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How do F2P games make money?

themonkthemonk Member Posts: 15
in The Pub at MMORPG.COM
I'm just wondering how (and how much) f2p games make any money.  I mean, I know AO sells ads in-game, and I know you can buy stuff directly from the company on some games, but I'm just wondering how a company who makes a MMORPG can possibly make enough money this way to stay profitable.  Perhaps the answer is: they can't. 



Thanks.

Comments

  • InflictionInfliction Member Posts: 1,115
    Item shops.,,

    image

  • AelfinnAelfinn Member Posts: 3,857

    Item shops, or advertisments, more often its the item shops.

    selling ingame items and gold is unfortunately a huge business, big enough that its plaguing games that expressly forbid such transactions.

    The idea is, get the players hooked onto some facet of the game, but make the grind harsh enough that it becomes desireable to take a shortcut. Then sit back and watch as they gladly pay cash for that ingame currency, or equipment it would have otherwise taken them months to acquire otherwise.

     

    Oh, incidently, AO's advertisement program is making them plenty of money, enough to fund the development of three new games on its own.

    No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
    Hemingway

  • paulscottpaulscott Member Posts: 5,613
    technically its possiable to make server expenses be one of the smallest ones.

    I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.

  • themonkthemonk Member Posts: 15
    If a game was f2p, I wonder if people would pay for expansions (additional missions/mobs/worlds, etc).



    Thanks.
  • TuutobTuutob Member Posts: 607
    Item malls, Gold services secretly ran by the companies.



    "I  FARM GLOD U BY KK?"



    In my opinion, it's better to fess up the $15/mo. than to live with the unconventional ways of profit the 'F2P' asian grinders use. Besides, in the end, the only way to excel in those games is buying the items/gold...
  • rufusangusrufusangus Member Posts: 84
    Originally posted by Tuutob

    Item malls, Gold services secretly ran by the companies.



    "I  FARM GLOD U BY KK?"



    In my opinion, it's better to fess up the $15/mo. than to live with the unconventional ways of profit the 'F2P' asian grinders use. Besides, in the end, the only way to excel in those games is buying the items/gold...
    Thats not always true though; There are some really bad p2p games, like PSU (phantasy star universe); You pay to play a game thats not even an mmo, just instanced, hackers dupe and create whatever items they want, etc. Admit it or not, some f2p games provide alot better service than some p2p games.



    It really depends though, f2p games range from companys trying to make a serious game to people trying to make a quick buck. Either way they have to make money somehow to support thier servers, but some companys like Gpotatoe have made a good effort to keep things fair. The items they have for sale have no effect on PvP at all, either pve items or asthetic items; Even the items that protect your weapons from breaking from upgrades don't mean for sure you will get the upgrade. Alot of the PvE one time use items are available in-game also, they are just more difficult to get.



    You have to pay the price some how though. The important thing to remember is that with a F2p game, your never losing anything, just a bit of time. When you get a crappy P2P game, you lose money. I spent 50$ on PSU, then my firsts months sub of 9$ just to realise that even as a p2p game, its a piece of crap ran by hackers. Just because your paying a monthly fee doesnt mean your playing a good game, and just because your not doesn't mean its a bad game. Im sure most of the people here have payed to play atleast one game that wouldn't have even cut it as a f2p.
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