Happy Wars to be XBLA's first free-to-play game

Happy Wars, an adorable multiplayer action combat game, just got even easier to try out. Microsoft announced that it will release ToyLogic's game as XBLA's first for-real free-to-play game. When Happy Wars launches this "autumn," it'll be a free download for Xbox Live Gold users, supported by the purchase of "lavishly rendered items" to customize your character.

Microsoft has made moves toward free-to-play on XBLA before, but never quite closed the deal. Crimson Alliance seemed to be embracing a free-to-play model, but instead just had a glorified demo and "flexible" pricing. Dungeon Fighter Live is based on a F2P PC game, released on XBLA as a $10 purchase. Rumors had Microsoft adjusting infrastructure to support F2P last year.
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/24/ha...-to-play-game/