EA: The Future is FREE!
In a new interview, EA Interactive senior VP Nick Earl has said he believes that “freemium” is the future for gaming. Quite the bold statement, no? His words:
“The future is not about one-time payments, the future is about freemium. A decent number of people convert to paying and they may not pay a lot but most of them actually pay more than you’d think.
That’s of course the main point. Instead of giving people a fixed price that they know in advance, you let them pay as they go, in the hopes that in the end they’ll spend more money. That’s how MMO’s and DLC started and paved the way for facebook games and the likes.
The “freemium” (or free2play) model is very popular on tablets and smartphones – and also to some extent on PC – and Earl thinks it’s also possible for consoles:
“I don’t know if freemium gets to console but I do know that humans like free stuff. I also know humans who will pay for something if they’ve tried it out and they like it. I’ve wondered if freemium expands beyond the tablet, Facebook and smartphones, and out into consoles? I don’t think it’s impossible for that to happen.”
Digital is on the uprising. MMO’s, DLC, streaming services like Gaikai and OnLive (which today launched also in Belgium)… I’m not sure it will be the best evolution for the consumer.
Square Enix unveils Gamescom lineup
UK Charts: The Games are On!