The PC gaming space has recently seen a big increase in the number of video games, especially those who are heavily oriented towards multiplayer, that are ditching subscriptions and adopting a free-to-play model with the potential for microtransactions.
But at least one major executive believes that the same model has little chance of becoming very popular on home consoles.
Speaking about microtransactions to Gamasutra Mike Capps, who is the president of
Epic Games, has said, “It'll be a while before the trend hits the console space. As long as we're stuck with the initial $60 retail purchase, it'll be tough. I don't know about most gamers, but as soon as I spend $60, I don't want to spend five times that on additional sales for the game - I feel like I should get a good solid experience for that money.”
The executive says that the existence of specialist retail game stores is a huge help to developers, especially those that, like Epic Games, create big name titles, because it allows them to target their marketing and create more sales.
Capps added, “I certainly think the industry is moving in a direction toward downloadable and free-to-play games, but I don't think it's going to be moving quite as quickly as everyone thinks.”
The Epic Games president believes that the biggest threat to video games as an entertainment delivery vehicle is the rise of new business models for movies and for music, like Netflix and Spotify, which allow a user to get access to a lot of potential entertainment hours for a low price.
The only way for gaming to stay ahead is to deliver the kind of experiences that are not possible to get from movies or from other entertainment forms.
Epic Games is getting ready to launch
Gears of War 3 exclusively on the Xbox 360 this fall.
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