Direct2Drive Tackles Free To Play Market

Direct2Drive, IGN's digital distribution platform, is now selling "free to play" online games with starter packs. While that in and of itself is interesting, one thing the company is planning on doing might confuse consumers; it is putting these online games - bundled with extra digital content called "starter packs" - in among other non-free games and selling them for various prices (based on that starter pack content).

The potential problem is that consumers may think that games like Crossfire, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Saga Online require a monthly fee when they don't. With games that do require a fee, Direct2Drive clearly labels those requirements on each game page; but with a game like Dungeons and Dragons Online (as an example), there is no clarity on the matter - consumers who may not follow the MMO space much won't have any idea of what they are buying.

But Direct2Drive says that not labeling free to play games as such is a deliberate tactic. Here's what Direct2Drive content VP Sutton Trout told Gamasutra today:

"In the same way an MMO is an online game, a free-to-play is an online game," he explained. "The monetization might be slightly different, but at the end of the day, [gamers are] playing online. We named it that [way] for a reason. It would be very confusing to tell our users, 'free to play channel,' and then ask for money."

Of course, this means that Direct2Drive is only in it to earn royalties on items bought directly through its site. Still it seems a little misleading to not include some sort of data on how much a game does or doesn't cost per month and that what consumers are really paying for is extra content. On the other hand, many of these games need as much exposure as they can get and D2D has a huge audience..

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