Free vs Freemium vs Upfront games (Gaming)

by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Monday, March 05, 2018, 15:35 (2459 days ago) @ Cody Miller
edited by Korny, Monday, March 05, 2018, 16:26

It's really tough to say, but I was having a conversation with Malagate (or Galvan_Eyes, depending on your platform) last night about the future of games in a "post Destiny 2 screwup" world, and we came to the conclusion that a "piece-meal feature" world where things such as maps are free, but optional features (such as a photo mode) are bought and supported straight from the devs themselves, was the ideal solution. An extreme example of this already exists: players wanted DE to sell a Premium cosmetics bundle in Warframe, so DE posed the question to the community: What do you guys want in the bundle, and how much should it cost?
Seriously. Even Jim Sterling was taken aback. So yeah, the developer put the power in the players' hands, and it's all in the name of supporting a free game.

I think this is the worst way to dress it up. To 'put the power in the player's hands' is simply a ravaging of the art.

Everyone at the theatre is seeing the same musical. Everyone at the cinema is seeing the same movie. Everyone who buys the records hears the same song. Yet not everybody playing a game has the same game.

Sure, some people might pay more for a better experience. You might pay more to get great seats at the concert. You might pay more for a better sound system to listen to your music. But those are just things on your end to enable you to experience the art the best way possible. The art itself is still the same.

This piece meal world will be one in which nobody has the same game. I'd hope by this point everyone agrees games are art. So why would the artist be okay with having an incomplete version of their work not only existing, but being the DEFAULT that players see when they first install the game?!

I think you miss the idea (and not just because of your erroneous belief that games are inherently art). I tried to point out you're not paying for certain weapons, levels, multiplayer maps, or anything that would cause you to miss the core experience. I think that's important, and not something negotiable (because it is integral to the experience that you want to give your audience). But optional features such as Photo Mode, color pallets, skins, etc. That's non-essential work that devs often leave on the cutting floor, or things that end up not being as fleshed out as they could be, because they don't consider it worth the time and resources to implement, since the experience is fine without them. And while they are right, don't people shell out more for Blu-Rays that have extra features?
Don't you enjoy watching Deleted Scenes, Director Commentary, extended cuts, etc?

Case in point, the "Deluxe" brand of cosmetic skins in Warframe are the product of individual DE artists making them in their spare time, and releasing them whenever they are done. The "Tennogen" brand of cosmetic skins are entirely player made, so have no real part in the developer's "vision" besides getting their approval. Both of these cosmetic things are a solid source of income for DE (and actual content creators), and help build better communication and understanding between them and the playerbase, without taking away from the product that DE wants to put out.