Capcom: Free-To-Play Is “Worthy Of Exploration”

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August 5, 2014

Most major publishers are investing in the free-to-play space, and Resident Evil company Capcom is no different. An English summary of the Q&A session that followed Capcom's latest earnings report was published today, and in it, the company explains its outlook on free-to-play as a business model.

"There is little precedent when it comes to free-to-play home video games," Capcom said, going on to explain that its upcoming PlayStation 4 free-to-play game, Deep Down, is an "interesting" title. "Since this will be a new free-to-play title, it will increase the opportunities for signing up more users on more platforms. I see free-to-play games as a business model worthy of exploration."

Explaining Deep Down's free-to-play business model earlier this year, Capcom's Yoshinori Ono said the publisher will offer a "large variety of content at reasonable prices." Deep Down is set in 2094 New York and runs on Capcom's new Panta Rhei engine. The game will feature dungeons that exist in a shared-world, similar to that of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. News about the game's beta is expected to be announced this month.

Capcom is not the only major publisher with investments in the free-to-play market. Activision has Call of Duty Online in China, while Electronic Arts has a stable of free-to-play offerings that include Battlefield Heroes, Dungeon Keeper, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, among many others. Grand Theft Auto parent company Take-Two has NBA 2K Online in China, while Ubisoft currently operates Ghost Recon: Phantoms.