Crytek will go free to play after Crysis 3

Crytek has apparently confirmed that their future will hinge on the free-to-play genre.  “The future is online and free-to-play,”said Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli in a recent interview with Video Gamer.  Yerli who explained Crytek as a company that is in a transitional phase, that will ultimately lead them to being completely dependent on the free to play model.

The developer is still under contract for a number of games.  Crysis 3 is one of those titles that won’t fall under the free to play umbrella, but after these contracts have been completed, Yerli sees Crytek focusing soley on providing free to play experiences.  The company has already got one free to play title in the works, Warface, which is due in North America in 2012.

Yerli explained:  “if you look at what types of games are done in the packaged goods market, with DLCs and premium services and whatnot, it’s literally milking the customers to death.”  Free to Play game models have gotten somewhat of a bad rap in recent years.  Pay to win schemes leave the playing field skewed for many players, but if done right can work out well for both the game developer and the player.

You don’t need to look very far to find success stories in the free to play marketplace.  Riot Games has been wildly successful with its League of Legends title that allows players to play to their hearts content without putting up a red cent.