Team Fortress 2 now Free. As in, free to download. Free.

From GAF.

Source.

Valve has once again turned to Team Fortress 2 as the studio's outlet for experimentation, this time with a daring move to make the triple-A game entirely free to play.

The Orange Box game has undergone a radical transformation since its 2007 release; with more than 200 updates made to the PC edition. But today's patch is billed as the most daring yet, with PC and Mac customers given the 'full experience' without ever needing to pay anything at all.

Interesting move. Thoughts?

This free-to-play model is really catching on. Makes sense for Team Fortress 2 given the vast amount of premium content, though. Guess I'll finally check it out.

I'm not a fan of this move, mainly because of the influx of hackers and how easy it'll be to just start a new account when you get banned; how this could ruin the best multiplayer game out there.

It is a somewhat worrying trend. I like it as i have never bought tf2. But if this does well, this may be the future of mp games

Very nice, I'll check it out now.

the people that paid for it paid to be able toplay the game 4 years before anybody else I guess. Not much comfort, maybe, but it'll have to do. I wonder if this means we won't be seeing a TF3 anytime soon? People won't buy much premium content for TF2 if/when they announce a third game.stizz-

there's gonna be several benefits that paid players get. LINK

I'll be sure to wear my proof of purchase hat to differentiate myself from the unwashed mob. :PSteelAttack

Makes sense. It's not only great advertising for the game and more potential revenue from the Mann Co. store, but a brilliant way to get even more people to install Steam thus creating not just a fanbase, but long-term customers.

It's silly to feel shafted if you payed money for it. I've been playing it for 4 years and put in 500+ hours into it. It's the best f***ing multiplayer game ever made. I'm HAPPY I was ABLE to pay money for it.

I thought this game was always free to play. I couldn't imagine paying a monthly fee for it in the first place. .....?GodModeEnabled

No man, it's free to play as in download and play it without having to pay anything. You always had to buy the game. Not anymore.

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"]I thought this game was always free to play. I couldn't imagine paying a monthly fee for it in the first place. .....?UpInFlames

No man, it's free to play as in download and play it without having to pay anything. You always had to buy the game. Not anymore.

If you're downloading it I propose some matches this weekend. It'll be fun to play with somebody other than random internet strangers for a change. SteelAttack

[QUOTE="SteelAttack"]If you're downloading it I propose some matches this weekend. It'll be fun to play with somebody other than random internet strangers for a change. starwarsjunky

I'm not a fan of this move, mainly because of the influx of hackers and how easy it'll be to just start a new account when you get banned; how this could ruin the best multiplayer game out there.

Former_Slacker

My thoughts exactly. Way too many people are gonna be playing TF2 now, I feel like the new massive community will ruin the game. I wasn't able to play TF2 last night because the servers were too busy.

This is one of the reasons I'm glad World of Warcraft still isn't free to play.

It is a somewhat worrying trend. I like it as i have never bought tf2. But if this does well, this may be the future of mp games

James161324

[QUOTE="James161324"]

It is a somewhat worrying trend. I like it as i have never bought tf2. But if this does well, this may be the future of mp games

BranKetra

The items in the Mann Co. store are purely cosmetic. Everything that matters (game modes, maps) is free.

Team Fortress 2 has dethroned Counter-Strike as the most played game on Steam - a title Counter-Strike has held since time immemorial. There are around 70,000 people playing Team Fortress 2 at any given moment (prior to it becoming free-to-play, that number was at around 15,000, if I remember correctly). It will be interesting to see how the number will change in the coming weeks/months/years.

That terminology does not make any sense to me. I mean well I get it you explained it.... but why not say TF2 now free to download! Saying its free to play means it costs a monthly fee to play it online like an MMO to me anyways. Fah! Anyways. *downloads*GodModeEnabled

There is a difference between a free game and free-to-play. A free game is a free game, period. Free-to-play usually denotes a business model as in not EVERYTHING is free. Usually, there is entry-level content which is free and there is premium content which costs money. The type of free and premium content varies from game to game. Freemium would be the best term, but also the dumbest. Free-to-play is a pretty good descriptor. It's free TO PLAY, but you don't get absolutely everything for free.

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"]That terminology does not make any sense to me. I mean well I get it you explained it.... but why not say TF2 now free to download! Saying its free to play means it costs a monthly fee to play it online like an MMO to me anyways. Fah! Anyways. *downloads*UpInFlames

There is a difference between a free game and free-to-play. A free game is a free game, period. Free-to-play usually denotes a business model as in not EVERYTHING is free. Usually, there is entry-level content which is free and there is premium content which costs money. The type of free and premium content varies from game to game. Freemium would be the best term, but also the dumbest. Free-to-play is a pretty good descriptor. It's free TO PLAY, but you don't get absolutely everything for free.

[QUOTE="UpInFlames"]

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"]That terminology does not make any sense to me. I mean well I get it you explained it.... but why not say TF2 now free to download! Saying its free to play means it costs a monthly fee to play it online like an MMO to me anyways. Fah! Anyways. *downloads*khanabyss25

There is a difference between a free game and free-to-play. A free game is a free game, period. Free-to-play usually denotes a business model as in not EVERYTHING is free. Usually, there is entry-level content which is free and there is premium content which costs money. The type of free and premium content varies from game to game. Freemium would be the best term, but also the dumbest. Free-to-play is a pretty good descriptor. It's free TO PLAY, but you don't get absolutely everything for free.

I never got a single hat in a random drop and crafting is a pain in the ass. Either way, the point is that there is a monetization model in place in order to keep the game sustainable.

[QUOTE="BranKetra"][QUOTE="James161324"]

It is a somewhat worrying trend. I like it as i have never bought tf2. But if this does well, this may be the future of mp games

UpInFlames

The items in the Mann Co. store are purely cosmetic. Everything that matters (game modes, maps) is free.

Team Fortress 2 has dethroned Counter-Strike as the most played game on Steam - a title Counter-Strike has held since time immemorial. There are around 70,000 people playing Team Fortress 2 at any given moment (prior to it becoming free-to-play, that number was at around 15,000, if I remember correctly). It will be interesting to see how the number will change in the coming weeks/months/years.

It's a mad idea, but I see why they've done it. Afterall, TF2 has just overtaken Counter-Strike: Source as the most popular game on Steam. It's becoming the go-to game for many people for a quick and easy multiplayer experience. Making it free (but with catches) means they open it up to even more people.

It's a mad idea, but I see why they've done it. Afterall, TF2 has just overtaken Counter-Strike: Source as the most popular game on Steam. It's becoming the go-to game for many people for a quick and easy multiplayer experience. Making it free (but with catches) means they open it up to even more peoplegbrading

I'm not a fan of this move, mainly because of the influx of hackers and how easy it'll be to just start a new account when you get banned; how this could ruin the best multiplayer game out there.

Former_Slacker

Yeah I agree.

And your sig is freakin awesome!

[QUOTE="gbrading"]It's a mad idea, but I see why they've done it. Afterall, TF2 has just overtaken Counter-Strike: Source as the most popular game on Steam. It's becoming the go-to game for many people for a quick and easy multiplayer experience. Making it free (but with catches) means they open it up to even more peopleHexagon_777

What I meant was it's free, with catches (in that it's not totally free if you don't want it to be). It has no downsides for Valve as far as I'm aware. :P

It peaked today at around 90,000 concurrent players.

Ladies and gentlemen, this does not make sense.

We're living in the age of horse armor! How can Valve give things away for free? It does not make sense!

I heard about this today!! It's friggin' awesome man! I'm busy downloading it at the moment. Cant wait to play it!!!