What do F2P Players offer a F2P MMORPG?

Almost a year ago, we debated the generally accepted wisdom that free-to-play players provide some sort of value to a game. Either they’re seat-fillers, or they’re “the content,” or they’re free word of mouth, or maybe someday they will actually put some money into the game if we just keep them logging in — or so the mobile industry seems to show.

Daybreak’s shift back toward the subscription model might be a herald that at least smaller MMORPG developers don’t really believe that the mobile model works here in this genre. Daybreak Community Manager Mepps even dropped a bomb in the comments to that effect back in January:

“It might come as a surprise, but players who will never pay and support the game are not super interesting to us.”

Drama ensued, of course, but does it come as a surprise? Delete mobile games from the equation for a moment: What exactly do F2P players offer a F2P MMORPG? Why should Daybreak find non-paying players interesting?

TH