"The next big thing in PC gaming will be free games," said Earthworm Jim designer David Perry during an awards ceremony in Belfast where he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Queen's University.
"Asia had so much piracy that they decided to stop charging for the games. Instead, there'll be a charge for things you might want to use in the game," Perry added.
Under his ideal model of PC gaming, each game would be free (eliminating the financial reasons for piracy), and development costs would be covered by players who desire certain in-game advantages or dynamic advertising -- both of which are entirely controlled by the developers, and near impossible to sidestep with DVD burners and torrents.
Though it's hard to imagine the entire PC gaming industry embracing Perry's ideal en massé in the near future, publishers are slowly warming to the idea. Electronic Arts' upcoming Battlefield Heroes will be free to play and supported by ad revenue, and presumably Perry's next project (an MMO dubbed Top Secret that Mr. Perry is creating for Acclaim) will follow his suggested microtransaction model.
Image courtesy Activision
