Full article can be found at : http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/09/sony-games-free-realms

Snippet:

This spring sees Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) enter the tween and teen market with virtual world Free Realms. The brainchild of company ceo John Smedley, it’s free-to-play via a streaming browser offering a wide variety of mini-game experiences, which in SOE’s own words pay homage to popular games such as Bejeweled and Mario Kart.

Although cited to appeal to anyone from eight to 80, the core target audience is 10-14 year olds. It replaces the classic MMO class system with ‘jobs’, each related to themes within the mini-games. As a ninja compete in action or combat games, or don your apron and rise to Cooking Mama-style challenges. The key is that gamers can become who they want whenever they want, under the umbrella of one avatar.

SOE says Free Realms is unique, yet it clearly shares many features with its free-to-play competitors. Aspects of established titles such as Club Penguin, MapleStory and Runescape abound, so perhaps following their lead could be the route to success in an already crowded market.

Of course, the key to survival has to be getting gamers to pay, but with a young, school-attending core audience and a free-to play-model, how can they generate an income stream? According to Smedley, it’s easier than you might think.