While there’s an argument to be made about multiplayer games going for a full price, free-to-play ones definitely have an appealing factor to them. Just look at Fortnite, a game that relies on in-game purchases and has helped Epic Games clean up with $3 billion in profit this past year.
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So what’s next? According to an analysis from GamesIndustry International, two more big games could take the free-to-play route- and they’re sure to be surprise choices for fans.
Michael Pachter, an analyst for Wedbush Industries, recently spoke with the team about predictions for 2019. Among them was the indication that Blizzard’s hit multiplayer game Overwatch would be joining the free-to-play ranks over the next few months, followed by the Blackout mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
Said Pachter, “I think that the 18 Overwatch League owners have been assured by Blizzard that it will expand the audience for Overwatch. The most expedient way to do this is to make the core game free-to-play in order to attract tens of millions of new users, who ostensibly will convert to OWL viewers. I expect this by mid-June (the third anniversary of the launch of the original game. Disgruntled players who bought the core game will likely be compensated by being given free stuff (skins or other cosmetic items).”
It’s a plan that makes sense, as Blizzard could easily clean up on profits from loot boxes. But it’d be interesting to see what would be offered to those that paid full price for the game.
As for Blackout, it would obviously make the shift a little bit later on, as Black Ops 4 is currently selling well for Activision. “Blackout will go FTP at least a month prior to the launch of next year’s Call of Duty, in order to promote the new game,” Pachter predicted.
That also clicks, since going with a free-to-play approach would keep players around as Infinity Ward’s new CoD game makes the rounds.
Neither Blizzard nor Activision have confirmed these plans just yet, so take the analysis with a grain of salt. However, E3 2019 is just around the corner, and a one-two punch of an announcement from the publishing team would make sense. Perhaps we could hear something even sooner, as we’ve seen Call of Duty games announced in the past before the show.
Overwatch and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 are available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
Think there’s a good reason for these games to go free-to-play? Reach out to me on Twitter at @TheDCD!
(Hat tip to GamesIndustry International for the scoop!)
