Platform holders Sony and Microsoft will find themselves in for a rough time in the next-generation console war if they fail to adopt the concept of free-to-play titles.
That’s according to Crytek head honcho Cevat Yerli, who told Eurogamer that the industry giants need to support F2P games going forward.
“I hope for them that they do,” he said. “If they don’t then it’s going to be a rough time for them. It’s quite a challenge for these companies logically because they rely so heavily on retail to sell the hardware and to sell the games where the margin for retail really is.”
“If they would forgo their entire retail business and go digital free-to-play, then they would not be selling any more Xboxes as well. There’s a chicken and egg thing there. And they have to make radical calls.”
Crytek of course has already confirmed it’s going down the F2P route, and Yerli was keen to point out that the company’s offerings will be of the highest quality possible.
“We know that free-to-play games have a bad image. They have a bad reputation – it’s pay to win, it’s low quality. I completely get that, but we are making free-to-play that’s high quality. It’s CryEngine 3, it’s a big investment.”
Crytek is currently developing Crysis 3 for PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360, which will be released in early 2013.