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Free Realms Approaches the Five-Million-Player Mark

Posted by Soulskill on from the price-is-right dept.

A few days ago at Comic-Con, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley spoke about the success of Free Realms, their free-to-play MMORPG that relies on microtransactions for a business model. The game was released at the end of April, and by mid-June there were upwards of three million registered users. Now that total is approaching five million, with no sign of slowing down. Min Kim, another panelist at the discussion, said, "When people started talking about it back in 2003 or 2004, people said Western games would never want to do this, to play a game for free and then buy items. And now everybody is saying, 'We're going to have microtransactions as part of our business model.'"

5 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. So if I were to jump off the cliff... by thatkid_2002 · · Score: 2, Funny

    So if I were to jump off the cliff the idiotic CEOs and Game Designers would follow me?

    It's OK. I'll take one for the team, guys.

  2. This is the (sad) future by physburn · · Score: 3, Funny
    In the future a major proportion of the world economy will be lived in MMO style worlds. People with spend much of there time there, because in a polluted, expensive, miserable rule world, just doesn't have anything for them. Some people, like chinese gold farmers now, will slave in artificial game jobs, finding magic swords and a like for the spoiled teenagers of the richer classes. Gambling on gameplay might all spring up as a mini industry for the denizens of the MMO environments. It will be so much fun, that many people will neglect there real lives, usually spent alone in VR environment in dirty bed sits and ever smaller flats.

    ---

    MUD Games Feed @ Feed Distiller

  3. Re:Great name! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    What would you propose? 'Free Paint'?

  4. Re:Winders Only, of course.... by Kratisto · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now Slashdot that's a browser game. The entire website is in the browser and can be read as long as you have the most up to date javascript. Even on linux.

    --
    Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.
  5. Re:Great name! by MistrBlank · · Score: 4, Funny

    No silly, Photo Image Manipulation Program... or:

    P.I.M.P.

    They should also make a "lite edition" to make it much easier for the simple edits people would like to do without all the crazy effects.

    P.I.M.P.L.E.