During a recent interview with Japanese newspaper Nikkei, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata confirmed that Nintendo has come around on the idea of using a free-to-play model for new franchises. If that thought fills you with horrific visions of 649 Pokemon to unlock for 99 cents each, worry not. Iwata also made it clear that even if the Big N ever went the free-to-play/microtransaction route, it would not be for existing franchises like Mario or Pokemon.
“We [as an industry] can now do distribution by digital means as well as micro-transactions, and the ways to obtain money through supporting entertainment have increased,” Iwata said. “I have no intention of denying charged games or the free-to-play model. If we were to talk about if Nintendo were to do that, however, I do not [have] much inclination to do that with Nintendo's established well-known products, where people trust their interesting-ness.”
No matter what the Big N decides, Iwata pledges that the company does not want or intend to nickel and dime its loyal customers. “We will not have a proverbial door to full enjoyment that can only be unlocked via payment,” he said. “However, this is separate from, say, having something where because there are people who want more stages to play in Mario games, we will create new courses for those people and charge for them.”
An example cited by Iwata himself, New Super Mario Bros 2 was sold as a complete game with additional Coin Rush packs created and released later as paid DLC. In this way an existing franchise incorporated microtransaction elements without sacrificing the integrity of first being released as a full and complete game.
As for brand new franchises, Iwata feels that the sky is the limit. “For new titles with no established base, if, in the process of development, we found it to suit the free-to-play model, we might follow that route, or we might do something like 'cheap-to-play,’” he said. “Our sales methods have been freed up and I have no desire to extinguish that freedom. If we were to release something like that, it is not a betrayal but the birth of an interesting idea through our new found freedom, that's all. I am not talking about changing how we sell Mario or Pokémon.”
What do you think? Are you open to the idea of a free-to-play Nintendo game? Are you happy with how the company incorporated the concept in New Super Mario Bros. 2? Sound off in the comments below and let your voice be heard!
Source: Eurogamer
Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can keep track of her wild adventures by following Aminka on IGN or @GameOnAminka on Twitter. Game on!
Source : ign[dot]com
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