Freemium is a term for free-to-play video games with premium, pay-for content. It’s a common model these days, one of the best examples being Valve’s Team Fortress 2 where players can buy clothing, weapons, and other goodies from an online store. Many games are going freemium, while smaller game studios are launching their titles under the freemium flag right from the start. Check out this article about one of these small game studios, Itzy Interactive, and their decision to go freemium with their games. Gamasutra has the story.
Gamers aren’t big on paying for stuff, especially if that stuff is an unknown quality. New games are always an unknown. Even if the game reviews well, who knows if it’ll hit the right triggers for any given player.
Free-to-play games solve that problem, by removing the price barrier. They make up for it on the other side, when the player gets involved in the game and wants something more. The upgrade package. That’s where the money lives.
Either way, it works. Gamers hate the unknown, but love to support games and companies that give them what they like. Game-makers just have to find their audience and deliver to them.