Real Racing 3 Coming to U.S. February 28th with Freemium Gameplay, Available in Some Countries Now

[MacRumors]

EA and Firemonkeys'*Real Racing 3 is set to be released later this month, though it is currently available for download in some international App Stores as part of a soft launch to test the system. The game, which is the highly anticipated followup to Real Racing 2, features real cars, photorealistic tracks, online time-shifted multiplayer, and impressively accurate physics.

Unlike previous titles in the series, Real Racing 3 will be free to play. Our sister site TouchArcade explains the freemium mechanics:

There are two currencies in the game, the first of which is a general dollar currency that is dished out pretty liberally during the normal course of play. The amount earned feels tuned just like pretty much any other racing game, giving you enough to purchase upgrades, make repairs, and buy better vehicles as you naturally progress through the massive campaign.

The freemium catch is that all of those actions - repairs, upgrades and new cars - are set to varying levels of cooldown timers, the length of which are determined by what exactly you're trying to do.

Essentially, after completing races, gamers will be subjected to a short wait before being able to race again when repairs are required. Wait times are also required when installing upgrades and unlocking additional vehicles, and these wait times will increase as the game progresses. TA mentions that wait times are worse when the game first begins as you're limited to one car, and points out that you can continue racing without making repairs, though damage may impact performance.

To alleviate wait times, players are encouraged to purchase gold coins. Coins are bought in the app, but can also be earned through gameplay. Many fans of the series are upset with the newly implemented freemium mechanics because previous games were not freemium titles.

TouchArcade has posted a hands-on video of Real Racing 3 with designer Ptolemy Oberin showing off the gameplay and the realistic visuals.

Real Racing 3 is currently available for download in the Australia, New Zealand, and Canada App Stores. It is slated to be released in the U.S. App Store on February 28. [iTunes Link]

Article Link: Real Racing 3 Coming to U.S. February 28th with Freemium Gameplay, Available in Some Countries Now

[iheartiphone4]

Saweeeet!

[Hastings101]

Really? That sounds annoying as hell. Hope there's a non-"freemium" version available eventually.

[Feed Me]

... freemium...

Dropped like a rock.

[tann]

I love that freemium games exist, but I would also love the option to just essentially buy the game 'outright' as well (say for what they usually charge for the title - $5 or so).

Then people who don't mind cooldowns or whatever can play, people who occasionally buy gold coins can pay occasionally, and the hardcore can just pay a larger fee up front to get everything.

Maybe even $10!

[Pecheneg]

The game is out in NZ and the verdict is in: infected with IAP's in the range of 99c - $150. There is a service waiting time around 6 hours before you can race again (can't be skipped) 1 star garbage that looks awesome, but unplayable.

http://forums.toucharcade.com/showth...178087&page=50

[ovrlrd]

Originally Posted by tann

I love that freemium games exist, but I would also love the option to just essentially buy the game 'outright' as well (say for what they usually charge for the title - $5 or so).

Then people who don't mind cooldowns or whatever can play, people who occasionally buy gold coins can pay occasionally, and the hardcore can just pay a larger fee up front to get everything.

Maybe even $10!

The problem is that the only reason freemium works is because they end up making way more money. The model you suggest would make them substantially less money (otherwise why would they bother developing a freemium model? They aren't intending it to be a demo or trial).

This is all part of marketing psychology and has been mastered by certain companies who are now leading the rest of the market to copy them.

[Semester]

Why do they wait with releasing it in America? Do they want the other countries to find the bugs before it goes live in the big US market?

[unobtainium]

Not available in the Canadian store.

[tarasis]

Originally Posted by Semester

Why do they wait with releasing it in America? Do they want the other countries to find the bugs before it goes live in the big US market?

Basically yes. It's a soft launch to find bugs, see how the systems hold up to large number of players and such.

[tann]

Originally Posted by ovrlrd

The problem is that the only reason freemium works is because they end up making way more money. The model you suggest would make them substantially less money (otherwise why would they bother developing a freemium model? They aren't intending it to be a demo or trial).

This is all part of marketing psychology and has been mastered by certain companies who are now leading the rest of the market to copy them.

That is true. I can't fault them for making money. I just think, in 2/3/4/5 years when lots and lots of games are freemium (see what Crytek said recently) including big big budget stuff I wonder what it'll be like, will people pay $'s in many games, or stick to 1 or 2 giving those 2 game dev's all of their gaming money?

[Cougarcat]

...and EA ruins yet another promising franchise.

[arn]

Originally Posted by Semester

Why do they wait with releasing it in America? Do they want the other countries to find the bugs before it goes live in the big US market?

ya, it's to make sure there aren't any problems before going to the larger audience. a public beta ish

arn

[Pecheneg]

Originally Posted by tann

That is true. I can't fault them for making money. I just think, in 2/3/4/5 years when lots and lots of games are freemium (see what Crytek said recently) including big big budget stuff I wonder what it'll be like, will people pay $'s in many games, or stick to 1 or 2 giving those 2 game dev's all of their gaming money?

Well, there is two ways to implement the IAP's in game: right and wrong. What EA did is beyond wrong. Wait and see for yourself.

[Glassed Silver]

Good bye, RR...
It was a hell of a ride until EA came along...

Glassed Silver:mac

[rmwebs]

ZzZzZz

Game looks boring as hell. No physics? Really? No damage simulation? Not even realistic audio.

And this is supposed to be the first so called 'console quality' iOS game...

[0815]

I was actually looking forward to this game - I have all the other real racing games on iPad/iPhone/iMac .... BUT this freemium stuff turns me off. Adding wait times after upgrading? Longer wait times the more the games progresses .... sorry, I am not willing to keep paying to play. I am willing to pay $10 (or more for a real good game) to get the game and play it - but I am not willing to feed the game constantly on every single device with money. ... guess I will not get the game than.

Too bad they will still make tons of money from people willing to feed actually dollars constantly to play.

[Mad Man]

Originally Posted by Pecheneg

The game is out in NZ and the verdict is in: infected with IAP's in the range of 99c - $150. There is a service waiting time around 6 hours before you can race again (can't be skipped) 1 star garbage that looks awesome, but unplayable.

http://forums.toucharcade.com/showth...178087&page=50

Just looked at that link .. stopped reading at this:

well there's also the koenigsegg car you can only buy for 800 gold coins witch is almost $100

This is disgusting ... how would pay $100 for ONE simulated car ??

[BRLawyer]

Originally Posted by Feed Me

Dropped like a rock.

Yet another terrible move by EA.

In fact, it's about time Apple revamps its search engine to allow for NON-FREEMIUM or NON-IN-APP PURCHASE APPS...I hate paying for something just to discover that it's not the full app.

[Glassed Silver]

Originally Posted by BRLawyer

Yet another terrible move by EA.

In fact, it's about time Apple revamps its search engine to allow for NON-FREEMIUM or NON-IN-APP PURCHASE APPS...I hate paying for something just to discover that it's not the full app.

This. Oh God, this x100000.

Glassed Silver:mac

[tonyshaker]

Finally

[Otterblue]

Not yet out in the Canadian App Store...

[ArtOfWarfare]

Fundamental issue I have with this model: the developer doesn't have to put in any extra effort for my extra money.

I'm perfectly willing to pay for a game multiple times if I'm buying additional levels (IE, sequels/expansions,) - but this is basically going back to a more expensive version of coin-op where games cost $1 and up instead of $0.25-$0.50.

[Pecheneg]

here is unbiased review

http://www.droidgamers.com/index.php...acing-3-stinks

[Mactendo]

Originally Posted by Semester

Why do they wait with releasing it in America? Do they want the other countries to find the bugs before it goes live in the big US market?

It's a revenge for not bringing Siri to other languages. :P

I played it, it's not Real Racing anymore, it's a totally different game. The racing experience is the same, but UI is revamped and it sucks, on the iPhone it's tiny as hell. Waiting time sucks also, after the very first race(!) you have to wait 2 minutes.
I'm sure they were making millions on the first 2 games, but human greediness has no limits.