Vae on 26/5/2017 at 23:38
It looks like our pals over at Square Enix are planning on moving to a GaaS (Games as a Service) model, for future game products.
(
http://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/news/pdf/17q4outline.pdf) Outline of Financial Results Briefing by SQUARE ENIX HOLDINGS held on May 11, 2017...
page 9Quote:
Titles that have become global hits recently have tended to be offered via the “Games as a Service” model, and we believe this is going to be the mainstream model for gaming in the future. In developing future titles, we will approach game design with a mind to generate recurring revenue streams.
Micro-transactions and pay-walled core mechanics here we come!...:mad:
Trance on 27/5/2017 at 01:21
"We've decided that the EA Death Spiral looks like a lot of fun, so we're going to try that."
Nameless Voice on 27/5/2017 at 03:37
So, that link isn't actually a link.
"Games as a Service" sounds like some kind of Netflix for games - you pay per month and have access to games for as long as you're a member, but don't own anything.
Are they talking about something like that, or just filling games with pointless micro-transactions?
Sulphur on 27/5/2017 at 04:28
Games as a service means that the game doesn't ship as a locked product. It continues to receive content updates and revisions while it's 'live' like, say, Diablo III and The Division. That can include microtransactions, or it can include further content packs that you'll need to pay for, like D3's Necromancer character, for instance.
Vae on 27/5/2017 at 04:29
Quote Posted by Nameless Voice
So, that link isn't actually a link.
Fixed link.
Malf on 27/5/2017 at 07:39
Quote Posted by Sulphur
Games as a service means that the game doesn't ship as a locked product. It continues to receive content updates and revisions while it's 'live' like, say, Diablo III and The Division.
Or Hitman.
Sulphur on 27/5/2017 at 07:49
Yep, that episodic model and the continued limited-duration elusive target missions is a good example of what Squeenix has already started doing. Also similar to what they're doing with FFXV at the moment.
N'Al on 27/5/2017 at 09:03
What, you mean like Unravel or Child of Light or Valiant Hearts? Yeah, EA and Ubi don't touch that stuff with a barge pole.
N'Al on 27/5/2017 at 09:10
So there you go then.
Sure, they make up a tiny percentage of EA and Ubi's catalogue - smaller than in SE's, perhaps - but to claim they don't exist is a bit... disingenuous.
It's not like SE doesn't have massive franchises that get frequent new releases either.
henke on 27/5/2017 at 09:30
I'm split on GaaS.
For story-based games I tend to play them once and move on. Already finished FFXV and I don't recon I'll be going back even if they add more content.
But for games without stories or campaigns, such as Elite Dangerous or GTA Online, I've really enjoyed the drip-feed of new content. In the case of Elite I gladly paid for the Horizons season pass, and will likely pay for whatever the next season is as well.
I hope SE aren't going to try to shoehorn GaaS into all their games, because it really wouldn't work for most of their franchises, if any.
