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Rumor: Free-To-Play Games Coming To Xbox Live?
Free-to-play and microtransaction oriented games have taken the industry by storm, especially in the PC marketplace. Now, reports are surfacing that Microsoft's Xbox Live online service -- which has generally been focused on paid titles -- might be embracing free-to-play games in the near future. IGN reports that "a trusted source" had told them that "[Microsoft] will allow publishers and developers to release games through the service for free where users can then purchase additional content, such as weapons, experience points, in-game currency, and perks."
If true, this would be a massive sea-change for Xbox Live. IGN did point out that Joy Ride for Kinect was initially introduced as a free-to-play, microtransaction-driven title when it was announced at E3 in 2009. Joy Ride was eventually released as a conventional retail game.
(Thanks to reader Nick for the news tip!)
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