WARFACE FOR FREE
WARFACE FULL

'The ecosystem is still being tested for Western territories,' Holzapfel replied, 'so it's not really set in stone. Most games are designed to make money after all, so I asked Holzapfel for details on the nature of Warface's monetisation. It's clearly turning heads, and while it is free, there are - naturally - a list of entirely optional paid-for additions, should consumers wish to partake. In fact, VG247 reported in November that Russia alone has over five million registered users, while Eurogamer reported that over 500,000 people had pre-registered for the game's closed beta across the UK and America as of August 2012. The game is already seeing steady interest in other territories.

Once Western gamers get to see more of it this year, it could become rather difficult to ignore. Indeed, the premise may be a tad stale - set in a future where corporations hold more power than national Governments, as their own private armies wage war for global dominance - but there is an aesthetic sheen here that current F2P titles - in the majority at least - lack. Couple that quality with a fast-paced experience that comes entirely free, and the prospect is hard to turn down. The game's polish isn't under scrutiny however, as it serves as a fine showcase of CryEngine 3's capability.

WARFACE FOR FREE

There is a certain nobility to letting players decide whether or not a game is worth their time - rather than bombarding the senses and clouding judgement with flashy, dubstep-laden trailers, PR chatter and incessant studio hype.īut that said, completing a major project like Warface over several years, only for it to launch for free and then fail catastrophically also creates a severe gamble for Crytek. So to us, we're making a cool game for a bigger audience.' But with free-to-play it's like 'OK, this product has to be good' or no one will play.

But then after an hour they might say, 'OK this is actually not that cool', after having spent $60. 'With traditional games you can kind of 'trick' players into buying the game.

WARFACE FULL

'Since there's no real barrier to free-to-play – people don't have to go to the store to buy their game, pay $60 up front – then there's no risk attached to it, and what we like about it is that it's very much the full product, there's no need to try and convince gamers through trailers, marketing or anything else on that side. There will be so much variation, but right now you would rather spend $60 on a retail title because the quality is higher, than waste time with a mediocre free-to-play title. 'From our perspective,' Holzapfel explained, 'in the future there won't be any mediocrity in free-to-play because those games will just not be successful. The team is confident it can be done, and should be done, so I spoke with Holzapfel to dig away at the matter a little deeper.

Warface producer Peter Holzapfel and the team at Crytek Kiev are sick of the supposed 'long con' that comes with free games, and has its sights set on releasing a full triple-a, CryEngine 3 FPS experience in the West with no price tag, where the only monetisation comes through 'convenience boosters' and aesthetic differentiators. I wouldn't blame you either, because gamers have had their fingers burned by seemingly 'free' games a few times, not to mention paid titles with shameful money-spinning measures, such as The War Z's ludicrous 'paid respawn' fiasco at the end of last year. If I told you this with a straight face, chances are you still wouldn't believe me, possibly for fear of a hidden catch somewhere down the line. Picture this: imagine getting a game like Battlefield 3 or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 absolutely free of charge, with no hidden strings attached, no 'freemium' caps or need to pay a penny at any point in the game's cycle, ever. The game has yet to launch in the West, but you can sign up for beta play now over at the official Warface site. We reported on the game's single player here.Ĭrytek has been silent on the game recently as development on the Western build rolls on, but the Warface PAX 2012 trailer was rather tasty, showing off CryEngine 3 visuals and plenty of gunplay. Warface is a F2P shooter from Crytek Kiev, in conjunction with Crytek Seoul and several publishing partners around the globe.Īlthough it's been marketed as a multiplayer shooter, Warface also features a campaign. VG247's Dave Cook speaks with Crytek Kiev on the game's development, and the state of $60 boxed titles. Warface is Crytek's attempt at redefining the triple-a F2P market.