Electronic Arts (EA) is to move away from the premium model for its mobile games in favour of a free-to-play approach, reports Games Industry International.

EA All Play senior VP and general manager, Nick Earl, said the games company has no plans to release any new paid mobile games this year, adding that the freemium model — in which games are free to download and generate revenue through in-app purchases — is now the best in terms of monetisation.

The EA executive said that despite EA’s Real Racing 3 being criticised by some for its use of in-app purchases, it still received a four-and-a-half star average rating on iTunes.

Earl added that there has been in increase in the proportion of players making purchases within freemium games, although this is dependent on genre and platform.

John Riccitiello stepped down as EA CEO at the end of March, citing the company’s poor financial performance.

Riccitiello noted in an internal memo that the company is number one in the fast-growing segment of mobile with games such as The Simpsons: Tapped Out, Real Racing 3, Bejeweled, SCRABBLE and Plants v. Zombies.