How can this GaaS thing be sooo profitable and also such bad press that even mentioning it results in a "sorry we didn't mean that" article?
It's a double-edged sword. But f2p has become so dominant that certain types of games almost NEED to be f2p to be relevant. See Concord for a recent example.
Short answer: Whales.
Long answer: Watch the South Park episode on the topic. They explain it in detail. It's titled "Freemium Isn't Free".
How can this GaaS thing be sooo profitable and also such bad press that even mentioning it results in a "sorry we didn't mean that" article?
It's a double-edged sword. But f2p has become so dominant that certain types of games almost NEED to be f2p to be relevant. See Concord for a recent example.
Short answer: Whales.
Long answer: Watch the South Park episode on the topic. They explain it in detail. It's titled "Freemium Isn't Free".