The Evolution of F2P Monetization in Premium Games

In recent years, the gaming industry has witnessed a significant convergence between F2P monetization strategies and premium, full-priced games. Developers are increasingly integrating F2P elements such as microtransactions, DLC, battle passes, and premium currencies into premium titles to enhance (in well executed cases) player engagement and generate additional revenue streams.

Microtransactions and DLC in Premium Games

Traditionally, premium games offered substantial content upfront, with occasional expansions or DLCs providing additional gameplay, storylines, or characters.

However, the landscape has evolved, and many premium titles now incorporate microtransactions — small, optional purchases that allow players to acquire in-game items, cosmetics, characters, or other enhancements. For example, games like Diablo 4 and Helldivers 2 have implemented in-game stores focusing on e.g., cosmetic items and battle passes, generating revenue beyond other means. Helldivers 2, in particular, has been perceived positively (mostly, whilst some of their package prices have been perceived quite high by some players, according to my findings — though, even on this case they have argued it well over business reasons, keeping some parts of the game free, etc. for sustaining trust within their player base) for its monetization model, ensuring a balance between paid content and player progression without excessive pressure (of course, FOMO is a pressuring mechanism still on Battle Passes) on spending.

DLCs have also transformed from substantial expansions to include smaller content packs, such as new characters or cosmetic items, often available through microtransactions. This approach enables developers to continually offer fresh content, keeping the player base engaged while providing avenues for ongoing monetization.

The Rise of Battle Passes and Premium Currencies

As started a bit already being discussed, battle passes have become a prevalent monetization tool, offering players a tiered system of rewards that can be unlocked through gameplay.

Typically, these passes are available in both free and premium versions, with the premium tier providing exclusive items, characters, and/or cosmetics. Players purchase access to the premium tier using real money or in-game premium currency.

This model encourages sustained engagement, as players are incentivized to complete challenges and progress through the pass to earn rewards.

Future Monetization Strategies

What the future would hold for these games and strategies? Let’s explore them more below.

Intrinsic Monetization and Social Group Monetization:

I’d say that as Premium Games are following deeply the F2P mobile games / F2P space in general, they’d pretty much benefit from things what I’ve already discussed and discussed excessively in my blog about Intrinsic Monetization strategies as well as Social Group Monetization.

Ideally, Intrinsic Monetization strategies and Social Group Monetization approach should go together hand-to-hand with each other, instead of just doing one approach.

Intrinsic Monetization

Instead of relying solely on external incentives and extrinsic methods, games can base monetization strategies around intrinsic player motivations, e.g.:

• Character progression systems that unlock skins, features, talents, and equipment through gameplay but offer optional / additional path via microtransactions or premium currency purchases.

  • This can enhance engagement when it’s done from a point of view where these investments aren’t perceived as a P2W or ‘skip progress’ types of purchases, where instead of those players would see investments as investments into their hobbies, competencies as well as personalization side of things on social interaction layers.

The idea is to make monetization feel like a natural part of the game, serving intrinsic motivations of the player, rather than an imposed mechanism.

Read more what I’ve written about Intrinsic Monetization here (https://gamesalchemy.substack.com/p/intrinsic-monetization-alternative):

Social Group Monetization

Borrowing principles from social-driven monetization models, developers can introduce mechanics that reward cooperative spending, e.g.,:

• Battle Passes that have group-based tiers with group-specific milestones, driving conversion / participation through group mechanisms.

• Shared battle passes that allow co-op progress towards rewards.

• Group-based purchases, contributions, etc.

Read more what I’ve written about group monetization methods here (https://gamesalchemy.substack.com/p/25-social-group-monetization-high):

Additional Vectors and Thoughts

In addition to above discussions and articles, I could see ways how Premium Games could include things like these (well, in general many F2P games can as well):

Additional Purchased Item Progression Vectors

Players purchasing e.g., new characters or weapons could unlock additional progression trees, unique cosmetics, or exclusive content tied to their character or weapon purchases.

This approach offers value beyond simple cosmetic enhancements or equipment purchases, making the purchase feel more meaningful and long-term, which would tie-in well with engagement KPIs on top of monetization.

Event and Seasonal Pass Evolution

Expanding on the traditional battle pass model, developers could introduce dynamic event passes with exclusive mechanics, social challenges, and cooperative monetization incentives, such as shared progression among friends or faction-based unlockables that encourage community participation.

Some of this is kind of what I said already regarding Group Monetization (see above section and article about it), with some additional thoughts and mechanisms added.

Obviously here it’s important that whatever is sold, certain items within Season and Event Passes would be retained by the player, incl. their prestige and economic player equity values vs. limiting them to be time-based only, as overall they have already paid premium entry which bases everything to start from this point vs. how pure F2P works.

Fair Monetization Models

Helldivers 2 has set a starting point example with its premium currency and battle pass system, ensuring a balance between monetization and fair player progression. Their approach focuses on rewarding gameplay and offering monetization options that enhance rather than obstruct the player experience.

Other Ideas

I believe there could be lots of things still Premium Games offering F2P mechanisms could learn from mobile games — from tiered offers to biggy pank type of mechanisms to different seasonal things, etc. Here the key overall would be, despite holding these ideas cool and ‘let’s do them quickly’ ways, that whatever is executed, certain prestige and economic player equity value should be retained by whatever is purchased by players — instead of everything being just consumables going to zero.

What else there could be? Definitely for further inspiration I’d suggest reading my following articles to get further inspiration from F2P and F2P mobile games side:

Final Thoughts

By leveraging intrinsic monetization, social group monetization, evolving event-based passes, and offering meaningful experience-driven microtransactions, developers can create (/enhance existing) sustainable, player-friendly revenue models that enhance the experience and offer new paths and journeys rather than disrupting the gaming experience.

In terms of good execution and building trust, F2P mechanisms should be most often in Premium Games done in a way it’s a method and mean, on top of business reasons and goals, sustaining and engaging further what is offered just in the premium purchase as well — as overall premium purchase is the entry point to whatever you offer and if they don’t get a taste to actual cool stuff, they most likely won’t perceive the product well and avoid converting, resulting engagement not propagating to wanted levels as well.

I’m definitely keen on exploring how the two worlds collide over the next years.