Comments on: Free-to-play, ad-supported games the winners?

Getting gamers addicted is the key to monetization, according to PC Gaming Alliance's chief technology officer. But the business model hasn't proven popular outside Asia.

[hunter_jc]

Yeah free-to-play model like the GameTap rocks.

[Nith84]

There is a huge market developping for free to play Browser Based Strategy games (e.g. Travian). Those are simple strategy games that can be played from any computer straight through your browser. There is add banners in the corners and in addition you can buy premium services (for about $5 a month) to remove the adds. I belive the market is catching up in North America but this is huge in europe and asia.

[Sicarius_Rex]

A downloadable MMORPG called Anarchy Online does the free-to-play model extremely well. In game, there are certain "billboards" that are used to display ads to the free player, but are converted to in-game advertisements that enhance the immersion into the world they have created. Free players are welcomed, and are the basis for the majority of gameplay, while paid accounts enjoy some exclusive material, in addition to the removal of ads.

[gmbidols]

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[UITD]

Exactly how? I dont who is clicking on these ads. I have ad blockers galore installed. I dont know anyone who does. Dont be surprised when, companies who's bread and butter revenue stream is from ads, collapse. That includes Google. They better have a plan-b revenue stream and hurry.

[blsith]

@UITD - I doubt Google's ad model is going to break, because folks want mindshare. People want stuff for free, sure. But the hip boots are there one way or another. "Free" TV = commercials. Commercial-free TV = pay. Someone has to pay for the person doing the development.

That said, there are plenty of various games out there now that are ad-supported. Dungeon Runners and the Pirates of the Caribbean game come to mind right away. But, oh yeah, the 5+ million people playing WoW in Asia paying $15/month or whatever surely are hurting the PC market...

Free to play has a place, and high quality games have a place. They are all part of the mixture of gaming that will continue to emerge over time, as new revenue streams from the interwebs evolve.

[daverosenberg]

There is definitely a trade-off in the free to play with ads (that are annoying) vs paying for games. Odds are there ways to combine the two and make more money and increase adoption.

[fatfoogoo]

fatfoogoo has been building customized g-commerce solutions for a number of free-to-play titles over the years. We've seen clients that want only micro-transactions, only in-game advertising, only subscription management, and a number of them want a mix of 2 or all 3. Either way you look at it, the traditional state of online gaming is rapidly breaking down and monetization models are cropping up all over the place. Which one is the most successful? It all depends on the title, the consumers, and where the sweet spot is.