Posts tagged freemium 
South Park pokes fun at freemium mobile games
Trey Parker and Matt Stone set their sights on free-to-play mobile games in the latest episode of South Park, skewering predatory game design tactics in the process. Titled "Freemium Isn't Free" (okay, that's maybe a little bit too self-referential, guys) the episode explores the creative process b...
Google won't call games with in-app purchases 'free' anymore
In an era where video games can be sold as "free-to-pay" and/or "freemium" products, it's important to know what "free" really means. A "free" game might actually cost you nothing and generate revenue purely through in-game advertising, or it might be free to download, but in-game purchases can set...
Gibeau: EA 'innovated too much' with Dungeon Keeper
EA's reboot of Dungeon Keeper rubbed new and old fans the wrong way with an aggressive approach to monetization – it's a free, mobile app heavy on microtransactions and shifty five-star rating schemes. The original game's creator, Peter Molyneux, dubbed the reboot "ridiculous," and in June, E...
Educational software Classcraft to offer freemium pay model
Freemium payment models sometimes draw ire from fans that feel like they're being nickeled and dimed, but how would students feel about it if it loosely tied into their education? Classcraft Studios is about to find out, as it plans to implement appearance-altering micro transactions into a ver...
Report: Freemium leads the charge among mobile devs, in-app ads on the rise
The "freemium" revenue model is currently the top monetization strategy for mobile developers, but in-app advertising is expected to grow in prominence over the next several years, according to a new report from mobile revenue analytics company App Annie (via VentureBeat). App Annie found that o...
Report: Clash of Clans raking in $654k per day
Finnish developer Supercell is earning around $654,000 daily in Clash of Clans microtransaction sales on iOS and Android devices, according to a report from Business Insider. Clash of Clans is a free-to-play simulation game with tower defense elements, challenging players to build a village and ...
Report: EA shutters freemium-focused North Carolina studio
EA's North Carolina studio, a freemium-oriented extension of the mobile and social game-oriented EA All Play label, has been shut down, The Escapist reports. The studio is not listed on EA's studio location map, but The Escapist reports that a cached copy of the previous site describes the stud...
Plants vs. Zombies 2: it's about time we talked freemium vs. premium
PopCap Games is known for making games that appeal to a mass audience, and perhaps none are more so than Plants vs. Zombies. The cute 'n clever tower defense game has connected with players of all ages and origins. A sequel, then, was inevitable, and after an announcement last year we finally got t...
Ultima Forever reduces most freemium prices after Canadian beta
Ultima Forever, being made by EA for iOS platforms, has received some major tweaks to its freemium currency prices. The RPG has been available in Canada as a beta for a while now, and producer Carrie Gouskos says the biggest change – besides performance adjustments – has been to the cos...
SingStar becoming a 'free download,' mic still required
Sony's SingStar Viewer app for the PlayStation 3 previously just allowed players to check out SingStar content for free; they'd have to put the game's disc in if they actually wanted to sing along with any of the game's songs. But a new message in the app hints that will be changing very soon. The ...
