In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Sony Online Entertainment's John Smedley was asked if free-to-play has a bad reputation, which is the business model that his company's games utilize. The answer given was basically yes. And why is that? Because of Zynga.
Smedley starts off by explaining how successful the model has been in Asia for years now, as well as how League of Legends is the biggest game right in the world right now…
"… it’s got 70 million registered users, 3 million people watching their championships, so free-to-play has actually been really good for 4-5 years now.”
So what’s the problem exactly? In America, most people equate Zynga with the business model, which is the responsible for…
“… the reputation that it got from early in its life, especially in terms of social games. I think Zynga has done free-to-play a terrible disservice because many of their releases are monetisation products – not games."
Smedley went on to emphasize how there are plenty of good free-to-play games out there, including titles from SONE, and how the recently released Planetside 2 has appealed to the hardcore community.
Free-to-play games, as well as social games, have both been maligned by hardcore gamers, and justifiably so. Yet, while there is little question as it pertains to the dubious quality of Zynga’s offerings, it is easy to forget that they’re not the only ones making such titles. And that some of the other options available, believe or not, might actually be good.
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