It's the old bait and switch... except you benefit from this one!
Marketers have many ways of attracting potential MMOG customers: contests, give-aways, and viral propaganda. However, would it be feasible to initially market a game as a "premium" pay-to-play game, then switch to a free-to-play model to attract those "premium" customers to the newly free game? Cody "Micajah" Bye ponders this possibility in his editorial, "Shifting Gears: A Move Towards Free-to-Play".
In switching to a free-to-play standard, Codemasters may have opened up a very interesting marketing ploy, whether they intended to or not. From the point of view of a consumer, it's almost like a deal that's too good to pass up. Like the hamburger comparison mentioned earlier, ArchLord was already a proven commodity, albeit with a price tag. Take that price tag off, and individuals may finally be interested in playing the game.
Read more here at Ten Ton Hammer.
