With mobile app developers widely accepting F2P (free-to-play) games as the new ‘norm’ of game development, many news outlets have been reporting that a similar fate could soon rear its head in the home console market, especially after Nintendo’s recent push with both Wii Fit U and Wii Sports U adopting a similar pay-to-play scheme.
EA Studios executive vice president Patric Söderlund does not believe that this is the case however. Speaking to MCV he said:
“Only 18 months ago, most mobile games were full game downloads. Now I’d say 90 per cent are freemium. That change happened very quickly. Whether that will happen on the consoles I don’t know.”
Patric Söderlund continued by saying:
“I still think the console market is different to the mobile market. Mobile games are much cheaper. It’s like film. YouTube is free, but to see Gravity at the cinema, it will cost you money. One does not remove the other one.”
Do you agree with Patric Söderlund’s thoughts or do you think that the PS4 and Xbox One will adopt and push the F2P method of playing games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or over at our Facebook page!
