The Train2Game blog has previously hailed the PC as the ideal platform for Train2Game students, but the future of the system is in free to play games. That’s according to Gas Powered Games, the game development studio behind the Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commander series.

“When I have this experience, where I can get a ‘freemium’ game that’s incredible, huge with arguably hundreds of hours of free gameplay, why would I go to the store and spend $50 in the old model?”  Gas Powered Games boss Chris Taylor told Eurogamer.

“I’m so done with that. It’s fair to say I’m done dropping that kind of money. I want this in everything. Take any favourite game of mine”

“To me it’s the future. Absolutely it’s the future. If I had to make any prognostications about the gaming industry, that’s the easiest one I will have made in 10 years. This model is coming. It’s here to stay. It’s good on every level.”

Gas Powered Games are currently developing Age of Empire Online, which will be released both digitally and at retail later this year. Players will be able buy extra content in the form of civilizations, boosters and empire extras with the former including premium content.

Of course, Train2Game students may recognise the title as a change in direction for the classic Age of Empires series.

“This is what RTS gaming has become: Age of Empires Online,” said Taylor “It is online, it has community, friends, but that is the beginning. It means when the game goes out, you don’t get a hump and you go down. When the game comes out it goes up infinitely.

“It means every month or so you see cool new things, rather than six months, a year, or maybe never. It’s a continuous rhythm.” He added

Earlier this week, the Train2Game blog reported that Valve also see the benefits of a continuous development cycle, with Team Fortress 2 having received over 200 updates since its release in 2007.

“We have turned a very important corner for the way we think about and develop software and the value proposition we give our customers. It’s way up from where we were before.” Taylor concluded.

In March, the Train2Game blog examined how developing free-to-play game featuring microtransactions could potentially bring success to a Train2Game student.

So Train2Game, do you think free-to-play games are the future of PC gaming? Or are Taylor’s claims complete rubbish? What do you think the future of PC gaming is?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Eurogamer]