Why sell a great game once when you can squeeze players through microtransactions?
That’s exactly what’s happening here, according to a Reuters report.
The agency reported that Tencent is working on a mobile version of Elden Ring, one of the most successful AAA games in recent times, and quotes three sources close to the company.
“The world’s largest gaming company by revenue acquired the licensing rights for the game by FromSoftware in 2022 and set up a team of a few dozen people to work on a prototype, the same year it bought a 16% stake in the Japanese game maker, the people said. But progress has been slow, they added,” writes Reuters.
Then the outlet explains what Tencent’s plans are for the beloved game, co-developed by Game of Thrones author George RR Martin with the legendary game designer Hidetaka Miyzaki.
“While “Elden Ring” was designed as a premium game with a set price tag, Tencent wants to make it a free-to-play game with in-app purchases, similar to the hit game “Genshin Impact” developed by its Chinese rival miHoYo, the people said.
But the design of “Elden Ring”, which focuses on a complete experience after a one-time purchase, is at odds with Tencent’s planned model,” explains Reuters.
Neither Tencent, the game’s publisher, nor FromSoftware, its developer, have commented on this story.
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