Most mobile games now, though, are free-to-play, using microtransactions to profit from titles. Is the moment to moment gameplay fun for you?' in a lot of cases I bet the answer would be no.'

But if you asked them, 'Hey, take a step back. They’re compelled to play because they need to increase their level or feel like they’re making some other kind of progression. You’re implementing these strategies to hook people, but they’re not necessarily having fun with your game anymore. You’re playing to - here’s the stuff that addicts players, that makes people come back. ' There are some aspects of this business model that make it so - you’re not making games to be fun anymore.

In an interview with Venture Beat, Fan reiterated his opposition to free-to-play games and how that trend has made games that aren't fun to make or play anymore. Related: It Begins: Red Dead Online's Microtransactions Are Here

Fan objected to the microtransactions, which, ultimately, led to EA firing him. Zombies, and in EA fashion, the company wanted to focus more on pay-to-win microtransactions in Plants vs. In 2011, EA bought PopCap Games, the development studio behind Plants vs. Mobile app stores began to evolve to the point that developers felt that the only way to make money on games was to make them free but to also charge for additional features within the game. Zombies apart was that it was not free-to-play, which was a trend that was already gaining ground with many mobile game developers. A version of the game for iOS launched in 2010, with the game eventually making it to Android devices and consoles.Īs an app on iOS, the game initially sold for $2.99. The addictive title involved homeowners using plants to prevent zombies from getting into their houses and eating them. Zombies initially launched in 2009 as a tower defense game for the PC. Zombies, George Fan, believes that free-to-play games are just not fun.

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