Lego Minifigures Online move from free-to-play was 'a relief'
Having previously launched as a free-to-play PC game last October, Lego Minifigures Online developer Funcom decided to make some changes.The reconfigured game was released on PC, iOS and Android platforms a couple of days ago; it's available on PC for $30 and $5 on mobile devices, plus $4 for each additional world. The game can get pretty costly on mobile, if you're going to be buying every single world, but at least there aren't anymore microtransactions besides that.
Having previously launched as a free-to-play PC game last October, Lego Minifigures Online developer Funcom decided to make some changes.
The reconfigured game was released on PC, iOS and Android platforms a couple of days ago; it’s available on PC for $30 and $5 on mobile devices, plus $4 for each additional world. The game can get pretty costly on mobile, if you’re going to be buying every single world, but at least there aren’t anymore microtransactions besides that.
It seemed unusual for Funcom to decide to change the game from free-to-play to a full price (with microtansactions) model, although this all came about during the developer’s decisions on how to alter the game. GameSpot spoke designers John Wiksen and Erling Ellingsen, from Funcom, to discuss the impact this will have on the game and what new features will become available in the online world of Lego Minifigures.
They initially asked about the free-to-play model, and how it worked at the start of their plans. The guys from Funcom went on to say that ‘now we can just think about what is best for the player, what is most fun for the player and at all times just increase the value of the content there.’
Despite the fact that paying for a game can be expensive, especially if you’re on mobile, at least you are – in theory – getting your moneys worth in content.
‘And it’s way easier to create a good game now because we can just focus on creating a good gaming experience from the start, rather than just a pretty good gaming experience with more unlocked via purchases.’
It’s also got cross-platform saving, so you can be playing on your PC, go out, and start right back where you left off on your phone. Of course, this game is designed for children, so the MMO traits are simplified somewhat; you switch between six abilities, having two active at the same time.
Lego Minifigures Online is now out on PC, iOS and Android, and is one of four Lego titles to come out this year. If this one doesn’t take your fancy, either Lego Jurassic World, Lego Dimensions or Lego Worlds surely will.