MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Smartphone hit Crossy Road is now available to download via the Google Play Store. Hipster Whale’s title arrived on iOS in later November and then hit Android via the Amazon Appstore just before Christmas, but this is the first time is has been available to download from Google. The Google …
Read More »PS4 players spend more on DC Universe Online than PC counterparts
Can F2P be as successful on consoles as it has on smartphones? There’s every chance, Sony Online Entertainment boss John Smedley has argued. The exec told Gamasutra that the PS4 version of free-to-play MMO DC Universe Online has been monetising amazingly well” and is making between 3-3.5 times as much …
Read More »Ustwo: Premium games are not dead
The maker of smartphone hit Monument Valley has said that premium gaming lives on, despite the pressures of free-to-play and piracy. Studio Ustwo yesterday revealed that 95 per cent of installations of the game on Android were not paid for and 60 per cent on iOS. We’ve had this for …
Read More »Zelnick re-iterates scepticism of free-to-play
In what appears to be an annual traditional, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has again questioned the viability of the free-to-play business model. "The problem with the free-to-play model is 95-97 per cent of people who engage with your content don’t pay for it. 3-5 per cent do; on a good …
Read More »Crytek is closing Warface on Xbox 360
Just eight months after going live, Crytek has announced that it is calling time on the Xbox 360 version of free-to-play shooter Warface. The game will be shut down proper on February 1st, although it has already been closed to new players. Players are also no longer able to buy …
Read More »iOS banishes ‘Free’ icon from F2P game descriptions
Free-to-play games are no longer listed as being ‘Free’ on the Apple App Store. Instead, apps such as Candy Crush Saga, Angry Birds Stella and Clash of Clans now have a ‘Get’ button, below which is the line ‘In-App Purchases’. Beyond confirming to Re/Code that the change has been made …
Read More »Hearthstone now has over 20m players
Blizzard’s free-to-play card battler Hearthstone has reached a significant player milestone. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, as it is officially called, now has over 20m registered players. It previously had hit 10m in March but has since then added to its PC and Mac version by launching on iPad. An Android …
Read More »Assassin’s Creed: Pirates goes free-to-play on smartphones
Ubisoft has altered the payment model for Assassin’s Creed: Pirates on iOS and Android. The mobile title is now free to download on both platforms, although of course there are a range of in-game purchases available once you get going. The news coincides with the release of new content ‘Cold …
Read More »MMO title Neverwinter confirmed for Xbox One
City of Heroes and Star Trek Online developer Cryptic Studios’ free-to-play MMO outing Neverwinter is coming to Xbox One. The game was mentioned yesterday as a launch title for Xbox One in China. Eurogamer notes that the official press release for the game mentions ‘consoles’ in the plural several times, …
Read More »Romero: PC is decimating consoles and free-to-play is killing triple-A
While PS4 and Xbox One win the majority of the headlines, it’s the PC that’s actually bossing the games market. That’s according to Doom creator John Romero, who told Games Industry: "With PC you have free-to-play and Steam games for five bucks. The PC is decimating console, just through price. …
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