Top 10 Most Profitable F2P games (plus WoW)

[Deleted]

Am I really the only person here that's annoyed that Lineage is still around and making so much money? God, I hate those games.

I'm surprised World of Tanks and Dungeon Fighter Online make so much money, and I had never heard of Crossfire before this topic either.

Last Winter's ''surprise premiium tank'' packages were pretty expensive. Wargaming is very adept at sugarcoating ''deals''. It's not outright scamming, but they make all those discounts look as if it's really cheap while in reality it barely makes any difference.

[Drithien]

And this is why Blizzard needs to embrace microtransactions. It's the way the business is going; Subscription model games just aren't selling, as you can see in the second image.

All this complaining about the level 90s being sold in the store. It's necessary to survive these days. If you don't want it to be necessary, then stop buying microtransactions. If they didn't sell, then you wouldn't see them! It's that simple.

I disagree. It may be necessary for other subscription-based mmorpgs set in an open world; this kind of game is expensive to develop, and while not as much, still quite expensive to maintain and develop for, even if it is the reduced content usual in expansions. But that is for the mmorpgs of the 100k-400k range; not the behemoth that is the more than 7 million active subscriptions of World of WarCraft. This game needs none of it, and will continue not to for a long time, when it goes close to 500k then they may have started depending on them. Right now micro-transactions are nothing more than an amazingly effective way to make the profits keep steadily high/decline at a slower rate, completely based on the willingness of people to commit to such purchess. And as a result this game is bizarrely among the top games in micro-transaction revenue and the by-far top game in subscription-based games. Just this should have made you realize that no micro-transactions are needed. How can a game with such profits "need" additional ones. If that was the case most videogame companies would have closed down by now. Rift may have had problems, Star Wars as well, Conan certainly, but WoW? Not a chance as long as it is so profitable. This is in no way about necessity, it's purely about milking. How they managed to be among the top in two diametrically different transaction categories is a "miracle." I guess Blizzard's creativity and excellence moved from game-design to finances.

[Vyadore]

I disagree. It may be necessary for other subscription-based mmorpgs set in an open world; this kind of game is expensive to develop, and while not as much, still quite expensive to maintain and develop for, even if it is the reduced content usual in expansions. But that is for the mmorpgs of the 100k-400k range; not the behemoth that is the more than 7 million active subscriptions of World of WarCraft. This game needs none of it, and will continue not to for a long time, when it goes close to 500k then they may have started depending on them. Right now micro-transactions are nothing more than an amazingly effective way to make the profits keep steadily high/decline at a slower rate, completely based on the willingness of people to commit to such purchess. And as a result this game is bizarrely among the top games in micro-transaction revenue and the by-far top game in subscription-based games. Just this should have made you realize that no micro-transactions are needed. How can a game with such profits "need" additional ones. If that was the case most videogame companies would have closed down by now. Rift may have had problems, Star Wars as well, Conan certainly, but WoW? Not a chance as long as it is so profitable. This is in no way about necessity, it's purely about milking. How they managed to be among the top in two diametrically different transaction categories is a "miracle." I guess Blizzard's creativity and excellence moved from game-design to finances.

OK...first..holy wall of text Batman. :-D Punctuation would allow people to read this better.

Crossfire...After viewing that game ( I had never heard of it either) anyone who says artwork and game design is what people pay money for...just look at this crapfest of a game and making nearly a billion dollars.

World of Warcraft making money at subs and micro transactions. Good on them. Some players like game/skill based rewards, some like grind, some like micro-transaction perks. As long as Blizzard can do a good enough job weaving these various elements into one universe/game...that is great. Blending all those elements grows the player base and makes an MMO feel alive.

Blizzard proves once again they are the online gaming masters.

[Yunru]

Am I really the only person here that's annoyed that Lineage is still around and making so much money? God, I hate those games.

I'm surprised World of Tanks and Dungeon Fighter Online make so much money, and I had never heard of Crossfire before this topic either.

They spend a lot of money on advertising. You can see one on history channel for example.

[Fencers]

Crossfire...After viewing that game ( I had never heard of it either) anyone who says artwork and game design is what people pay money for...just look at this crapfest of a game and making nearly a billion dollars.

Wait a second, how can you tell the game constitutes a "crapfest" from viewing the game alone?

It's not possible to judge game design without playing the game or having a detailed list of game mechanics and rules of operation.

If you played the game, fair enough. Otherwise its not even possible to make such a statement in intellectual honesty.

[bbr]

Never even heard of crossfire lmao. But they have 400m accounts registered, so I might have to download and try it haha.

I honestly expected DCUO to be on the list.

Yeah, i guess im not the only one who's like "wtf is crossfire and why haven't i heard of it before?"

[McNeil]

I've never heard of Crossfire either, wonder how it has been so very succesfull. Suprised to see SW:TOR is actually doing quite well.

I never knew Blizzard is making THAT much money with the Store... guess we're gonna see a whole lot more of it, no wonder they start releasing their mounts a lot earlier ><

[Drithien]

OK...first..holy wall of text Batman. :-D Punctuation would allow people to read this better.

World of Warcraft making money at subs and micro transactions. Good on them. Some players like game/skill based rewards, some like grind, some like micro-transaction perks. As long as Blizzard can do a good enough job weaving these various elements into one universe/game...that is great. Blending all those elements grows the player base and makes an MMO feel alive.

Blizzard proves once again they are the online gaming masters.

Wall of text? I would hardly call a paragraph a wall of text. I think you are mistaking the notion. Secondly, punctuation? It has, plenty of it. Lots of dots, question marks, comas, and so on. I am not certain of what you are talking about. Or this is an attempt at exaggeration to passively empower a point, or friendly tease that I am missing? Sorry if it is the latter, I don't understand such things online; missing context and all that.

Interesting that you approve of Blizzard's moves. I know I would as well if I was an investor of them. As a customer I am partly appalled, partly saddened (how can people be so gullible and passive, just buying stuff and not being able to resist even blatant overpricing is beyond me, but then: iPhone; they must be the same people buying these stuff), and partly amused, the mixture of surprise for the extents and effects of passive consumerism along with Activision-Blizzard sales and accounting department gimmicks are a work of economical art.

[Deleted]

LOL WTF is Crossfire?!? xD

[Vankrys]

World of Warcraft making money at subs and micro transactions. Good on them. Some players like game/skill based rewards, some like grind, some like micro-transaction perks. As long as Blizzard can do a good enough job weaving these various elements into one universe/game...that is great. Blending all those elements grows the player base and makes an MMO feel alive.

Blizzard proves once again they are the online gaming masters.

correct me if i'm wrong, but item on cash shop aren't available with in game grinding or as skill-based rewards.

[Baelic]

LOL WTF is Crossfire?!? xD

Judging from it's release dates it's an Online FPS that has it's playerbase mostly in Asia.

[Achaman]

never heard of both crossfire and dungeon fighter but after checking their web pages they both look pretty unimpressive..

plus im suprised maplestory and lineage are still around

[RoninaThorstone]

plus im suprised maplestory and lineage are still around

Gen 1 / 1.5 didn't die out because gen 2 came around just like gen 2 isn't going to die out because gen 2.5/3 is starting to emerge.

[WarpedAcorn]

You guys don't know what Crossfire is? Sheesh, I grew up with this..

[unholytestament]

You guys don't know what Crossfire is? Sheesh, I grew up with this..

God damn that infectious jingle...

[RoninaThorstone]

You guys don't know what Crossfire is? Sheesh, I grew up with this..

Everything was better in the 80s.

Even gaming,

[WarpedAcorn]

God damn that infectious jingle...

You'll get caught up in the...

(Yes I was singing this in my head when I googled the image)

[unholytestament]

You'll get caught up in the...

(Yes I was singing this in my head when I googled the image)

I swear that commercial came on every commercial break for every popular cartoon for the entirety of the the 80s and into the early 90s.

In reality it probably only came on for a year or two, but god damn my childhood was so violated by this game I never even played!

Edit: Although a quick Google shows the game originally came out in 71 but the version most well known and its corresponding LEGENDARY commercial came out in 95. THAT IS THE DAMAGE THIS GAME HAS DONE!

[ignitar]

TF2 and the Mann Co. store have been around longer than DOTA 2. It just needs time to catch up.

Also, I doubt the graph shows Perfect World's Dota2 (Chinese users).

[antelope591]

200 million from selling a couple of mounts and transmogs? jesus...and ppl have the nerve to say blizz isnt swimming in cash lol