Microsoft is to open up Microsoft Live’s payments system and allow developers to set their own price bands as well as supporting micropayments within games, according to a report.
This would not only allow developers to better compete over price, but also open up Live to free-to-play/freemium games for the first time.
Microsoft Live has been something of a closed system since its launch – at least in terms of pricing. Developers can’t set their own prices for games, but must use Microsoft’s pre-defined price brackets. In-game payments are also not allowed under the current system, which means no free-to-play/freemium games.
A report from games industry mag Develop claims that Microsoft is about to switch Live over to a new pricing model. While on the surface only of interest to the accounts departments of games developers, this could open up the service to allow free-to-play games like the many MMOs on the PC platform that allow players to buy more fun in the shape of equipment upgrades or level packs.
Develop cites anonymous source, who claim that Microsoft will allow developers to set their own prices – hopefully leading to a bit of a price battle that could see cheaper games for you – and that gamers will be able to use Microsoft Points as in-game currency for buying add-ons. It all seems a little vague at the moment, but – tellingly – Valve has just announced that Team Fortress 2 will be going free-to-play. We had assumed this was a PC/Mac thing only but.. who knows?
The move to freemium is odd in one respect though – there is no mention of Microsoft opening up Live games downloads to non-Gold subscribers or even dropping the subscription model entirely. It does seem strange to have a ‘free to play’ system where you can only play for free if you have, er, already paid. Hmm.
