With numbers like that, it's no surprise that free-to-play (F2P) has become the de facto leading model in online gaming. According to GamesIndustry, The NPD Group latest report--titled "Insights into the Freemium Games Market"--has found that 40 percent of players of F2P games pay up for in-game content and items. Better yet (for freemium game makers), those free-to-paid player conversions typically happen within the first month of play. And unsurprisingly, women are way more likely to play a F2P game than men. What is surprising, however, is that the ladies "are among the least likely to pay for an upgrade," according to The NPD Group.
While a whopping 84 percent of F2P players continue to play their game of choice through the trial period, it's challenging to get those players to pay up. In fact, The NPD Group admitted that said games are designed with that in mind. "When designing a game, it's important to consider features that would drive quick conversion to pay," NPD industry analyst Anita Frazier.
Ultimately, The NPD Group comes to the conclusion that 38 percent of the U.S. population plays some form of F2P game. The only place these games are going is into the hands of more people.
[Image Credit: Knickerbocker]
Have you ever paid up for content or items in a F2P game? Do you see this becoming the norm for all games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
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Source: http://blog.games.com/2012/04/23/free-to-play-games-npd-report/
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