Freemium games where it is hard to stop paying once you start

[StaceyPowers]

One of my friends the other day mentioned taking a break from ESO subscription and thus not playing at all for now. I asked her about this, as I thought ESO is free after the initial payment. She explained that it is, but due to paid crafting (I think?) features, so many things break without the optional sub she’s paid for that her existing character would be borderline unplayable.

I wondered how common situations like these are with freemium games. Have you ever ended up relying so much on optional paid features in a game that you didn’t feel you could play without them?

[Withywarlock]

With The Elder Scrolls Online, the big problem is the unlimited inventory space that comes with the subscription, a core function of those who play the game by crafting (and it's as valid a means of progression as combat). Nobody suffers the subscription drawbacks more than the crafters and gatherers who need it to save themselves time.

A game I did a Steam review on was Warhammer: Chaos & Conquest, where you have to pay to keep up. It's an unending arms race where you don't really get to play the game because if you do, your shields go down and you're basically a target for farmers. The higher up the rankings you go, the more your warband(?) will require you to pay to follow orders like "attack this clan," "upgrade this building," "put your shields up" and so forth. Such games are attrocious, and I'm doing well to limit my purchases in a similar game, IdleMafia, on mobile.

[Empire]

I think that you could actually do a pretty tasteful add supported game. Think of it this way, lets say its a game like GTA, could be singlie/multi or could be an MMO. Well put in patches that make the billboards show ads. it would be part of the environment, but make the game devs some money, wouldn't be intrusive and would actually show a changing environment when they change ever few days / weeks/ whatever.

[Justin11]

I .just finding it hard to breach my time playing Fortnite MMO game and paying for it's skins in order for the game to look very much pleasing to me. 

[killamch89]

I'll pay the subscription fee for an MMO if I think it's worth it but I'm not going to spend anything beyond that really.

[Heatman]

7 hours ago, killamch89 said:

I'll pay the subscription fee for an MMO if I think it's worth it but I'm not going to spend anything beyond that really.

That's been my playing pattern for most MMO games for years since I joined it. I might spend a little after the subscription but that's it. 

[Withywarlock]

On 4/24/2022 at 1:27 PM, Empire said:

I think that you could actually do a pretty tasteful add supported game. Think of it this way, lets say its a game like GTA, could be singlie/multi or could be an MMO. Well put in patches that make the billboards show ads. it would be part of the environment, but make the game devs some money, wouldn't be intrusive and would actually show a changing environment when they change ever few days / weeks/ whatever.

I think it could... for now, but it's paving the way for intrusive advertisements like them appearing on loading screens, or the possibility of missions being made (perhaps at the cost of the developers' artistic integrity). I'll never forget Disney Skate Adventure where you had to deliver McDonalds foodstuffs and the reward was a pair of clown shoes. How appropriate.

This is what concerns me about the idea of Microsoft and Sony introducing adverts to their online subscription services. Paying for the privilege to watch ads, and I can easily see online-only being pushed solely to appeal to advertisers and the revenue they generate.

[Justin11]

All FIFA mobile games I've played use mobile network to run, without the mobile network you can't play, and at some point you need to upgrade the patch which cost a lot of data. I was doing lots of downloads, at a time I grew frustrated and I stopped playing the game. 

[Heatman]

On 4/23/2022 at 10:07 PM, StaceyPowers said:

 

I wondered how common situations like these are with freemium games. Have you ever ended up relying so much on optional paid features in a game that you didn’t feel you could play without them?

I consider Fortnite as one the freemium games that I think have grown so much me in in years that it's something that would very difficult for me to break away from. 

[Dannyjax]

Three of such freemium games that I have come to love so much and can't stop playing them easily would be ; Need for Speed: No Limits, Fortnite and League of Legends. 

[Clasher]

Though I only started playing fortnite some Months ago but so far I can't seem to stop playing it.  League of legends also fall under this category and I enjoy playing it with my friends and I can't see my self stopping it anytime soon.

[killamch89]

58 minutes ago, Dannyjax said:

Three of such freemium games that I have come to love so much and can't stop playing them easily would be ; Need for Speed: No Limits, Fortnite and League of Legends. 

No Limits isn't exactly a Freemium game because you had to purchase the game in the first place...

[Withywarlock]

9 minutes ago, killamch89 said:

No Limits isn't exactly a Freemium game because you had to purchase the game in the first place...

Furthermore, but less relevant these days, was that Fortnite wasn't always free-to-play. It's one of the few games that had a (pricey) entry fee to get into its closed beta stages and only because of the Battle Royale boom did it take off. For all the harumphing that goes on about it (myself included back in the day), Fortnite got that right. So many great multiplayer games would survive if their developers/publishers would get their acts together and cobble together a F2P economy.

[killamch89]

1 minute ago, Withywarlock said:

Furthermore, but less relevant these days, was that Fortnite wasn't always free-to-play. It's one of the few games that had a (pricey) entry fee to get into its closed beta stages and only because of the Battle Royale boom did it take off. For all the harumphing that goes on about it (myself included back in the day), Fortnite got that right. So many great multiplayer games would survive if their developers/publishers would get their acts together and cobble together a F2P economy.

I wasn't aware of Fortnite not being free - We also have to consider that Fortnite just happened to come out at a very appropriate time when the only competition was PUBG and it was full of bots/hackers/modders so Fortnite had a headstart on most other games.

[Clasher]

9 minutes ago, killamch89 said:

I wasn't aware of Fortnite not being free - We also have to consider that Fortnite just happened to come out at a very appropriate time when the only competition was PUBG and it was full of bots/hackers/modders so Fortnite had a headstart on most other games.

As far as we know fortnite is a freemuim game, for the most recent season chapter 3 season 3: Vibin' you only have to purchase the limited edition comic fortnite X Marvel zero war comic to have a digital code to unlock some new outfit in the game such as the spider Man zero war outfit , but this is only for a limited as the outfit would be available in the item shop after a short time.