Free-to-play games are no longer exclusive to the PC or mobile space. Games like Guns Up!, Planetside 2, or Trans Galactic Tournament are all free-to-play titles that have appeared on consoles. In a recent interview with Kinda Funny Games, PlayStation executive Scott Rohde discussed the company’s approach to these types of games.
"Free-to-play, whether we like or not, is a prevalent part of the industry we all love," Rohde said. "There's a whole generation of young game players–they don't know any different. So we have to experiment.” According to Rohde, the company wants players to feel “empowered” after playing a Sony free-to-play game, rather than exploited by in-game systems.
"We are trying very, very hard to make a free-to-play game that makes you feel empowered as a gamer and not something that has gates," he explained. "Not something where you say, 'Oh my god, I could have played this game, but you're just gating me.' It's not there. If you want to grind and play these games forever without spending a dollar, you can do it."
Additional free-to-play games being published by Sony include Kill Strain and Drawn to Death. Sony has also been busy bringing PS2 emulation to the PS4.