Crytek only making free-to-play games from now

[JSR]

Yup: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...2p-only-studio

After the games currently in development, all future titles will be free to play, relying on microtransactions instead. Seems they aren't making enough money on the current model, despite their games always selling respectable numbers. Is the gaming landscape really that messed up? This whole ordeal makes me a bit sad. Hoping no one else goes the same route.

[PeteJ]

Didn't see that coming, but I probably should have.

I imagine all these big FPS studios are looking at Tribes very closely. Probably the first big-tech free to play shooter which actually works (so I hear, haven't tried it myself!). Not sure how much success Crytek have had from their own FTP shooter.

[NW2013]

Probably annoyed that Crysis 2 was the most pirated game ever. Maybe they make as much licensing their engine tech so it's not worth releasing the games.

[originalbadboy]

Didn't see that coming, but I probably should have.

I imagine all these big FPS studios are looking at Tribes very closely. Probably the first big-tech free to play shooter which actually works (so I hear, haven't tried it myself!). Not sure how much success Crytek have had from their own FTP shooter.

Tribes Ascend is good ... but then its free for a reason, as its a bare-bones game. I can't see how the FTP model is going to work for SP games. So you are going to have the first couple of levels free, and then you have to pay for the rest on a per level(s) basis. Can;t see how that is going to work in all fairness.

For MP only games then the FTP model can work, as long as the micro transactions do not affect the gameplay. Otherwise it turns into pay to win. Tribes Ascend does this to a certain degree in that it would take you a very long time to get some of the more cooler upgrades, however they don't unbalance the gameplay all that much. And once you have paid for something (the minimum being ?6) yuo get an XP boost.

I actually don't mind contributing to this sort of system, in all honesty I would have quite happily paid ?15 for Tribes as it is worth that. Fortunately other games such as Planetside 2 for example won't be going down the pay to win model, but I can see a situation where they might.

In all honesty if publishers just reduced the price of their games a little it would probably help a bit, I am not saying that all games are overpriced, but there are a fair few these days that I wait till they have come down to the ?15 mark before picking up. Even if they were the same as PC prices that would be something.

[Neon Ignition]

Hmm, so this will be the last typical Crysis entry then? After that we get FTP multiplayer entries to the series?

[EDDIE M0NS00N]

So will this include the team that are working on Homefront 2 also?

[EvilBoris]

No, they Sao they are currently transitioning, they have home front, crysis and Ryse to finish yet.

I presume as part of this they will be concentrating more on tools for Cryengine as well

[Kit]

Bit of an odd decision if true. The free-to-play model is more for multiplayer games and Crytek haven't exactly set the world ablaze with any of their multiplayer modes. Yeril says he expects a triple a* budget to develop these games while talking glowingly about online, so I assume (if they're not going down the multiplayer route) they'll be focusing more on co-op - which could actually be interesting with Crysis. Still seems too soon for the big budget games to be going free-to-play. I reckon they'll dip their toe in then go back to their current business model.

[EvilBoris]

Well particuarly in the PC segment money is becoming harder and harder to make, imagine if Crytek could build a F2P FPS that was even half as popular as COD or Counterstrike.

They'd be minted just from the microtransactions of that.

[Uli]

i am almost sure this wont happen in the near future, because there is more in development than just Crysis 3. nevertheless Crytek made 2 mistakes:

1. PC release of Crysis 2
2. EA as publishing partner

[EvilBoris]

There is Homefront 2 and Ryse.

They've said they are just transitioning at the moment, but it will happen.

What's so bad as having EA as a publishing Partner?

[Family Fry]

Suppose having EA as a publishing partner means Origin only and that makes PC owners cry.
They then tell themselves Crytek only have themselves to blame when they start illegally downloading Crysis 2, damn EA.

[EvilBoris]

Crysis 2 came out on steam to start with.....

and is on steam now.....

[Dogg Thang]

Is it? Well they still would have lost many sales from not being on Steam. I only checked a couple of weeks ago and it wasn't there. And it was pretty close to release when I decided to buy it from Steam originally and it wasn't there. Did I buy it on Origin? Nope. I imagine I wasn't the only one to go looking on Steam only to end up not getting it - those are lost sales.

[mekanor]

Crysis 2 was pulled from steam at one point to make origin the only option. No idea if/when it came back.