Next Unreal Tournament Game Will Be Free

[HardOCP News]

When Epic says the next Unreal Tournament game will be free, they mean just that. Not free-to-play, just plain ol' free.

From the very first line of code, the very first art created and design decision made, development will happen in the open, as a collaboration between Epic, UT fans and UE4 developers.

It will take many months until the game is playable by gamers. This is real development from scratch. When the game is playable, it will be free. Not free to play, just free. We’ll eventually create a marketplace where developers, modders, artists and gamers can give away, buy and sell mods and content. Earnings from the marketplace will be split between the mod/content developer, and Epic. That’s how we plan to pay for the game.

 

[Stiletto]

Ambitious. One wonders just how much Steam has made from creating the Marketplace. Could the generated transactions from one game be enough to recoup costs?

 

[allenpan]

it well, as they make most money from UDK/UED licensing fee

 

[nvgrim]

So its going to suck..great. Oh boy i cant wait for the "market place" aka microtansaction city. Why cant we just have UT2K4 but in the UE4 engine?

 

[jflail2]

I immediately think of the old adage, "nothing in life is free except bad advice". I'd assume they've done the math that shows the marketplace will recoup their costs.......but that seems like a big bet.

 

[mls1995]

I'll play it. Loved them at the time. I'll probably get my ass handed to me now though, I'm too old and I don't have enough time to get good.

 

[Flogger23m]

So they can sell mods. I doubt this will be total conversions like Red Orchestra. They will likely be selling junk like enhancements and whatnot. I am suddenly not interested anymore.

 

[Deleted member 83233]

One doesn't have to buy those mods. I wonder how much of the cost they actually need to recoup as well. UT isn't exactly how they make their money these days.

 

[Alia Nexis]

This seems like bad idea for UT, where you could connect to a server, download the map/mods/skins, and get right into playing. I doubt it will go server connect -> "you need to pay to play this map, buy: n/y", but it seems like there will be 2 communities: tightly knit content makers, and a fragmented playerbase.

 

[HardUp4HardWare]

I'll play it. Loved them at the time. I'll probably get my ass handed to me now though, I'm too old and I don't have enough time to get good.

Yeah, but is enough just to log in and snipe people who ARE good.

 

[collegeboy69us]

free? so it's going to be crap.

All the past UT games were built around a specific formula... and "free' wasn't part of any of them. They need to stop "trying new things" and just do what's PROVEN to work.

there goes another great series that's taken and just thrown in the trash because some corporate douche fuck had to open his mouth in a meeting with a dumb idea.

 

[HardUp4HardWare]

After the first UT it was never really the same for me.
For some reason the insane frenetic splendor of the game just never felt the same.
Razor discs and remote controlled missles, just awesome insanity.

 

[ShamisOMally]

My only caveat is how is this going to be free?

Is this going to be free and available on EPIC's servers, or Steams servers?

Free on steam's servers? I'll bite. Free on EPIC's servers? No chance, I'll stick with the paid versions I can use anywhere and don't have to worry about them pulling the plug on

 

[SuperSubZero]

It's sad that I have literally gotten *old* since I played UT99. Has it really been 15 years?

(so looking forward to this tho I know I'll suck at it)

 

[Naed]

Jeebus, is this the thread for the old-senile-farts-stuck-in-a-rut-thought-wise?

It sure as heck sounds like it.

 

[ShamisOMally]

Jeebus, is this the thread for the old-senile-farts-stuck-in-a-rut-thought-wise?

It sure as heck sounds like it.

This 36 year old "Senile old fart" could probably play rings around you

Regardless, lots of us still have valid complaints

 

[nvgrim]

Jeebus, is this the thread for the old-senile-farts-stuck-in-a-rut-thought-wise?

It sure as heck sounds like it.

No,I just want a good game. And a free UT doesnt sound like one.

 

[King Icewind]

Sounds like it will end up like more than paying $59.99 + free mods.

 

[PCunicorn]

None of us know yet if it sucks, so you guys need to stop acting like whiny bitches. You can act like that once the game is out, if it sucks.

 

[nvgrim]

None of us know yet if it sucks, so you guys need to stop acting like whiny bitches. You can act like that once the game is out, if it sucks.

I am basing my onion on past games that chose to be "free" No one spends a ton of money making a game only to give it away for free. There will be a catch.

 

[ShamisOMally]

None of us know yet if it sucks, so you guys need to stop acting like whiny bitches. You can act like that once the game is out, if it sucks.

There is always some caveat to a "Free game"

So far the only two F2P games where F2P doesn't actually hurt the quality of the product is TF2 and Hawken

 

[cocheese256]

This has been one of my favorite games since the original Unreal came out. Unreal 2 sucked but I have enjoyed all the Tournaments. The fact that they say it is going to be free concerns me, but I will wait to play the game before passing judgement on that. The thing that really bothers me is that they are just now starting to begin the development process. I would have thought they were will into this process by now since the engine is going to be coming out before too long.

 

[Naed]

This 36 year old "Senile old fart" could probably play rings around you

Regardless, lots of us still have valid complaints

Hmm, if "prejudice" is a valid argument, then sure!

All I see in this thread (so far) is a bunch of people that are "certain" that something someone else once did, is the exact same thing that EVERYONE will do for eternity.

Which imho is just a tiny bit silly.

No,I just want a good game. And a free UT doesnt sound like one.

Why not?

There is the potential for getting a solid base out in the field and observing what happens.

None of us know yet if it sucks, so you guys need to stop acting like whiny bitches. You can act like that once the game is out, if it sucks.

Bingo

 

[That_Sound_Guy]

None of us know yet if it sucks, so you guys need to stop acting like whiny bitches. You can act like that once the game is out, if it sucks.

Where true, on top of being free and therefore basic and limited we also have sketchy U/UT history.

U1 - good
UT"99" - excellent
U2 - bad
UT2K3 - awful
UT2K4 (UT2K3 with patches at full price) - Good, especially with mod community help
UT3 - awful

Not just opinion here either, server and players numbers over time confirm. Epic's track record has been downward and adding free on top of it makes for a nervous and skeptical UT franchise fan.

 

[Naed]

There is always some caveat to a "Free game"

So far the only two F2P games where F2P doesn't actually hurt the quality of the product is TF2 and Hawken

You need to go back and read the article then, its not "Free 2 Play", its "Free"

heck of a difference.

 

[Spazturtle]

I am basing my onion on past games that chose to be "free" No one spends a ton of money making a game only to give it away for free. There will be a catch.

They make money on the Engine, more people playing games that use UE like this one = more effort by video card companies to optimise drivers = better engine = more money.

 

[Blown 89]

None of us know yet if it sucks, so you guys need to stop acting like whiny bitches. You can act like that once the game is out, if it sucks.

Agreed. The tech community is the most ungrateful group of people on this planet. Some of the people would find ways to complain about someone giving them $1 million.

 

[nvgrim]

They make money on the Engine, more people playing games that use UE like this one = more effort by video card companies to optimise drivers = better engine = more money.

Again,they are not going to spend the man hours perfecting this game to just give it away. Its basically a free tech demo of the UE4 engine but using UT to display it. Which is why there will probably be like 4 maps and very limited game play. So they add a marketplace where you can buy more maps and mods from content creators in which they take a cut of that money from. Its a pretty genius plan actually,but i dont think it will be as big as everyone wants it to be. Id gladly pay full price for a good UT game and not have to rely on a marketplace to buy extra maps. Im sure this also means that there wont be any free maps or mods as everything will have to go through their marketplace. This is all speculation though,but i do feel part of what i said will be true. Nothing good is free.

 

[Youn]

I think it's a good idea, get the fans more involved in the development... wasn't the lack of a voice what they were all complaining about with UT3? As mentioned, there are some seriously awesome talent out there, why not try and leverage that. Not sure why it has to be free though, I'd pay the top contributors a percentage or somethin to make things more interesting. Either way, it's nice they are trying something new.

 

[CrimsonKnight13]

If its not F2P but actually free... how are they going to make money? In-game advertisements?

 

[Kor]

This 36 year old "Senile old fart" could probably play rings around you

Regardless, lots of us still have valid complaints

You are all implying that free = crap. DoTA2 and TF2 would like a word with you. A person could make the argument that those games aren't for you (after all I'm not into the class based shooter style of TF), but they are easily excellent for what they are.

 

[MrGoodbar]

Rocket Launcher: $4.99

Grenade launching function: $0.99

Multi rocket launching function: $0.99

Rocket Launcher pack: $5.99

Redemption package - All weapons included: $39.99

10 Map pack $9.99

The free game starts you off with 2 maps with an Impact hammer. Good Luck.

 

[Kor]

If its not F2P but actually free... how are they going to make money? In-game advertisements?

The Valve model used in their free games. Allow users to charge for content that they create and they get a taste on the back end. Also it boost their install base for UDK which has a small fee associated with it.

 

[Deleted member 83233]

I have a feeling that the game itself is one big advertisement for the engine. Which will attract more potential customers for the engine. If they're using the community to build content, it also creates an active community. Then with their shop it's just icing. I doubt that they're hurting for money in the first place. I think this could work quite well if executed well. However, THAT is what everyone's going to have to wait and see. I can see both sides of it from the skeptics, and the fans really. I'm somewhat optimistic. They didn't suck originally. They took a few wrong turns, but maybe they're done sucking... Who knows. I think it will turn out ok, but we'll see.

 

[ScottSwing]

So it isn't free-to-play, but they're charging for add-ons? Well, that's exactly what free-to-play means.

 

[rudy]

Honestly I think this was needed, they have killed the franchise and the only way to renew interest is some sort of way to really draw in a crowd. Free is a great way to at least get lots of people to try it.
Valve has had huge success with this. Give away games or get them as free mods for the first iteration then switch to charging. All the free games like TFC, CS, DOD, were like this. Same with Dota, portal etc.... Valve builds the player base first then converts to cash. Other companies are stupid and they try to drive cash first then realize it failed and try to build a player base. Look at all the games like SWToR.

 

[caddys83]

You are all implying that free = crap. DoTA2 and TF2 would like a word with you. A person could make the argument that those games aren't for you (after all I'm not into the class based shooter style of TF), but they are easily excellent for what they are.

I spoke to DoTA2 and told it's straight crap

 

[collegeboy69us]

any person with experience in the way the world generally works is smart to question ANYTHING that's hailed as "free".

example:

Seriously though -- if ferrari suddenly said "we are going to give away the 458 Italia" the first question in your mind is "what the hell is wrong with it?"

Or the guy on Craigslist giving away that sweet looking mustang -- he won't tell you it's going to take 25,000 to fix all the problems in it, someone may or may not have been murdered in it.

 

[JosiahBradley]

Fuck yeah. UT is my game, free or100$ I don't care, gib me baby.

 

[CreepyUncleGoogle]

Jeebus, is this the thread for the old-senile-farts-stuck-in-a-rut-thought-wise?

It sure as heck sounds like it.

I'm sure you can tell by the politics-related threads that a big chunk of the forum is aging, but it's not nice to call people senile old farts. Some of them are pretty spry and witty for their age. They're really funny too.

But yeah, changes outside of a comfort zone tend to be sorta resisted by people as they get older and I don't think the forum really pulls in new members very quickly because of the market segment it appeals to so resistance to change is gonna stay a common theme even when there's a free game.