Matthew Handrahan for GamesIndustry International:

Throughout [Cousins’] talk, and during the course of our conversation immediately after, it becomes clear that, to some extent, Cousins regards free-to-play as an economic imperative. As soon as one competitor in a specific field drops the price to zero, he argues, it becomes very difficult for others to continue charging. It happened to mobile games in the space of a few years, and the touch-paper that will spark the same transition in PC and, ultimately, console gaming has already been lit.

Interesting analysis from the head of ngmoco’s Sweden studio, Ben Cousins. Cousins feels that the free-to-play model, which already dominates the mobile gaming market, is going to take over. Cousins expects a game like Skyrim to be available free-to-play in the coming years.

Of course, free-to-play doesn’t mean it’s entirely free – players are expected to make up for the lack of a purchase fee either by submitting to intrusive advertising or by making in-app purchases, which some gamers find irritating.