Blizzard "Looking At" F2P StarCraft II Multiplayer

Blizzard is "looking at free to play as an option for the multiplayer" in StarCraft II, reports StarcraftN, quoting lead designer Dustin Browder during a panel discussion at the Valencia eSports Congress. He also notes that the nature of their RTS sequel may not make this worthwhile. "We don’t know how we would monetize it," he adds. "While it might be good fun for me to play against someone with only half the units available to them, that’s not going to be an enjoyable experience for them." Thanks Eurogamer.
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Re: Blizzard
Sep 21, 2012, 22:02
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Re: Blizzard Sep 21, 2012, 22:02
Sep 21, 2012, 22:02
 
eunichron wrote on Sep 21, 2012, 21:55:
TheEmissary wrote on Sep 21, 2012, 21:24:
I am sure the esports crowd isn't going to be happy about this one bit. Any game played competitively needs to be balanced and every one needs to have access to the same features. Free-to-play games your forced to monetize every bit of the game in some way.

I hope they don't start requiring people to buy tickets to play on the ladder or offering F2P buildings or units. I can't see people paying for banners or portraits.

Any way this seems like desperation because of the other major free to play RTS games such as End of Nations, CnC Generals 2. I think they see the writing on the wall.

I really don't think EoN or CnC:G2 will be any sort of competition regardless. People aren't going to play shitty games just because they're free, and as far as multiplayer competitive RTS BW/SC2 have been dominating for the last decade.

As far as people bitching about them worrying about how they would monetize it, what the fuck do you expect? No one would do F2P if they couldn't make money off of it. Even Valve makes boatloads of cash off of their F2P model. If you're expecting developers to just hand you shit with no way for them to make money, you're either stupid or naive. Seriously, your complaints aren't even making sense anymore, just go fuck yourselves.

Starcraft's multiplayer was built up around and thrived because of the esports scene. The move to free to play would more or less kill that. There are only so many ways you can monetize a free to play game one is pay to win/pay-tier items another is cosmetic items. Cosmetic items don't make sense in a RTS setting and still have the game be taken seriously. Example of what I mean look at End of Nations cheese and bacon unit skins.

There is nothing wrong with F2P games in general they just don't make for very competitive games.

This comment was edited on Sep 21, 2012, 22:08.
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