Report: Blizzard working on F2P game
Blizzard is reportedly working on an unannounced free-to-play game, in an effort to offer microtransaction-based revenue streams alongside subscriptions.
Blizzard Entertainment is reportedly working on a free-to-play project, though the exact identity of the game is unknown. This is being referred to as the first step in an overall shift in the company's business strategy, ultimately leading to offering both subscription and microtransaction-based titles side-by-side.
The Develop source claims that the F2P title is an unannounced game, which would discount the most obvious possibility of Blizzard DOTA. Project Titan technically hasn't been formally announced, so that could be the mystery game, or it could be an entirely new project.
We've seen speculation about Titan as a free-to-play game before, especially with the possibility of alternate advertising models. Meanwhile Blizzard's current hit MMO, World of Warcraft, is free-to-play up to level 20.
Blizzard COO Paul Sams noted last year that a F2P model is "possible" for the company, but "at this point we haven't decided to make a game where that is the model. But that doesn't mean that we won't." Titan was in development at the time, so if the game is going free-to-play, it must have been decided since then.
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Steve Watts posted a new article, Report: Blizzard working on F2P game.
Blizzard is reportedly working on an unannounced free-to-play game, in an effort to offer microtransaction-based revenue streams alongside subscriptions.-
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I am pretty sure its not the console version of Diablo 3 they are referring to here. Diablo 3 may have a real-money auction house but they haven't said they were adding a micro-transaction system typical of other MMOs.
This is likely something new. Generally when someone talks about Free-to-play model they are talking about a MMO or service based game. Diablo 3 isn't any of those things really.
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I hope they announce it before they announce the Diablo 3 release date, just to see the blizzard forums blow up. They will assume all work has stopped on D3 and focused on this unannounced title. The wailing and gnashing of teeth when they released those V-Day pictures was hilarious. People complaining that the artists should be focusing on D3 not doodling.
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I really can't see Blizzard getting another subscription based MMO to market, and I agreed with Smed when he mentioned that SW:TOR is probably going to be the last big sub-based MMO. It only makes sense - I'd be playing multiple games with different sets of friends if it weren't for subscriptions, and I'm the type to spend a little cash in F2P markets (shut up, I wanted the female Keeper of the Forest in HoN....).
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