It seems like 2009 might be the year that the free-to-play game really shines in the eyes of the industry. (As we predicted after the San Francisco GDC.) GDC Austin 2009 has recently announced a number of free-to-play lectures from companies like Sony Online, Gaia Online and Neowiz.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, Sony Online’s recent free-to-play hit "Free Realms" has reached an impressive 3 million registered users already, so it’s sure to be an interesting and hopefully informative lecture. Rosie Rappaport and Sebastian Strzalkowski, for example, are scheduled to discuss the importance of a unified art style for "Free Realms" where even if viewed outside of the game world it is so distinctive that it’s immediately associated with the game.

That’s just one of the many free-to-play lectures scheduled to be given. If you’re interested to learn why I say 2009 will be the year of the free-to-play game, feel free to check here for more details of the lectures at GDC Austin 2009.

Posted by James Bishop
June 24, 2009

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