UK trade association UKIE is in the process of evaluating the effectiveness of free-to-play monetisation models, with input from developers required.

That's according to CEO Jo Twist, who has revealed in an interview that the wider question of how developers monetise their releases in 2012 will fall under the research project's remit.

Report time

"The debate around whether free to play is sustainable remains contentious and we are currently working on a business models research project that will give UK games companies with an essential analysis of the main business models currently in operation in the games industry today," said Twist in an interview with Mobile Games Forum.

"This will include looking at freemium and micro-transaction models to see where these and other models can be best applied.

"We’d like to hear from as many games businesses as possible - it takes just 10 minutes to fill in our online survey and you’ll get a free summary of the final report and have the chance to win space at GDC San Francisco."

Second screen?

Elsewhere in the interview, Twist – who joined UKIE in January from UK broadcaster Channel 4 – commented on what the continued advance of mobile hardware will mean for the future of game design and production.

"The games industry has always embraced technological change, seeing it as an opportunity rather than a threat," offered Twist.

"The potential to have connected game experiences, to transform how games and interactive formats are thought about and developed with a mobile as controller in mind is enormous but untapped as yet.

"Most people have focused on mobiles and tablets – ‘The Second Screen’ – when in fact for many people it is the primary screen. There needs to be a lot more innovation in how these devices interact properly around content."

You can contribute to UKIE's research project here.

[source: Mobile Games Forum]