EA: Free-to-play business model is the future
The business of computer games is the opinion of a top executive of the industry giant Electronic Arts (EA) faces fundamental change. Today the dominant selling software would be replaced "by the end of the decade" by the free-to-play (F2P) approach, Frank Gibeau told dpa at Gamescom in Cologne. Especially the boom in smartphones and tablet computers verhelfe this model to break through.
F2P games are free in its basic version, but pay users for certain premium features or "things" that promise benefits in the virtual world - for example, special cars in a racing game, or special weapons in a first person shooter - what are some players emerged as Cost trap unprecedented scale. EA earned over many decades, especially in the sale of games, but is intended for several years on the digital distribution and new business models.
F2P - established in Asia for years - opens up the industry with access to a wider audience, said Gibeau, EA is responsible for adapting known gaming brands on multiple platforms. Way could his company attract casual gamers who do not want to spend much money. New markets were opening up. At the same time it will continue to give users who like today to spend $ 60 (around 50 euros) for a game.
After the success of providers like Zynga and Bigpoint but more and more companies rely on the F2P model, competitive pressure is increasing. Gibeau sees this as an advantage for EA: "production value, quality and brands are becoming more important" - and here his company could score points.
From the perspective of the developer sees Gibeau advantages: "We can try a lot more because the cost to bring something to market that are much lower." It is possible to make a small version at the start and to test the reaction of the users in order to improve the game over time.
As money Binger future looks Gibeau mobile devices. Given the rapid spread of smartphones there the chance to achieve in the next five years to two billion users worldwide. "This is a big growth driver for our business." As "gaming experiences and business models" in the industry, which is "always inventing new," concluded the Gamescom opener Martin Lorber together in a blog post. It depicts the head of PR and Youth Protection Officer of EA Germany, how the gaming industry has for decades as a "driver of innovation and technology engine" developed in the interaction with hardware innovations and the changing user behavior.
In fiscal 2012 alone, EA put the world 4.1 billion dollars (currently about 3.3 billion euros), and it does not seem that the trend toward so-called free-to-play would reduce the revenue that gambling operations in future .
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