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    Mafia: The Old Country Review: A Return to the Series’ Cinematic Roots

    Mafia: The Old Country Review: A Return to the Series’ Cinematic Roots

    Sony CFO Says Live Service Push “Not Entirely Going Smoothly” But Company Will Keep Trying

    Sony CFO Says Live Service Push “Not Entirely Going Smoothly” But Company Will Keep Trying

    Okayunyumu! Release Postponed a Day Before Launch Date

    Okayunyumu! Release Postponed a Day Before Launch Date

    Stella Sora

    Stella Sora Opens Pre-Registration for Google Play, App Store Coming Soon

    Muzan Kibutsuji

    Muzan Kibutsuji Joins Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 in Free DLC

    Suikoden Anime Producers Reveal That the Show Uses Konami’s Game Technology

    Suikoden Anime Producers Reveal That the Show Uses Konami’s Game Technology

    Expedition 33 Director

    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Director Reflects on Turn Based RPG Stigma

    Fate-hollow ataraxia REMASTERED

    Fate/hollow ataraxia REMASTERED Launches with Debut Discount

    Sekiro Anime

    Sekiro Anime Might Come Soon as Kadokawa Registers New Domain

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    Mafia: The Old Country Review: A Return to the Series’ Cinematic Roots

    Mafia: The Old Country Review: A Return to the Series’ Cinematic Roots

    Sony CFO Says Live Service Push “Not Entirely Going Smoothly” But Company Will Keep Trying

    Sony CFO Says Live Service Push “Not Entirely Going Smoothly” But Company Will Keep Trying

    Okayunyumu! Release Postponed a Day Before Launch Date

    Okayunyumu! Release Postponed a Day Before Launch Date

    Stella Sora

    Stella Sora Opens Pre-Registration for Google Play, App Store Coming Soon

    Muzan Kibutsuji

    Muzan Kibutsuji Joins Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 in Free DLC

    Suikoden Anime Producers Reveal That the Show Uses Konami’s Game Technology

    Suikoden Anime Producers Reveal That the Show Uses Konami’s Game Technology

    Expedition 33 Director

    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Director Reflects on Turn Based RPG Stigma

    Fate-hollow ataraxia REMASTERED

    Fate/hollow ataraxia REMASTERED Launches with Debut Discount

    Sekiro Anime

    Sekiro Anime Might Come Soon as Kadokawa Registers New Domain

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    EVERYBODY’S GOLF HOT SHOTS Interview – Producer Reveals Bringing Golf Back to Everyone

    EVERYBODY’S GOLF HOT SHOTS Interview – Producer Reveals Bringing Golf Back to Everyone

    Silent Hill f Interview: Developers Share Their Vision for the Series’ Bold New Direction

    Silent Hill f Interview: Developers Share Their Vision for the Series’ Bold New Direction

    Junzo Hosoi Discusses the Journey of Atelier Resleriana from Mobile to Console

    Junzo Hosoi Discusses the Journey of Atelier Resleriana from Mobile to Console

    [EXCLUSIVE] Creative Masterminds from Gearbox Software Reveal What Makes Borderlands 4 Worth the Wait

    [EXCLUSIVE] Creative Masterminds from Gearbox Software Reveal What Makes Borderlands 4 Worth the Wait

    Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa Open Up About Death Stranding 2: Connection, Creativity, and Walking Through Loneliness

    Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa Open Up About Death Stranding 2: Connection, Creativity, and Walking Through Loneliness

    RAIDOU Remastered Interview – Director Yamai Kazuyuki on Reviving a Classic Detective RPG for Modern Audiences

    RAIDOU Remastered Interview – Director Yamai Kazuyuki on Reviving a Classic Detective RPG for Modern Audiences

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    Pac-Man Goes Dark – Producer Seigo Aizawa Reveals the Making of Shadow Labyrinth

    Honor of Kings Producer Reveals Game-Changing Hero Flowborn and Major Updates

    Honor of Kings Producer Reveals Game-Changing Hero Flowborn and Major Updates

    [ASIA EXCLUSIVE] Bringing Back a Classic: Inside the Making of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles

    [ASIA EXCLUSIVE] Bringing Back a Classic: Inside the Making of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles

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      Mafia: The Old Country Review: A Return to the Series’ Cinematic Roots

      Mafia: The Old Country Review: A Return to the Series’ Cinematic Roots

      Sony CFO Says Live Service Push “Not Entirely Going Smoothly” But Company Will Keep Trying

      Sony CFO Says Live Service Push “Not Entirely Going Smoothly” But Company Will Keep Trying

      Okayunyumu! Release Postponed a Day Before Launch Date

      Okayunyumu! Release Postponed a Day Before Launch Date

      Stella Sora

      Stella Sora Opens Pre-Registration for Google Play, App Store Coming Soon

      Muzan Kibutsuji

      Muzan Kibutsuji Joins Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 in Free DLC

      Suikoden Anime Producers Reveal That the Show Uses Konami’s Game Technology

      Suikoden Anime Producers Reveal That the Show Uses Konami’s Game Technology

      Expedition 33 Director

      Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Director Reflects on Turn Based RPG Stigma

      Fate-hollow ataraxia REMASTERED

      Fate/hollow ataraxia REMASTERED Launches with Debut Discount

      Sekiro Anime

      Sekiro Anime Might Come Soon as Kadokawa Registers New Domain

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      Mafia: The Old Country Review: A Return to the Series’ Cinematic Roots

      Mafia: The Old Country Review: A Return to the Series’ Cinematic Roots

      Sony CFO Says Live Service Push “Not Entirely Going Smoothly” But Company Will Keep Trying

      Sony CFO Says Live Service Push “Not Entirely Going Smoothly” But Company Will Keep Trying

      Okayunyumu! Release Postponed a Day Before Launch Date

      Okayunyumu! Release Postponed a Day Before Launch Date

      Stella Sora

      Stella Sora Opens Pre-Registration for Google Play, App Store Coming Soon

      Muzan Kibutsuji

      Muzan Kibutsuji Joins Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 in Free DLC

      Suikoden Anime Producers Reveal That the Show Uses Konami’s Game Technology

      Suikoden Anime Producers Reveal That the Show Uses Konami’s Game Technology

      Expedition 33 Director

      Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Director Reflects on Turn Based RPG Stigma

      Fate-hollow ataraxia REMASTERED

      Fate/hollow ataraxia REMASTERED Launches with Debut Discount

      Sekiro Anime

      Sekiro Anime Might Come Soon as Kadokawa Registers New Domain

    • Interviews
      EVERYBODY’S GOLF HOT SHOTS Interview – Producer Reveals Bringing Golf Back to Everyone

      EVERYBODY’S GOLF HOT SHOTS Interview – Producer Reveals Bringing Golf Back to Everyone

      Silent Hill f Interview: Developers Share Their Vision for the Series’ Bold New Direction

      Silent Hill f Interview: Developers Share Their Vision for the Series’ Bold New Direction

      Junzo Hosoi Discusses the Journey of Atelier Resleriana from Mobile to Console

      Junzo Hosoi Discusses the Journey of Atelier Resleriana from Mobile to Console

      [EXCLUSIVE] Creative Masterminds from Gearbox Software Reveal What Makes Borderlands 4 Worth the Wait

      [EXCLUSIVE] Creative Masterminds from Gearbox Software Reveal What Makes Borderlands 4 Worth the Wait

      Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa Open Up About Death Stranding 2: Connection, Creativity, and Walking Through Loneliness

      Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa Open Up About Death Stranding 2: Connection, Creativity, and Walking Through Loneliness

      RAIDOU Remastered Interview – Director Yamai Kazuyuki on Reviving a Classic Detective RPG for Modern Audiences

      RAIDOU Remastered Interview – Director Yamai Kazuyuki on Reviving a Classic Detective RPG for Modern Audiences

      Pac-Man Goes Dark – Producer Seigo Aizawa Reveals the Making of Shadow Labyrinth

      Pac-Man Goes Dark – Producer Seigo Aizawa Reveals the Making of Shadow Labyrinth

      Honor of Kings Producer Reveals Game-Changing Hero Flowborn and Major Updates

      Honor of Kings Producer Reveals Game-Changing Hero Flowborn and Major Updates

      [ASIA EXCLUSIVE] Bringing Back a Classic: Inside the Making of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles

      [ASIA EXCLUSIVE] Bringing Back a Classic: Inside the Making of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles

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      Should Fighting Games Be Free To Play? The Internet Weighs In

      W by W
      3 years ago
      in All, Feature
      Reading Time: 4 mins read
      0 0
      Free To Play Fighting Games
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      This week, the Fighting Game community is engaged in a new discourse- should fighting games be free to play?

      It’s not like it’s an entirely new concept, after all. Brawlhalla, one of the most popular platform fighters on PC and Fantasy Strike are both free to play, so it’s not like it spells the immediate end of a game.

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      Fighting game YouTuber Maximilian certainly echoes that sentiment in his latest video, where he argues that fighting games absolutely should go free to play, to overcome the trouble of a dwindling playerbase over time.

      “Unless your fighting game is free to play, where you actually get [a large playerbase],”, Maximilian says in his video. “Most fighting games are going to result in the same problem- unless there’s big sales, or like, expansions, or reasons to go back and check out old thing because new thing is really cool, that’s just the nature of things- people get excited about shit”.


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      “There’s always the barrier. You have to pull your wallet out and spend money”, he says.

      It’s not just big name YouTubers either- some members of the community seem to genuinely support the idea of the genre becoming more approachable by not having you pay 60 USD for a game you might ultimately end up trading in because you didn’t vibe with it.

      “Free to play fighting games sound like an interesting idea especially considering in game content in modern fighting games is nigh non existent anyways. I hate paying for games with no story mode, challenge mode, arcade mode, galleries, etc. I’d try it”, writes one gamer, Riaki.

      Pushback From The Community

      Of course, it’s been met with some pushback- fighting game fans are very protective of their genre, and many see adopting a free-to-play model as a ticket to other predatory game design mechanics.

      One of these would be how a hypothetical free to play fighting game could handle gating of free content. Nowadays, it looks like if your game is free to play, its primary metric is engagement time. You see it in games like Genshin Impact, where so much content is locked behind other unrelated content that you have to do, making it so that even if you unlocked the latest characters you’d spend hours until they were usable if you weren’t up to date with the game’s content.

      It comes down to what you’re willing to lock behind microtransactions. While skins might be an obvious first guess, there’s always the temptation to go further in what goes behind the paywall. It’s easy to make rhetorical arguments like “what if they put training mode behind the paywall?”, especially since it’s a confirmed sale to the entire competitive community.

      Some fans are also worried about the art direction of free to play fighting games. Detractors of games like Brawlhalla seem to assume it comes from the game’s free to play nature- but supporters of a free to play fighting game like commentator Sajam seem to argue that if anything, Brawlhalla’s popularity is proof that the free to play model works, even when your game isn’t the most visually appealing.

      “Should be a co-sign of the effectiveness, no? Even if a game you’re not interested in does it right, it’s a good example of how it could be done for something you enjoy”, he says.

      Past Attempts

      Free to play fighting games

      Brawlhalla aside, fighting games have attempted to mix in the free to play model before. A notable example is Dead or Alive 5 and Dead or Alive 6, which both featured free-to-play Core Fighters Editions. These had a rotating roster of characters, and also allowed you to buy individual characters to own permanently.

      While it sounds like a good model at first, it doesn’t do much to rope more players in- ultimately, what hooks you into a fighting game is messing around until you find a favorite character, then sticking to them. In that case players aren’t going to wait around for a weekly rotation until they get to play as the cool character they saw greyed out, and will more likely move on if they don’t like the initial rotation of free characters.

      An Alternate Path

      jim ryan playstation plus

      Of course, another possibility would be looking at services like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass. The biggest problem with free to play fighting games would be managing development costs- that’s the root of things like season passes and microtransactions, after all. These services often have some sort of deal for the developers where even though the consumer isn’t paying for the game directly, the platform holder pays them as if they had.

      Considering how PlayStation in particular launched games like Destruction AllStars and Virtua Fighter free on PlayStation Plus, there seems to be some form of understanding that this would draw in more people, especially if it was the big featured game for that month.

      One thing’s for certain though, we could be in for a radical shift on how fighting games are sold soon, similar to how we made the jump from re-releases a la Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 in favor of long tails of DLC a la Tekken 7 with multiple season passes.


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      Avid enjoyer of games that sit about as far away from mainstream as possible. Also a proud UWE graduate with a degree in Media and Journalism, along with a TOA Diploma in Digital Animation.

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