'Free-to-play titles are natural fit for Xbox 360' - Microsoft

Microsoft has laid bare its approach to the free-to-play market, and sees a bright future for F2P titles and its Xbox hardware moving forward. The publisher views the release of Happy Wars and Ascend: New Gods as a pilot for bigger things to come.

Speaking with OXM, a Microsoft spokesperson said, "We're always looking at ways to push the boundaries of the console and our digital platform. Bringing true free-to-play gaming experiences to Xbox 360 is a natural extension of that."

The spokesperson continued, "With the ongoing success of the model on PC, and the interest from both our consumers and our partners looking to explore this system on console, it simply made sense to deliver this experience through great games that would take advantage of it."

Microsoft will kick off its F2P strategy with the release of Happy Wars in autumn, followed by Ascend: New Gods in 2013.

"In this pilot program, Microsoft Studios will support free-to-play gaming with Happy Wars, due out in September, as well as the recently announced game Ascend: New Gods which will ship in several months," The spokesperson added.

"The free-to-play model and games experiences will be available to all Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers," the spokesperson concluded, "as many of the games planned will be multiplayer games by nature (an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription is required for multiplayer gaming). The games that use the free-to-play mechanic will leverage the Microsoft Points system."

What's your view? Is F2P a good fit for Xbox 360?