OS Roundtable: Is There An Alternative to the Yearly Release Cycle?

[RaychelSnr]

We've taken a couple of looks at potential alternatives to the yearly, iterative release cycle. From how a two-year cycle could work, to how the future with a subscription model could look.

Today we're asking the OS Staff to chime in with thoughts about alternatives to the current model and what that could look like. Read their thoughts and add your own in the comments.

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[Teirminator]

I could see monthly subscriptions being a win for all. Something like $10/mo gets you access to all the latest features / rosters / etc. So if you're someone who plays the game year-round, you end up paying $120 for the full year. I'm sure there are some who think that is worth it. They are getting a full year of great content. If you only play for 2 months, as many people probably do, then you only end up paying $20. Maybe a few months later you get curious about some new content. So you drop another $10 and play for a month. I'm sure the yearly subscription could include a discount as well, if you want to go all in upfront. ($100/yr; $10/mo). This doesn't have to preclude virtual currency and making special purchases ("pay to win") within the game either. In the end, everyone should get their money's worth: gamers, publishers, and developers.

No reason why a month has to be the smallest amount of time either. $5 for a week of access; $10/mo; $100/yr.

[newtonfb]

Heres a thought. Lets keep the yearly releases but have a different company each year. So madden can be made by EA on the odd years and 2K on the even years. Just like what they do with Call of Duty. It would make the games much much better and they wouldn't be stale. I used to buy sports games every year, now Im lucky if i buy one a year because they just dont intrigue me like they used to. I bought madden after 5 years of not buying it and still wasn't impressed.

[menloe24]

It is in my prayers that EA loses the "Exclusive" NFL Video Game Rights. There are players out there that don't only play Ultimate Team. I can't imaging the cool feature 2k would add to NFL. EA is SO LAZY! They can't even update their football fields during the year so they look like this years fields. They all look like 2014 end zones, etc. Also, Madden had October Breast Caner awareness in the game, but skips the November "Salute to Service". Everyone is for curing Breast Cancer, but skip honoring the military?? That is very Liberal and Lame.