this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2023
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Gaming

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Backpack Battles: business model i haven't seen since Minecraft, and it seems to be working? (beehaw.org)
submitted 1 year ago by blindsight@beehaw.org to c/gaming@beehaw.org
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All over Twitch, about half the streamers I usually watch playing turn-based strategy games are all suddenly playing the same new game. I watched a few streams, and it looked interesting. Normally, I never buy games when they just come out because I have such a backlog and can wait for a sale, but I figured if everyone (figuratively) is playing it, it must be amazing.

Turns out, they're giving the full game away for free during their "early access" phase as a "demo". But it's the full game, just with only 2 class choices.

I had a blast! And now I'm probably going to buy it on release.

The last time I remember doing this was for Minecraft. I see lots of games doing free weekends on Steam, which is very similar; doesn't work well for me since I only have a few hours for gaming each week, but I imagine that must be successful for a lot of games, too.

What do you think of that business model? And/or, what do you think of Backpack Battles, if you've played it?

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[–] blindsight@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

I'll answer my question in the comments.

I think this business model is likely suitable only for a few types of games:

Games with a repetitive gameplay loop. Multiplayer or single player, but something where you want to start another run/match/game when you finish.

And sandbox games where there's no limit to the gameplay.

But for games it's suitable for, the free marketing you get from content creators is the best publicity you could hope for, and a great way to stand out in an increasingly overcrowded and competitive market.