The Death of Online Gaming's Monthly Subscription Model
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The death of the online game subscription is surely unwelcome news to some gamers, who still associate free-to-play games with vapid, social gaming clickfests or pay-to-win schemes that kill the spirit of fair competition. But those stereotypes are getting less salient as a wider variety of games make the model work without compromising their traditional gameplay.It's certainly not a surprise to see more and more games going free to play in the wake of financial difficulties, though I think most interesting is that the article suggests World of Warcraft may eventually have to move on to a free-to-play model in the future as well, as its stalwarts begin to move on to other titles. Are MMOs with subscriptions a dying breed, or was World of Warcraft ever only an exception to begin with?
And while some gamers may grumble, in aggregate players are overwhelmingly voting for free-to-play with their wallets. Lord of the Rings Online saw its monthly revenue double after it stopped requiring subscriptions in 2010. DC Universe Online saw a seven-fold revenue increase when it did the same late last year. Even the venerable Team Fortress 2 started bringing in 12 times as much money when it switched to a primarily hat-based business model. I could continue, but you get the idea.
