Free-to-play is becoming a popular way to distribute games in the PC space, as the release of Age of Empires Online is demonstrating. To Chris Taylor, chief executive and creative director at Gas Powered Games, it will be the next big thing in the PC space.
“This game is in the big leagues,” said Chris Taylor, chief executive and creative director at Gas Powered Games. “If you’re wondering where PC gaming is going next, this is where it’s going. It’s a huge shift.”
The game’s download of 2GB is free and it includes Greek or Egyptian civilization. Saving your city permanently, unlocking new civilizations or getting certain decorative buildings will cost some money.
The capital city that you can retain can become bigger and can be visited by your friends. Importantly, you can get gear and craft products from the cities, sell those items on market and also purchase items from other players’ stores.
“We think of it as an MMO with real-time strategy,” said Danan Davis, executive producer of the game. “It’s going to be easy to get into, but hard to master. We keep adding layers of depth, but you can play at the level that suits you. There are many ways to customize it.”
“I’m glad we arrived here, since it’s a long time since our industry has been this exciting,” Taylor said. “We think this game will be one of the best value propositions out there in free-to-play games.”
Source: VentureBeat
