I currently work in the games industry, because of the modern day of age we live in, technology has made developers think outside the box and how to
benefit from people file sharing and downloading.
This is where the FTP (free to play model) comes in, there's a massive shift in the online industry with this model. By providing the game for FREE
you actively encourage people to join your game.
Ok, what does the developer get out of this?
Alright, they just made this game for FREE, that's right FREE, But in return they have valuable information such as your email and other personal
details.
The main point with FTP is that you can only excel to a certain level, this is where Micro payment systems come in,
So you need a special sward or the next upgrade of Armour, BUY IT from the developer!!!!
This model works GREAT in Asia, seems no one wants to pay for games but are happy to pay for extra in game equipment.
This is the new strategy currently being implemented in the gaming industry.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-play
www.freetoplay.org