Depending on who you ask, the free-to-play market is either the best thing in the world or an example of what's wrong with the gaming industry. While some feel that it gives you more choice of what to support and which developers to reward with your hard-earned cash, others feel that the gateway cost of 0 means that anybody can play. And they don't mean that in a communal, friendly way.
Still, it's certainly working for some developers and not just for small developers of MMORPGs. Crytek have announced that after Crysis 3, all of their games will be working on the free-to-play model, in which you can download and play the game for free, adding optional extras if the user chooses to do so.
CEO Cevat Yurli explained the decision: "If you look at what kind of games are done in the packaged goods market, with DLCs and premium services and whatnot, it's literally milking the customers to death." So whatever your thoughts on the free-to-play way of doing things, at least Crytek are attempting a positive action in an industry currently finding itself (and trying desperately to adjust) in the always-on digital age.
