Free-to-play is a video game business model in which players are given access to a substantial part of a game's content without paying to start playing, with the publisher earning revenue instead through microtransactions for items, cosmetics or progress boosts, often using a dual-currency system, or through in-game advertising. Early virtual-item sales are traced to Matt Mihaly's 1997 game Achaea, and the model was popularized commercially by the South Korean company Nexon with QuizQuiz in 1999 and later MapleStory. By 2011 revenue from free-to-play games had overtaken revenue from paid, premium games on Apple's App Store, and the model now dominates much of the games industry.
Facts
Partially Attested
Origin YearSources place the free-to-play model's origin in the late 1990s and early 2000s, growing out of a series of MMOs aimed at children and casual players, with no single founding year given; 2000 is used here as an approximate midpoint of that documented range, the same imprecise-but-citable-year convention already used elsewhere on this atlas. Core MechanismA free-to-play game can be downloaded and played at no upfront cost, with the publisher earning revenue instead through optional in-game microtransactions for cosmetic items, extra content or faster progress. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
The battle pass, a tiered set of unlockable rewards earned through play or purchased outright, is a monetization structure used predominantly within free-to-play video games.
Buy-to-play, requiring a single upfront purchase for full access, is defined in contrast to free-to-play no-cost entry with revenue collected afterward.
Free-to-play is freemium's dominant application within video games specifically, giving players substantial free access and monetizing through microtransactions rather than a paid tier.
Loot boxes, purchasable virtual items with randomized contents, are a monetization mechanic used predominantly within free-to-play video games.
Free-to-play, offering a game at no upfront cost and monetizing through in-game purchases, is a dominant business model in the video game industry.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Free-to-play
WikipediaLead section, monetizationQuote, Lead section, monetization
A common method is based on the freemium software model, in which users are incentivised to make small purchases, called microtransactions, to either access additional cosmetic or gameplay content, progress through the content faster, or gain competitive advantages over other players.
1. Wikipedia, Free-to-play
WikipediaLead section, originQuote, Lead section, origin
The free-to-play model originated in the late 1990s and early 2000s, coming from a series of highly successful MMOs targeted towards children and casual gamers.
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