Some games are going to a model that is free to the user, but hosts advertisements to pay for the reoccurring bills and the development cost.  Many users think this is great, and it is nice on the surface, but there's a problem.  What?  There's a problem with getting to play games for free?

The problem is that now the developer is working directly for the advertisers and not the gamers.  Sure, without gamers you can't sell your advertising, but you are getting all of your money from your advertisers.  Who do you think has most of the power here?  If the advertiser tells you to do one thing and the gamer says to do another, which one do you think most developers are going to listen to?  Personally I would say listening to your customers is the smart thing to do for the long term health of your company, but since when do people or companies do what is smart for the long term?

Everyone does remember a firing at a popular gaming site recently, supposedly, at the demand of an advertiser, right?

Anyways, at a minimum advertising splits a developers loyalties which can be a bad thing for gamers.

Comments