Eventually the whole F2P gambit won't be enough and it'll be right back to the arms race of quality and features that they should have been focusing on in the first place. I'm glad that games have the F2P option to avoid fading into the aether, but doesn't anyone else have more confidence in subscription-only games? Personally, I think a game that can survive on subscribers alone is likely a better game than the mass of perpetual going-out-of-business sales that comprise the F2P market. With subs, they have to focus on making the content match the investment; if players don't think they're getting their money's worth, they leave and then the game goes F2P. With F2P games, they only have to be just fun enough to keep people paying for cash shop items. Instead of the launcher advertising in-game or RL community events, they're hocking the latest vanity item. Or maybe that's just Champions Online.
I have no problem with F2P as a concept, but I don't think every game should be expected to cater to people with no money or who avoid subscriptions "on principle" or whatever. That would be like expecting a Porsche to sell at the price of a Kia, saying that "more people would drive it," as if every schlub owning a Porsche was even the goal.
edit: I do realize however that some games are good, but just don't have the market presence or come out at the wrong time. I'm betting some of these typical fantasy MMOs that came out during WoW's reign were probably pretty fun and full-featured, but just had trouble making a splash and getting to that crucial tipping point. I'm not saying every F2P game is bad and every sub-only game is good, I'm just venting and generalizing somewhat to convey my thoughts on this.
