Free-to-play is something of a loaded word is gaming, because while you can indeed pick up and play the game at no cost, you will indeed have to fork over a few bucks if you want access to all of the game's possible content. But that hasn't stopped the games that fit under the genre from being immensely popular, and making developers a lot of money, leading even major studios adapted their own hit subscription games to the free-to-play model. But of all the games that can currently be classified as free-to-play, the game players really love to spend real world cash is on Wargaming's World of Tanks.
That's according to a new report from SuperData Research, showing that the economic model has changed, and how the developer that sold the most games doesn't always bring in the most money.
The report looked at the games' respective player base, reflected by its accessibility, but illustrates that having more players doesn't always translate to being more profitable in the free-to-play genre: "DotA2 and League of Legends, arguably the two most visible titles in the MOBA genre, are close in terms of average revenue per user. But it's important to keep in mind that for every DotA2 player there are nine people playing League of Legends. Because it's slightly less accessible, DotA2 has more 'core' gamers as its audience, which translates into 20% higher spending per user."
The question then becomes, with the "hardcore" players as the developers' bread and butter, is that the audience to cater to, based on their willingness to spend a bit more? Or, should developers focus on the larger audience by offering less costly, albeit "shallow" options?
That's up to the developer, but if this report from SuperData has any influence on their decision, they should focus on the users' experience, not the money they can wring out of the players:
"Sure, we've all heard the arguments about the exploitative aspects for free-to-play. But if it all it ever did was suck the life out of customers, there would be none. Instead, we see an audience of dedicated gamers growing across genres. Take your audience serious by providing a rewarding experience, and they will reward you in turn."
As for World of Tanks, Wargaming already has a game plan for staying at the top of the charts, detailing what's to come in a new developer video. Check it out below:
