Quote from SteppenwolfI don't understand this whole f2p plan. Crytek was always such a cutting edge technology driven company. For the best technology and best gfx you need the best people. But i don't see how f2p would tempt anyone to move around half the globe or even within Europe. It's not very interesting from my perspective.
I cannot think of any other studio who used to do AAA premium games and has transitioned into a F2P company. What they are doing is either very stupid or genius. Time will tell. Either way now they are going all-in. When you look at core F2P titles, when you look at what Riot and Wargaming have been doing, or the MMO space, I think it shows that you can have high quality F2P experiences for core gamers. Moving forward, especially as far as young audiences are concerned, I think it's going to be an increasingly tough argument for developers to make as to why a customer is supposed to pay $60 upfront, when you can play a similar product for free (and get to choose how much you want to spend on extras).
Looking at the current selection of F2P games, I can see why it's hard to imagine a F2P future. The monetization model for example, you can't just take the model of one game and slap it onto the other. It doesn't work like that. And core gamers are especially wary of any IAP that might give someone a competitive advantage. But as soon as somebody creates that FPS with AAA production quality and a monetization model that is widely regarded as fair and transparent, I think other devs will have a problem on their hands. Obviously to have that kind of runway and gain that expertise, build up that organizational structure (like Cevat said in the interview), you need a lot of cash. We'll see if they can get it right before time runs out.
A different aspect I can imagine is the experiences made from Ryse. AFAIK Microsoft made them move the project from Budapest to Frankfurt because it wasn't up to snuff. So they are building this game on a tight schedule for hardware that isn't ready yet only to find a smaller than expected install base and lower review scores than expected (which are so important for this kind of product/target group). Then Microsoft only wants to enter a deal for a sequel if they get the IP rights. Compare this to a model where you have full control. It's a lot of work and I hope they don't overburden themselves, but I can also see the benefit in that.
I bet it's a fun popcorn flick...
