Free-to-play is a huge area in the gaming world these days with some of the biggest and highest grossing games earning their way in the free-to-play market. Hearthstone currently rakes in $20m a month, League of Legends has 32 million players playing every money who are purchasing Heroes, Skins, Merchandise and more. It’s no surprise then that other companies are going down this route. Free to Play allows way more players to play your game than pay-to-play games and therefore, keeps them there longer and also gives you the opportunity to sell them plenty of extra stuff within the game itself. There are some great games that have come out recently that offer up this free-to-play angle and we wanted to share our favourite recent releases with you today.
Overwatch
Blizzard already have a great record with free-to-play games in Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm. Therefore, the fact they’ve released Overwatch, a Team Fortress 2-style game with the same free-to-play model isn’t a huge surprise. Overwatch is a game that looks to give you plenty of different characters to play with and along the way will offer you customization options, weapon changes and abilities. With a feel of Team Fortress 2 mixed with Blizzard’s incredible world-engrossing lore they usually include, there’s no doubt that this game is going to be a hit among many already Blizzard fans and newcomers.
Wildstar
Wildstar is a game that has already received huge praise amongst MMO fans as a subscription game, however due to a fairly weak end-game and really not enough attention, the game began to fade from people’s games lists. However, it has launched again as a free-to-play game we can assure you now that many more people will want to play it. With a modern free combat system, great characters, incredible player housing, fun abilities, a wide variety of mounts and one of the first MMOs to feel different to WoW, this is definitely going to be a big MMO again when it goes free.
Albion Online
Albion Online has been in development for what seems like forever. It is a game that requires you earn everything that you get. It has currently gone through a few Alpha tests and has worked to improve a lot of faults and problems with the game. The game has you crafting, grinding, building and of course, fighting. The game takes a Diablo-esque view, incorporates Minecraft-like crafting and is an MMO… how does that not sound interesting. Oh, plus it will be out for pretty much every platform available including iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux etc.
World of Speed
Have you ever wanted to play an MMO based on cars? Well World of Speed is looking to be that game. From the same company behind another Free-to-play, Skyforge, comes a game all about cars in an MMO setting. Yes, this means being able to buy cars, yes this means being able to customise them, upgrade them, sell them and so much more. On top of that, you’re doing this whilst racing alongside other people in the same world as you. It sounds like the perfect game for anyone who loves cars and MMOs, but will it be? Fingers crossed.
World of Warships
Skyforge
Skyforge has already seen a slight mention in this list and some may argue is already out. However, the game you download and play at the moment is still classed as a Beta due to some bugs and some gameplay tweaks that need ironing out. Skyforge is without a doubt the most beautiful MMO out there today and offers up a unique system in which you don’t get gear to look cool, you get gear to improve your reputation which represents you level or experience in the game. You also have the options to become a God and all sorts. It’s got an intriguing concept which a lot of people will find truly interesting.
EverQuest Next
EverQuest was the game that arguably inspired World of Warcraft to be the game that it is today. There’s no surprise then that when the company behind the original EverQuest announced they were going to release a sequel that a lot of people started to get buzzed. The game is set to feature a groundbreaking totally destructible world, player-driven permanent changes to lore and the world around it, customizable and unlockable classes and so much more. On top of this, the game was released alongside Landmark, a project that supports creation/crafting that gives the most creative players a chance to show off their architectural abilities.
