Capcom has just confirmed that upcoming Playstation 4 showcase Deep Down will be free to play. Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida added that a beta will be coming shortly before the console’s launch in Japan.
Capcom just announced that "deep down" will be a f2p game on PS4, planning open Beta near the launch of PS4 in Japan. @Yoshi_OnoChin
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) September 21, 2013
The announcement was somewhat unexpected and unusual for a AAA production of this caliber. As we already know, Deep Down has been optimized for the console, with the bespoke Panta Rhei engine developed with the help of Sony developers themselves.
However, in a sense, this should have really not been a huge surprise. This is in line with Capcom’s analysis of their businesses and upcoming strategies, as outlined in their annual report.
As we have previously explained, Capcom reported much of their losses came from the physical retail sector, while they encountered growth in online PC gaming and mobile. Capcom already unveiled a host of new mobile and online games coming within the year.
So Deep Down’s pricing model is just in line with what Capcom already said they set out to do. They hope to leverage the early Playstation 4 install base and convert the huge number of them to regular players, with the hopes they can find those proverbial whales that will spend big on discovering the game’s secrets.
The real question in my mind is if Deep Down was intended to be free to play from the start. Monetization models like free to play are an intrinsic part of the design of the games that use it. If so, there really is nothing to complain about with this announcement, since making it a full retail package would change the game experience completely from its original intent.
Whether Capcom can deliver on their promise of memorable online gaming experiences is one thing, but if you are getting a Playstation 4, it certainly won’t hurt you to try this one out.
