According to IGN’s industry spies, Microsoft is prepping to launch a number of as-yet unannounced free-to-play (F2P or “freemium”) titles over Xbox LIVE sometime next year.
The report claims this will allow developers and publishers to release free games relying on microtransactions for additional content like gear and in-game currency to turn a profit. This business model is already in action over on PC, with EA’s Battlefield Heroes and, more recently, Battlefield Play4Free, as well as Riot Games’ League of Legends enjoying enormous popularity with gamers.
Although Microsoft has yet to comment on the rumours, it’s a rather unexpected move considering the company’s somewhat notorious refusal to open the Xbox LIVE platform to third-party devs, imposing a strict approval and certification process for game updates and such.
It’s also unclear at this point whether a premium Xbox LIVE Gold subscription would be required to take advantage of this, perhaps somewhat diminishing the appeal.
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