The Increasing Success of Free-to-Play MMOs

Rtipper — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 04:32:52 +0000

The Thin Line Between Free & Pay-To-Play

Even when the pay-to-play model is removed, some massively multiplayer online games are finding ways to stride forward and stay afloat in a heavily saturated genre.

If there is one word that gamer’s today will find both joy and concern in, it’s “free”. Over the past fifteen years, as both the gaming industry and the genres off MMO’s have skyrocketed, nearly every single type and theme of massively multiplayer online game has emerged. While the industry has been dominated specifically by the presence of games such as Blizzard’s World of Warcraft since its release in 2004 and EverQuest in 1999, that hasn’t stopped developers from both new and old backgrounds to step forward and attempt to improve and cash in on the formula that those two helped create.

While subscription based games do still exist, those models have slowly begun to fall by the waysides.

In enters the free to play model.

Either intentional or not, many developers now rely on the increasing pay-free structure after switching from a paid for subscription based system or not including it at all from the very start. Many games that would have quickly vanished off the map have continued to exist in this competitive MMO world and have even seen greater success after adopting the new system.

A screenshot from Star Wars: The Old Republic’s expansion “Knights of the Fallen Empire” which began its shift towards the games specific strengths of a cinematic, single player based experience in an MMO environment that has helped to keep it going even when quickly switching to the free-to-play model.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Looking back a World of Warcraft, once can easily see why it’s never gone with a free-to-play system. In 2010 nearing the end of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, roughly 12 million players were reported as currently subscribed. 12 million at $15 a month is roughly $180 million a month. When a game generates that kind of revenue, it will never need to go free to play. That’s just crazy money.

That being said, when a game doesn’t have that amount of cash flowing in, it has to find much more creative and inventive ways to stay afloat. Star Wars: The Old Republic made the switch to the free-to-play model in 2013 and saw its player based stabilize around the 500k mark. Since then, it has continued to develop 5 expansion packs to this point and counting. Other games, such as Runescape, Marvel Heroes, Guild Wars 2 and Lord of the Rings Online, have all continued to operate with a subscription fee system while still generating enough revenue to actively develop new content. Finally, a game that has turned into one of the most successful MMO’s of all time is Blizzard’s Overwatch. At $40 for the software, no subscription and less than a year old, the player base is estimated to currently be at 25 million and one of the most streamed games on Twitch.

While the free-to-play model can sometimes signal the beginning of the end for an MMO, it can also be a saving grace if done quick enough or can be a successful and impactful choice right from the start.

10 Best Free Online Games in 2015

EMK — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 23:57:57 +0000

Here's a list of 10 best free online games that are totally worth checking out

Whether you’re looking for something with superheroes or aliens, tanks or battlesuits, one vs one fights or something multiplayer, I think we can all agree that free is always better. So without further adieu, here are the top 10 best free online games in 2015.

10. World of Tanks

Have fun shooting the other team off the map in this battle-centered game.

Watch as Stephen WUSA goes through a battle on the city streets.

World of Tanks is the warmachine, battle centered, massively multiplayer game of your dreams. And it’s free, who doesn’t love that?

Choose a vehicle and your favorite warzone, then blast through the other team’s machines and take out their tanks to help yours come out on top (if that doesn’t relieve stress I don’t know what does).

There’s no place for single players on this battlefield, so you can get your friends to join you in this addictive game, or you can join in with players who’ve been on the battlefield a bit longer right out of the gate. If you like battle and strategy-centered games it’s not hard to see why World of Tanks is on this list.

Take a look at some of the diverse warzones and the intense battles you can fight in.

My Rating: 3/5

9. Marvel Heroes 2015

Choose from a wide variety of Marvel heroes to play, including Ms. Marvel and The Hulk.

Be a hero and start defending the world in Marvel Heroes 2015.

The most recent update of the multiplayer game for the Marvel Universe, Marvel Heroes 2015 is the story driven battle game you’ve been looking for, with superheroes no less.

Do you prefer Captain America or Daredevil? It doesn’t matter because you can play as either in addition to many other characters from the Marvel Universe such as Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, and even the Vision. Choose your hero and start your adventure by fighting against Doctor Doom who’s just gotten the Cosmic Cube and is trying to take over the world.

As you continue you get to play at different locations like SHIELD HQ, Avengers Tower, and even Savage Land, all of which offer enjoyable glimpses into Marvel comics. With a new character being added every month, the ability to get sidekicks, traveling through the Marvel Universe, and a massive online community, it’s not difficult to see why Marvel Heroes is one of the best free online games in 2015.

Watch the opening gameplay as RealManCandyTV chooses his hero and begins playing.

My Rating: 3.5/5

8. Warframe

Fight in the warframe battlesuit to bring peace to the universe.

The Grineer may try to imprison you but your fellow Tenno will always be there to help you.

You’ve been woken up from a cryogenic sleep by the Lotus, you must use the Warframe battlesuit once more in order to stop the Grineer who are trying to take over the universe.

Decide between Excalibur, Mag, or Volt and fight your way through an army of Grineer who are trying to imprison you to begin the game. You can then complete missions throughout the universe; and while the graphics aren’t the best the landscapes for other planets are still pretty impressive. The best thing about Warframe though is that there are so many different missions to complete; it definitely lengthens gameplay.

Overall, Warframe is the game to play if you like games with aliens, fighting in outer space, intriguing missions, varied locations, and good old fashioned third person shooting. And really who does that not include?

Youtuber Leon Rogue operating a super stealth mission and crushing his enemies.

My Rating: 3.5/5

7. Star Wars: The Old Republic

Become a part of the Star Wars universe and join the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire.

Will you choose the path of darkness or light?

This multiplayer, story driven game brings the world of Star Wars to life with recognizable characters and a war between the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire.

Choose to fight with the Republic or Sith Empire and continue making pivotal decisions throughout the game to define whether you’ll follow the path of darkness or light. Customize your character from the many different options, then you can form a team with your friends - or fight against them - and help win battles to gain the upper hand in the war. While this game may end up costing you some change to get the full experience, the free content can still last for a long time.

So whose side will you choose, the Sith Empire or the Republic?

Watch as Youtuber Draknalor186 plays as a Sith warrior in one of the higher levels.

My Rating: 3.5/5

6. Smite

Bring glory to your gods.

Just a few of the gods you can play as fighting amongst ruins.

You’re a god; well at least in Smite you can be. Play as a god from one of the seven different pantheons and gain worshipers by winning battles against the enemy team of gods and defeating the Titan in their base - like a massive mythological capture the flag.

When choosing a mode of play I recommend the Arena; it’s an all out deathmatch with no lanes or Titans in the way, just you and the other team beating the life out of each other to bring glory to your gods. But if you don’t like a deathmatch, you can still choose from the other modes with lanes and towers and Jungle neutrals galore.

Do you like mythology? How about MOBA games? Intense battles and strategic gameplay? Then Smite is definitely for you.

Youtuber Force Strategy Gaming plays as Poseidon and shows off his special power at 8:30.

My Rating: 4/5

5. Nosgoth

Whose side will you join?

It’s humans vs. vampires, what’s not to love?

Nosgoth is the brutal, fantasy, MMO game you’ve been looking for all wrapped up in humans vs vampires battles that everyone will want to take part in.

Set in Nosgoth, after Kain (of Legacy of Kain) has left, the humans have gotten themselves out of slavery and built up their armies to take back their world from the vampires. Play as a human and rally your strength and numbers to take back vampire strongholds before time runs out; or play as a vampire and rally your undead comrades to keep back the lowly, mortal humans.

On either side, work with your team to defend you home. Strategy, intense battles, a great fantasy element, and killer graphics, what’s not to love?

A little slice of gameplay as a human.

My Rating: 4/5

4. Hearthstone

Utilize your cards in order to get your opponent to concede.

An explanation of the Last Hero Standing competitive format.

Hearthstone is the addictive online collectible card game which centers around matches between two opponents and daily quests.

Use your cards and your hero strategically to reduce the other player’s score to zero or get them to concede. The best thing about Hearthstone is that there’s no steep learning curve, you can get your starter pack and immediately start playing. Even though you have to pay if you want to get the better cards quickly, you can still have fun doing the daily quests to earn them.

It’s a great game for you to binge play, especially since you can get it on your phone, and will easily provide hours of justification for your procrastination; just don’t tell your boss I told you that.

And the warrior is defeated!

My Rating: 4.5/5

3. Path of Exile

Fight off terrifying monsters at every turn.

No blood and guts, no glory.

In the dystopian world of Wraeclast you’ll face new and terrifying monsters at every turn and fight your way through the map.

Start the game by choosing your character, clawing your way onto The Shore, and fighting the monsters of this horrifying world. Try to stay alive long enough it make it to the final area of the map: The City of Sarn, though it may take you quite a while to get there. Do you like a game that lasts? Each level in Path of Exile is randomly generated, so you can replay levels and it won’t be exactly the same. Plus there’s a lot of story available for free play.

Overall Path of Exile is great for extended gameplay, intense fights, and horror-style storylines, making it one of the best free games in 2015.

Check out ZiggyD as he explains a little Path of Exile gameplay.

My Rating: 4.5/5

2. DOTA 2

The myriad of heroes you can choose from in DOTA 2.

What does a hero truly need?

DOTA 2 is the MOBA game that people love so much they will praise it until they’re blue in the face.

Choose from the various different heroes, pull your team together or join in with another, and fight your heart out to help your team come out on top. Fight through the lanes against towers, creeps, and the other team to ultimately try to finish off the other team. It’s not hard to see why DOTA 2’s online community is so massive as most people who begin playing get sucked into the world almost as soon as they start.

With so many different playable heroes, and the truly epic team battles you can get into, DOTA 2 is a game you can easily get yourself and your friends hooked on. Though the learning curve is harsh, once you get the hang of it I can promise you’ll be addicted.

Check out a match from Lina’s point of view.

My Rating: 5/5

1. League of Legends

Fantastic art style, heroes, and battles, what’s not to love?

So many characters, so little time.

Welcome to one of the largest online communities in the world; League of Legends holds this honor because the game is a multiplayer dream boat.

Take your time and choose you character, then start battling other teams on the maps, then strategize and use everything you’ve got to defeat them. Do you like DOTA 2? The you’ll probably love League of Legends - they come from the same creator. If the amount of playable heroes doesn’t make you swoon, then the modes certainly will - Crystal Scar is the most fun in my opinion.

With such intense battles, great art style, and diverse heroes, it’s easy to see why League of Legends is the best free game in 2015.

Kalista takes down oath breakers and traitors, what’s not to love?

My Rating: 5/5

These games are the best for a reason, they all have something to bring to the table whether it’s impressive gameplay, great artstyle, fantastic graphics, or the best playable characters around. The 10 best free online games in 2015 have been declared, do you agree? If you don’t, comment saying why. If you do, convince your friends to join you in your favorite game, and share this article with them to help your cause.

Main Image caption:

Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge in Smite.

GAMERS DECIDE - best free online games

The Increasing Success of Free-to-Play MMOs

The Thin Line Between Free & Pay-To-Play

The Numbers Don’t Lie

10 Best Free Online Games in 2015

Here's a list of 10 best free online games that are totally worth checking out

10. World of Tanks

9. Marvel Heroes 2015

8. Warframe

7. Star Wars: The Old Republic

6. Smite

5. Nosgoth

4. Hearthstone

3. Path of Exile

2. DOTA 2

1. League of Legends