Crytek Moving To Free To Play Model
Crytek, the developer responsible for the Crysis series, is heading in a new direction for its games. Once the company completes any current “traditional” games (like Crysis 3), they will start producing only free to play games. It’s a bold step coming from a company that has created some very hardware and software intensive games.
The reason why CEO Cevat Yerli is moving the company to a free to play business model is because of how premium gaming services and DLC are “milking customers to death”. Instead, he sees that games are becoming services and not just standalone products. While some people might question how a game can make money despite being for free, there are already examples of games that are just like that.
Look at Team Fortress 2 and League of Legends. Both games are free to play, but they allow players to buy items and upgrades with real money. This is where Crytek is going to be making its money in the future. And, considering the trend of “always online” gaming as seen in Blizzard’s Diablo III, I can see where Yerli is coming from in saying that games are going to be services and not the product.
