In a set of comments to IGN, David Georgeson (director of development for EverQuest), defended the controversial Free-to-play (F2P) model of gaming as the latest EverQuest game, EverQuest Next, is embracing the F2P model.

“I think that free-to-play is the way that gamers should want their MMOs to be, and the reason I think that is that if we don’t do a really good job and we don’t entertain the player, we don’t make a dime” Georgeson said. “We’re effectively street performers: we go out there and sing and dance and if we do a good job, people throw coins into the hat.”

“[P]aying $60 up front to take a gamble on whether the game is good or not? You don’t get that money back…if you buy a turkey, you’ve just wasted your money. With free-to-play you get to go in, take a look at it and find out. It’s entirely our responsibility to make sure you’re entertained. That’s the way things should be in my opinion with free-to-play.”

EverQuest Next is currently in development and will be released on the PC and PlayStation 4 sometime in the future. EverQuest Next: Landmark, a kind of demo, began beta testing last week.

My Opinion

While I respect the sentiments behind Georgeson’s opinion, I don’t agree with it in the case of MMO games. MMOs operate on a very high instant-gratification loop, so once a player starts playing, it can be hard for him to stop. Couple that with the F2P model—which can easily bleed into a “pay to win” model—and you have a recipe for underhanded design. A hooked player will fork over real currency for the best items if that’s what it takes to succeed.

While there are no indications that EverQuest: Next is going this route, it’s still a concern. Players shouldn’t have to pay to succeed.