Bigpoint: EA doesn't understand monetising content

Philip Reisberger, chief games officer of browser based gaming company Bigpoint, has criticised Valve and EA's approach to paid content.

He was referring specifically to the Battlefield 3 pre-order bonus of exclusive weapons, which EA has insisted won't give pre-order players a special advantage.

"In a nutshell, EA doesn't understand it," Reisberger said in an interview with Edge.

"It wouldn't ruin the game. If selling an advantage ruins the game, you haven't done the balancing right…EA and Ubisoft, for example, they're both trying, but they're not really there yet."

German company Bigpoint offers free to play, browser based games like Battlestar Galactica Online and ZooMumba, and has around 220 million registered users. He argues that with the right strategy, there are no limits to the potential for monetisation.

"It's a delicate balance, though, and that's why I love my game designers. All of them have understood how to do this. If you have a sophisticated approach to free-to-play games, in the end you can monetise everything."

He also spoke about Valve's recent decision to make multiplayer title Team Fortress 2 a freemium product.

"There are millions, hundreds of millions of people willing to invest even though they aren't obliged to. The crucial part of the design is not having to invest, but wanting to. Most people in the Bigpoint universe don't ever pay."

"But if they want to pay, don't just offer hats - offer them something that will help them."

Last month Bigpoint announced its collaboration with Spil Games' social gaming platforms.