During a presentation at GDC this week, Sony shined some light on the success of free-to-play games on PlayStation and the “huge potential” they have. Among some of the free-to-play titles currently available on Sony’s consoles are Blacklight: Retribution, Warframe, and DC Universe.
Here are some statistics Sony revealed at the presentation. While Sony noted a 50 percent year-over-year increase in free-to-play revenue, they did not reveal a specific revenue figure.
PlayStation 3
- ARPPU (average revenue per paying user) comparable to PC ranges
- Consumers use PlayStation 3 more hours/week than any other console
- Most engaged consumers who spend the most money
PlayStation 4
- ARPPU skewing higher than PlayStation 3
- Over 90 percent of PS4s connected to the Internet
- Over 80 percent of users have downloaded digital content
All
- Free-to-play revenue up 50 percent year-over-year
- Conversion rates (from free to paying) vary from 3-15 percent
- Average play sessions upwards of 90 minutes
Zombie Studios director, and creator of Blacklight: Retribtuion, Jared Gerritzen also spoke about the free-to-play model and erred on the side of the caution, saying that “free-to-play scares me”. He believes that while it can be done well, too much focus on micro transactions instead of good games will turn players away.
He elaborated saying, “I feel like there will be a point where games will come out premium and turn free-to-play or turn to micro transactions. And it can be a very bad thing. Free-to-play is great, but it can go down a very dark road.”
What are your thoughts on the free-to-play business model? Do you play any games that use it? Let us know in the comments.
