Crytek Moving Toward Free-to-play?

[Diff-chan]

Yea, I'm with you to a point (I like competitive multi so stuff like Tribes Ascend and Planetside 2 appeals to me) but there's no doubt that the "sell a retail box then later sell another retail box" model is dead. I really don't see a Final Fantasy XII or even a Crysis coming from this F2P world so it's depressing. But, we will see what happens.

[Mzo]

"Indie" stuff like on XBLA, PSN, and Steam is going to take over the single player experiences as the main AAA game companies move into bigger and dumber bullshit. There are always going to be way more great single player games than we have time to play them. I wouldn't worry.

[gamevet]

I really don't care who pirates what.
The business model that has worked in the past is ill-suited today.
Publishers/developers will sink or swim based on how well they can market their software as a service.

Unfortunatly, the cost of production has reached a level close to what it takes to make a Hollywood movie. It's going to get worse once the next gen consoles come out.

[Diff-chan]

"Indie" stuff like on XBLA, PSN, and Steam is going to take over the single player experiences as the main AAA game companies move into bigger and dumber bullshit. There are always going to be way more great single player games than we have time to play them. I wouldn't worry.

I was playing Renegade Ops the other day and that game is just awesome. It was made by professionals though (an it shows). It's not indie. Same with stuff like Trials. I'll take more like that.

[Yoshi]

"Indie" stuff like on XBLA, PSN, and Steam is going to take over the single player experiences as the main AAA game companies move into bigger and dumber bullshit. There are always going to be way more great single player games than we have time to play them. I wouldn't worry.

I find that so many indie games get graded on a curve. Unless something significant occurs, indie games aren't going to replace AAA single player experiences for me. I guess I could live with episodic AAA single player games if that's how they fit in this model.

Of course, there are also piles of vintage games I either haven't played or haven't played enough, so even if the industry ceased to exist tomorrow, I'd probably be busy for the foreseeable future.

[Mzo]

The point that I was trying to make is that a lot of indie games are barely indie anymore. Their budgets will increase just like the budgets for AAA titles are increasing, just think of what we first saw on XBLA to what we're getting nowadays. It's like the gaming industry starting over again within the gaming industry.

[Yoshi]

That's fair. I just wish they weren't starting so far behind.

[Frogacuda]

I think the long term trend will be that downloadable games will shift to a broader range of prices, including $40 and $50 AAA games. People are still going to be buying games, don't worry. Piracy has always been around the PC gaming market, and it always will, but people have always bought games, too.

Unfortunatly, the cost of production has reached a level close to what it takes to make a Hollywood movie. It's going to get worse once the next gen consoles come out.

Don't make the mistake of thinking game development costs are a straight upward trend. A lot of things get easier/cheaper with new technology, tools, and middleware. I doubt next gen games will cost much more to make than this gen's games.

[James]

Hah! Shows how much you know With games selling 6,000,000 plus the marketing costs will shoot through the roof! Poor Activision and EA will be forced to triple the advertising budget in order to reel in those numbers, and the effect on the bottom line could be disastrous if the stupid public doesn't respond in the predicted fashion. Do you think market-blitzing the lowest common denominator comes cheap?

James

[Yoshi]

You have to paint an awful lot of cave walls to reach every troglodyte.