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Are Freemium Games the Future?

With the video gaming industry expected to reach a worth of over 90 Billion US Dollars this year, it’s no surprise that it’s getting harder to choose which online games to devote our time to. Serious gamers often take the time to try out a range of games, as settling on a select few can be hard going when you have to navigate through the sea of games that are available. However, one growing trend has been to make it much easier for online gamers to dip their toe in the water before making a solid commitment. 

What are freemium games?  

Freemium games are games that are available to either play online or download as an app for free. These games will usually be fully functional without a cost; however, they will have some sort of extra features or added bonuses available at an extra charge. 

So, what’s the purpose of this? Many games developers will offer their games on a freemium basis to raise their profile, enabling them to reach a wider player base, as there is more appeal to their game than ones that have to be purchased. The hope is that game players will enjoy the game and want to make the extra purchases in order to benefit from the full features of the game. 

What are the benefits of freemium games to the player? 

Whilst we’ve covered why a game developer would offer a freemium game, you may be wondering what the benefit is to you, the player. Well, whilst it may surprise you, freemium games usually offer a superior gaming experience to games that you have to buy. How is this possible? Games that require an upfront cost will make a profit initially, then the expectation is that there are no more charges as the player has already purchased the game. However, with freemium games, players are more likely to keep making frequent investments once they get into the game and so continuously spend money, as opposed to only a one-off payment in chargeable games. 

This means that game developers have more incentive to keep investing that money back into optimising the game, so that players continually have new and enhanced gaming options and extra features they can acquire. If that’s not another reason to check out freemium games, we don’t know what is! 

Fortnite has been a huge hit with gamers around the world, the game is fully functional for free, but players can add rare costumes to their character if they’d prefer to part with some cash, this is a sure fire way to gain you some respect from your fellow players!

In the gambling industry, freemium games are particularly beneficial to players as it allows them to get a feel an online casino, before making a payment. If you’ve began playing and find yourself not enjoying the gameplay or the website itself, you can simply leave without having to figure out how to withdraw your funds or close down the account. 

Instead, freemium games offer you the chance to decide you like it before making any purchases, there’s then the option to play for real money, potentially making the risk worth the reward! Freemium style online casino games usually offer free spins and joining bonuses, which allow you the chance to win money without even having to part with a single penny. 

 

Example of freemium games

At present, over half of all games created are being designed for PC and mac, with 53% of gaming developers creating games for these platforms, and 38% of developers creating games for smartphones and tablets.

One of the most high-profile and popular freemium games is League of Legends. The main benefit of this game is that it’s constantly being developed. As players make continuous payments in new features, the game developers are able to continue to invest this money in creating a more fluid gameplay with enhanced features. 

 

Are freemium games the future? 

In game purchases are becoming more and more frequent, in which freemium games do seem to be a main contender when game developers consider which monetization method to choose. Statistics show that whilst the majority of games make their money through advertising, at 65%, 50% of games now utilise the freemium method by offering in game and in app purchases.