seraph
April 15, 2014 at 12:41
Well then it looks like I’ll have to settle for the right arm.
Maxiviper117
April 15, 2014 at 13:00
Candy crush gives u a limited amount of tries before you have to wait a long time to try the level again, they exploiting the human nature of todays times of being very very impatient. I call that exploitation.
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
April 16, 2014 at 09:10
Everyone has a choice, It’s not King’s fault that people are stupid
CAE9872
April 15, 2014 at 13:00
I really do not see the big deal with F2P from gamers perspective. I think it’s great as I get to play a game, see what I like/don’t like and if I feel like the developer deserves some of my cash I will trump up some money. I have downloaded every “free” game on PS4 and played a little (haven’t played long enough to buy anything yet) and will make a decision in due course as to what I am comfortable paying over.
Now one of the arguments is the play to win scenario – it is a tough call either way as if you make game too easy they don’t stay around long enough to try and see nuances of the game and hence support you. Make it too tough and you can just buy your way through which also seems a little crazy and means you earn the wrath of the internet “hardcore” gamers.
HOWEVER there is one microtransaction issue I do hate – “buy our game for R700 – R800 and then BUY more stuff we thought you would like we didn’t put on the disc.”
It is this aspect I personally despise. At least something like Warframe, etc are true F2P – I didn’t have to pay a large amount and then pay a large amount again!
No doubt there are many other pros/cons we could get into…
R1ker
April 15, 2014 at 13:01
For me there is 2 games that I play that got free 2 play right. Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2. Everything you buy there is just cosmetics. Don’t know about the other free 2 play games out there. I tried loadout as well but was not really my thing. Not sure how transactions work in that as I did not play it for very long.
Sophia Patel
April 15, 2014 at 13:04
I agree with you.
http://www.windowindia.net/
Wyzak
April 15, 2014 at 13:13
I’ve spent less in F2P games that I would have spent in those same games if they had used the normal pricing model. It’s a fad that will die when people realize how much they pay for what they get, and stop paying.
Ryanza
April 15, 2014 at 16:24
So people don’t want to buy DRM anymore, so now they giving DRM away for free.
Do not support DRM.
El Capitan del Blade
April 15, 2014 at 16:34
Path Of Exile is Still the Greatest F2P in my opinion, it does everything right, regular updates and patches, not being forced to buy anything… Seriously. MOAR PEOPLE SHOULD PLAY PATH OF EXILE…. rabble_rabble_rabble
MakeItLegal
April 15, 2014 at 22:23
Um … Hearth stone I play cause it’s a light game I enjoy the mechanics ( I don’t play ranked yet or tournaments ) I just play against other people , so far I ve unlock all the basic cards for every hero avaliable I have 2 ledgendry cards , I find my games balanced , and I usually lose when I made a small silly mistake … Out of 20 games , I would say 1 is running into a player who completly blows me out the water with hectic cards
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
April 16, 2014 at 09:12
The best F2P game i’ve had is Fail Hard. Spent not one cent on it and finished it. And it didn’t take longer than 5 hours. Excellent game.
Other than that, fuck F2P