Free to play model alters online gaming industry
09/22/2009 | 09:52 PM
Young Filipinos were once referred to as the “the Ragnarok generation," a reference to the immense popularity of the Korean online game that captivated local gamers.
But that was five years ago, when Ragnarok was still the rage and online gaming was just beginning to enter the public consciousness.
In the meantime, the advent of free-to-play model has since altered the online gaming terrain dramatically.
Now, game titles such as RAN Online is lording over the scene primarily due to this free-to-play setup. Ragnarok, once the industry’s top dog, has also been forced to adopt the same model.
Free-to-play, sometimes abbreviated as F2P, allows players to try out a game without paying.
If a player wants to “level up" or go to a higher stage, he or she must then pay for a subscription fee or buy in-game items.
“The free-to-play model has really been a game-changer," said Gil Edeza, president and chief operating officer of IP E-Game Ventures Inc., during the recent launch of another free-to-play online game called Runes of Magic.
E-Games is the gaming division of local technology conglomerate IPVG.
According to Edeza, the huge success of its online games has allowed E-Games to contribute 40 percent of the overall revenue of IPVG.
The company also disclosed impressive statistics regarding its online gaming community.
Eduardo Pasion, vice president for marketing at E-Games, said the game has 10 million registered users, 2.5 million of which are active players.
“At any point in time, there are about 80,000 users playing our games online," said Pasion.
The audience turnout, as well as the profits, has been enormous that E-Games has followed up the launch of its newest free-to-play MMORPG (multiplayer online role-playing game), Runes of Magic, with another free-to-play FPS (first person shooter) online game dubbed OP7.
The OP7, however, is a game title under being offered under X-Play, the
joint venture company between E-Games and GMA New Media, the digital arm of broadcast firm GMA Network.
For Runes of Magic, the IPVG subsidiary teamed up with Tahadi Games for the rights to promote and operate the game in the country.
Developed by Taiwan-based Runewaker Entertainment for more than three years, Runes of Magic is a new fantasy MMORPG that conveys an absorbing story through more than 1,600 quests in a fantasy world.
“Players can choose between six main classes and combined with a secondary class, choose to create a character from 30 character class combinations," it said.
OP7, meanwhile, is an online FPS game that targets a different genre –male audience, particularly Counterstrike players. The game was created by Korean game development company Mgame.
Edeza, who also serves as COO of X-Play, said OP7 is several notches up in the FPS ladder.
“It is undeniably the next step in the evolution of the FPS world. The game is geared towards the creative thinkers who know the artistry required in gun modification."
In OP7, guns can be modified in a wide selection of parts such as Dot Sights, Scopes, Kobs, Silencers, Gun Body, Barrels, and more to create a gun unique to each player.
In addition to gun customization, OP7 also allows players to customize the appearance of their avatar as the game progresses. It also uses maps based on real locations which offer an interesting insight into how combat unfolds. - GMANews.TV
But that was five years ago, when Ragnarok was still the rage and online gaming was just beginning to enter the public consciousness.
In the meantime, the advent of free-to-play model has since altered the online gaming terrain dramatically.
Now, game titles such as RAN Online is lording over the scene primarily due to this free-to-play setup. Ragnarok, once the industry’s top dog, has also been forced to adopt the same model.
Free-to-play, sometimes abbreviated as F2P, allows players to try out a game without paying.
If a player wants to “level up" or go to a higher stage, he or she must then pay for a subscription fee or buy in-game items.
“The free-to-play model has really been a game-changer," said Gil Edeza, president and chief operating officer of IP E-Game Ventures Inc., during the recent launch of another free-to-play online game called Runes of Magic.
E-Games is the gaming division of local technology conglomerate IPVG.
According to Edeza, the huge success of its online games has allowed E-Games to contribute 40 percent of the overall revenue of IPVG.
The company also disclosed impressive statistics regarding its online gaming community.
Eduardo Pasion, vice president for marketing at E-Games, said the game has 10 million registered users, 2.5 million of which are active players.
“At any point in time, there are about 80,000 users playing our games online," said Pasion.
The audience turnout, as well as the profits, has been enormous that E-Games has followed up the launch of its newest free-to-play MMORPG (multiplayer online role-playing game), Runes of Magic, with another free-to-play FPS (first person shooter) online game dubbed OP7.
The OP7, however, is a game title under being offered under X-Play, the
joint venture company between E-Games and GMA New Media, the digital arm of broadcast firm GMA Network.
For Runes of Magic, the IPVG subsidiary teamed up with Tahadi Games for the rights to promote and operate the game in the country.
Developed by Taiwan-based Runewaker Entertainment for more than three years, Runes of Magic is a new fantasy MMORPG that conveys an absorbing story through more than 1,600 quests in a fantasy world.
“Players can choose between six main classes and combined with a secondary class, choose to create a character from 30 character class combinations," it said.
OP7, meanwhile, is an online FPS game that targets a different genre –male audience, particularly Counterstrike players. The game was created by Korean game development company Mgame.
Edeza, who also serves as COO of X-Play, said OP7 is several notches up in the FPS ladder.
“It is undeniably the next step in the evolution of the FPS world. The game is geared towards the creative thinkers who know the artistry required in gun modification."
In OP7, guns can be modified in a wide selection of parts such as Dot Sights, Scopes, Kobs, Silencers, Gun Body, Barrels, and more to create a gun unique to each player.
In addition to gun customization, OP7 also allows players to customize the appearance of their avatar as the game progresses. It also uses maps based on real locations which offer an interesting insight into how combat unfolds. - GMANews.TV
