Xbox Live 'to embrace free-to-play'

Microsoft will be the latest platform holder to open the floodgates on free-to-play games, unconfirmed reports suggest.

The multi-billion dollar free-to-play sector has become a western phenomenon in recent years, building business empires through Facebook and iPhone games.

Sony recently stated it would bring free-to-play games to PlayStation Home, while the MMO free realms had recently been published on the PlayStation Network.

Now an alleged inside source has told IGN that “sometime next year, Microsoft will make available free-to-play games through Xbox Live”.

The source claimed that purchasable in-game content would be a feature in these plans.