Why Is This Game Free

[LadyScootaloo]

It's free if you're rich.

edit:(and if you have no... other activities to pursue, it's free because you have the time.)

Edited October 15, 2014 by LadyScootaloo

[Sebastianx]

Because it's awesome like that, besides the prime exclusive Excalibur Prime and prime accessories, I have EVERYTHING without playing a dime, because I'm poor...still, that makes Warframe probably the best MMO I have ever played, alongside LoL and maybe Tribes Ascend.

[(PSN)ShuhanX]

It's only truly free if you have a lot of patience lol

[Edgedemon]

Its free for ninjas.

because they stealthily make you spend more than you would had otherwise.

 

because the market its trending that way.

 

having an outright buy price is a one time only income which reduces the chance people will try out your game, with so many offers in the current times games are forced to have lower entry bars to try and fetch the few people willing to spend their money on them, a few give game time or limited trials but being completely free is still a better hook to players who enter thinking "i will only play while its free" and end up spending a lot.

[AM-Bunny]

This game being a free to play is the only reason that it's grown to this point. DE said that they wanted to start this project, but lacked proper funding around the time the free to play model was becoming popular. This model essentially allowed them to release half finished content, with bare bones features, and offer "founder packs" that cost 5x as much as a regular triple a title. This game wouldn't have been possible without this model. I'm not bashing the game, it's true.

[WERElektro]

I think that, under certain circumstances, a f2p game model can be more profitable than a p2p game model.

In fact I believe that most f2p games are more profitable than p2p games.

[Landwalrus]

AMAZING GAME

why is this game completely free

Because it isn't even close to being what one could consider a finished product due to the lack of tangible content.

Good game? sure.

Finished? Not at all. This game needs content and a real objective other than to just grind.

[Inversus]

Really if you're going to play this game for a while you'll end up spending at least a little money in order to buy weapon/frame slots and reactors/catalysts for your weapons/frames.

I personally have only really spent money on slots + reactors/catalysts and I've spent about £30 which is about how much I'd spend on average on b2p games.

 

Those that buy frames/weapons or any other plat items will probably end up spending more money on this f2p model than they would if they had bought the game >.>

[Nibaki]

As others have said. This F2P game earns more than normal P2P games. I have spent over 300 eu on this game in less than 14 days of my whole time playing it. Bet they all driving in Ferrari. . :D

[Shailocke]

Warframe is one of the strongest Free-to-Play games I've seen.

 

They're a little heavy with the platinum transactions where most of everything is heinously overpriced, particularly the weapons, but the cosmetics are largely reasonable.

 

The game's real problem is its lack of late game content that's worth doing.  The Void stretched this out for a good while, but now its item drop tables are just about irreparably cluttered with items, such that you're severely unlikely to get what you go in for, even if it's simple Forma blueprints.  Doesn't help that its loot table is full of key drops, making for a losing proposition of spending a Void key to drop 5 - 40 minutes on probably getting another Void key.

 

Derelict missions are underdeveloped.  Invasions are too repetition-oriented for the battle pay they offer; 5 runs is too much for anything that isn't a Catalyst, Reactor, or Forma/Forma blueprint.  A few runs on Sechura dwarf the credit pay invasions offer; 5 invasion missions might net you 35,000 credits, 5 runs in the Dark Sectors will easily pull in three times that or more.  

 

The game does what it does well, but it's at the point that it needs to stretch out and do other things, so the entire Arcwing thing is very exciting.  If they branch out into larger group games, a true PvP experience, and keep cranking out the events, they'll keep people around and coming back for a good while.

 

Which is why - and this is important - people throw in their support and appreciation by paying into the game for Prime Access and Prime Accessories packs.  (These have their own fairly heated debates on the bundle pricing and contents, so it's not all smooth sailing.)

 

You could play this game totally free, but it'd be pretty constrained with only two Warframes and like six weapons.  Chances are you'll enjoy yourself and volunteer some money.  That's why the game is free.  You get to play it as much as you like, within some particular constraints, and you'll probably want to throw some money at them so they'll keep going.  Or you'll hit the end, start seeing where the weaknesses are, and by then you'll probably have thrown them some money... but you might throw them some more so that they'll keep going and you'll have something new to come back to, when you want to check on your space ninja and maybe shoot some Grineer.

 

This. I only ever really find myself playing Valkyr or Vauban because no other frames appeal to me (apart from Zephyr, but that's a pain to get), and I only use a handful of weapons because I've put a lot of time into making them perfect, and enjoy using them.

[Hortonman]

Because it's a labor of love, and if you love something, set it free.

[Rakosta_Kai]

F2P models are, in general, more profitable short term than P2P models.

 

That said, it presumes a lot of factors.

 

The company has to have a cash shop that entices players to want (not "have")to spend money.

The company has to operate with reasonably low overhead.

 

Because the game is free and overhead has to be stringently managed (at least, initially) you will typically see things like story, graphics, or regular updates happen infrequently.

 

In the process, expectations tend to be set fairly low for F2P games as their production values are typically lower than a P2P game's.

This is a common fallacy as those F2P games stand to make more in the first two years than a P2P game will.

 

What makes WF different is the fact that it's a F2P game that gives out a fair amount of swag for free, has enticing visuals, and has regular updates (even if there is little real story content). This basically avoids the bulk of the pitfalls that make F2P games bad.

Likewise, the fact that WF is/was also an indie game that asked the players for funding tended to give it a bit of a leg up comparatively because the "indie" title tends to be a bit more patiently received regarding issues of production value and content.

The sense of player investment that comes from literally helping to fund the game creates a degree of loyalty and another soft spot to players.

 

That's all changed now...

 

Warframe now falls under a different category given that the game is no longer under the "Indie" moniker.

Only time will tell as to how the game will be received now as expectations just got raised dramatically.

Likewise, that sense of player ownership is gone as we know who the current owners are.

[ROXXXY]

Everyone playing is a ninja. That's why the games free.

[SIDESTRE4M]

Paying helps a lot... or the conclusion might be: It's a pain without platinum, because of Catalysts, Reactors and slots.

 

A new player won't have much stuff to trade, so a bit money is never wrong.

 

 

However you only have to pay for progress help, not power in general.

 

Meaning, if you have all you need, you can literally play for free as long as you want. There are no temporary powerups you need to buy every few days to remain "viable".

[pepsi-tan]

>amazing

>free

 

What game are you describing exactly what does it have to do with Warframe?

[Draciusen]

I've probably spend hundreds of dollars of F2P games over the years. I could get double the playtime with all that money playing Runescape or WoW, and all that jazz, but I didn't.

 

It's the way the model is set up, I don't feel pressured into constantly paying to even play the game, I just spend money whenever I feel like it. When I played Runescape with a subscription, I always felt like I had to use my time wisely and productively, otherwise I was "wasting" the money I spent to play it and the experience was hardly relaxing and enjoyable.

 

For F2P games sometimes I could go 8 months without spending a penny, then drop $70 for some new items in the game and not feel guilty because I was still able to play the game and enjoy myself casually those 8 months without any pressure that my subscription was going to run out.

 

F2P is like a friends with benefits relationship. You get all the good stuff without any of the strings, but it's probably not a wise decision for the long haul. Who cares though, it's great. Meanwhile committed relationships have all the pressure and obligations, but can be really rewarding in the end, even if you can't see it.

[Frostmire]

Because it is still far from completed , sure you see a lot of contents being added every update but  few of them worth the " completed " title . They are added to the game only to be forgotten in the next 1-2 updates in which DE mess with new concepts again. The game being F2P allows DE to maintain a steady income while they complete the game . 

 

Off-topic : I wouldn't call P2P " pay once, play forever " , because you know ... DLCs .

[Tekknoir]

AMAZING GAME

why is this game completely free

Because they make more money this way.

[Chaosdreamer]

It's free until you understand that you have to buy warframe , weapon , sentinel slot , colors , because for some reason you need alot of warframe and strange weapon , oh and why not be shiny in space with colors you know? It's free when you start , but once you understand it's not

[Oriviagene]

Honestly this game is far better than any "cash shop" games I've ever played be4

Truly F2P

[Damuranashi]

Because the best things in this life are free...

[Ibro156]

Impatient players like me. We through money on plat for slots, cosmetics and etc.

Edited October 16, 2014 by Ibro156

[thatdamnlobster]

if you spend time and effort, you will never spend a dime on this game and still have all the stuff other poeple do

[Brimir]

if you spend time and effort, you will never spend a dime on this game and still have all the stuff other poeple do

 

At first I was gonna go "Nuh-uh, what about item/warframe slots...?"

 

Then I realized Prime/Mod trading exists and I felt dumb...

 

I'm too old school.

[thatdamnlobster]

At first I was gonna go "Nuh-uh, what about item/warframe slots...?"

 

Then I realized Prime/Mod trading exists and I felt dumb...

 

I'm too old school.

haha yeah. us old farts needs to stay on top of it.

 

<--- march 2013