Namco Bandai decides to embrace free-to-play after all

Although Namco Bandai's Western studios didn't seem to have much faith in free-to-play games a year ago, the company appears to have changed its mind somewhat, with 2013 marking high-profile free-to-play releases for the publisher. Namco Bandai's senior vice president for Europe Olivier Comte had previously said at the beginning of 2012 that "Free-to-play games can't be high quality," although he did add that the company was considering all potential business models. Today the company revealed Ridge Racer Driftopia, the first free-to-play (or "Free-to-Drift, as Namco Bandai is calling it) title in the Ridge Racer series for PlayStation 3 and PC. And just last month, a free-to-play version of the classic Pac-Man was released for mobile devices. Comte says that as the times change, his company must commit itself to embracing new business models. "Free-to-play is playing an increasingly important role," he added, "so it's very exciting to be bringing one of our most successful franchises to the free-to-play space for everyone to enjoy."