From Subscription to Free-to-Play: The 3 Popular Business Models in MMORPGs

Free-to-play, buy-to-play, subscriptions. They all have their positives and negatives. Today we're looking at the 3 most popular business models in MMORPGs and discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly of each one.

Free-To-Play

When you look at online games as a whole, the free-to-play model seems to be the king of monetization these days. That wasn't always the case, but the times have changed and free-to-play is quite popular among players and publishers alike.

The upside of free-to-play of course is that there is no barrier to entry. If you see a free-to-play game you're interested in, you can just download it and start playing. If you don't like what you see once you're in the game, you can just uninstall and you're out nothing.

The downside of free-to-play is that the cash shops in these games tend to be the most egregious. We've seen nearly everything there is in free-to-play cash shops, including action bars and straight-up pay-to-win items such as powerful items. It's the unfortunate dark side of many free-to-play games. That's not to say there aren't some decent cash shops out there, but it's definitely buyer beware when it comes to free-to-play.

While I understand the importance of free-to-play games in the MMO market, this monetization type tends to be my least favorite due to the restrictions often placed on free-to-play accounts. You'll often be pushed quite hard toward the cash shop in these games, and it can get a little tiresome running into gameplay and features hidden behind paywalls.

Buy-To-Play

Next up is buy-to-play. An initial investment is required, but you often get much more of the MMORPG you want to play with buy-to-play. Some buy-ins can be quite inexpensive, with games like Guild Wars 2 and The Elder Scrolls Online often on sale for less than $10.

Most buy-to-play games still include a cash shop, and while you're never quite 100% safe from P2W no matter what the business model is of the game you're playing, buy-to-play tends to be more fair than free-to-play when it comes to what you get for your buy-in vs. what's in the cash shop.

There have been times in my life where I could really only play free-to-play MMORPGs, but when it comes to return on money spent I vastly prefer buy-to-play as my personal business model of choice. I feel like I get much more game with buy-to-play, and with the exception of The Elder Scrolls Online, don't feel nearly as pressured by the game to spend money in the cash shop.

Subscription

The former king of monetization, these days pure subscription models are harder to come by. There are of course some hybrids out there like ESO and SWTOR which carry "optional" subscriptions, but the pure subscription model isn't nearly as prevalent as it once was.

Of course, subscription games rarely just involve a subscription, as the big two games that still work on subs, World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV, still require a box purchase as well. Add to that a cash shop in both games, and it becomes harder and harder to justify a monthly sub in my opinion.

There are still those out there who swear by the monthly subscription model, even with a box purchase and cash shop, as they feel they get more content for their game with a sub, and it does seem that sub-based games often get bigger chunks of content more often, but you're definitely paying for that content when the game publishers triple-dip into your wallet.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it's good for the consumer for there to be so many business models out there. You're free to play a game that best suits your needs and your wallet. And while some games seem to force fit their business model into their game, some games just work better as free-to-play, buy-to-play, or subscription.

Those are my thoughts on the 3 most popular business models out there. I definitely prefer buy-to-play, but I know others may prefer free-to-play or subscription-based games. What's your favorite business model, or at least the business model of the game you find yourself playing most often? Let us know in the comments and feel free to share your thoughts on the different business models for MMOs.