Darkfall Online - Dev Journal #17 @ WarCry

Associate Producer Tasos Flambouras considers publishing options and business models in the latest Darkfall developer journal at WarCry.

Asian publishers have always asked us to look at their preferred business model, which is giving the game away for free and making money from selling advertising, items, and services. This is how most MMOs operate in Asian markets. Darkfall of course with the full loot and the player crafted items doesn't lend itself well to this business model. We're starting to see more and more of this in the west as well, with several recent examples, and I can't help but wonder, and prompt a debate if possible, how western audiences view this. I'll add a strong disclaimer as to avoid any misunderstandings: This is NOT to say that we're even considering this for the N. America and Europe, or for Asia for this matter, so please don't start speculating, or worrying that we are. Something I read about a very large publisher wanting to experiment with this in the west made me want to ask for some feedback about where you see the market going in the near future.