business models
EVE Evolved: Does skillpoint trading make EVE pay-to-win?
EVE Online's realtime skill training system has been a major point of contention throughout the game's lifetime, being a boon for those with little...
WildStar offers up a free-to-play feature trailer
The fact that WildStar is free-to-play means that people who've never bought the game can try it out, and the people who were already...
WildStar shuts down the auction house before the free-to-play switch
WildStar will be free-to-play in a hot minute, and that means that certain things have to change, like several of the auction house mechanics....
ArcheAge adds $250 item pack to its store
Sometimes everything comes down to timing. Take ArcheAge's latest store pack, for example. In and of itself it's just a $250 pack, which is...
WildStar enters the second phase of free-to-play testing with real money, explains Runecrafting changes
The first stage of testing for WildStar's free-to-play conversion has been a success on the whole. Sure, there have been aspects that veterans didn't...
WildStar previews its free-to-play loyalty reward system
Free-to-play games have a rather predictable system in place - you spend money on things and then you have them. Simple and straightforward. WildStar...
Notch: ‘F2P is bait and switch and should be illegal’
Well, there's at least one game developer who hasn't sold his soul to F2P. That would be Markus "Notch" Persson, otherwise known as the creator...
How Hearthstone challenges mobile free-to-play assumptions
Hearthstone is a successful title on phones and tablets. It's successful all around. And yet if you look within the field of mobile free-to-play...
Leaderboard: Do you like the buy-to-play model?
I was discussing MMO business models with some friends this week, and one of them commented that buy-to-play is the best thing ever. I...
Crowfall’s store is (partly) up and running
You have not played enough of Crowfall to form an opinion on how it plays. You haven't. It isn't playable yet. But that doesn't...
The Daily Grind: What MMO has benefited the most from free-to-play?
Back in the day, it used to be a running joke among the staff about which game would go free-to-play next. We don't make...
Eternal Crusade updates players on design goals and founder packs
The melee combat in Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade has gone through several revisions, and it's going to go through several more. The latest State...
Skyforge developers explain monetization and power
You can argue all you want over the definition of pay-to-win, but no one really likes the idea of a free-to-play game in which...
Star Citizen opens up concept purchases for the Aegis Vanguard
Have you managed to make enemies in Star Citizen? Even though the full game is not actually available, do you have people who might...
Final Fantasy XIV won’t be going F2P any time soon
Would you love to play Final Fantasy XIV if only it didn't cost per month? According to a new interview with producer Naoki Yoshida,...
The Daily Grind: Are you prompt about unsubscribing from MMOs?
I am going to make a confession: I am terrible about remembering to unsubscribe from games I am no longer playing. Guild Wars 2...
Make My MMO: February 28, 2015
This week in MMO crowdfunding news, Crowfall basically blotted out the sun. The "throne war simulator" surpassed its $800,000 goal in a couple of...
SWTOR’s Choose Your Path promo rewards subbers
Want one of those butt-ugly lightsabers with a black core? You can get one as part of the new Choose Your Path promotion for...
EverQuest Next may not be F2P
SOE Daybreak has been all about "F2P your way" for a couple of years now, but comments by EverQuest Next senior producer Terry Michaels and...
Make My MMO: February 21, 2015
Welcome back to Make My MMO, a recurring column from Massively-that-was which covers crowdsourced MMOs of both the fully funded and the not-so-much variety....
