免費暢玩模式
The US video game developer Blizzard Entertainment has recently released Diablo Immortal, the latest entry in the Diablo video game franchise.
美國電玩開發公司「暴雪娛樂」最近推出最新系列的《暗黑破壞神．永生不朽》。
entry(n.)參賽作品、（編入書籍或系統的）項目、紀錄
Suffice to say, with a user score of 0.2 on Metacritic, the game is more likely to be remembered as a cautionary tale rather than a success story.
不必多說，從該電玩在評論網站「Metacritic」上僅0.2的玩家評分來看，這可能會被當作前車之鑑，而不是一則成功的故事。
cautionary tale 警世故事
While any new installment in the beloved role-playing game franchise comes hotly anticipated, the announcement of Diablo Immortal was marred by a major caveat: it would be a free-to-play (F2P) mobile game.
儘管玩家引頸期盼這款角色扮演遊戲面世，但其免費暢玩的限制條款，使它一上線便出師不利。
mar(v.)損壞、破壞、損傷mar enjoyment 掃興caveat(n.)限制條款caveat emptor 買家自行留意proviso 限制條款、附文、但書
F2P games recoup their budget through different means. One of the methods is monetizing gameplay elements.
免費暢玩的電玩透過不同方式收回成本，其中一種便是將遊戲裝備轉化為虛擬貨幣。
recoup(v.)收回（成本）monetize(v.)將～轉化為貨幣
Instead of paying a fixed entry price to enjoy a full experience, F2P games lock core elements behind paywalls.
比起定額付費即可暢玩的做法，免費暢玩的電玩針對核心裝備實施付費牆機制。
paywall(n.)付費牆membership 會員資格subscription 訂閱paywall bypass 繞過付費牆的擴充機制
The first hours of smooth gameplay lull players into a false sense of security, after which players hit a sudden difficulty spike that can be difficult to overcome without paying for services.
前幾個小時暢通無阻的遊戲體驗使玩家卸下心防，接著闖關難度會大幅提高，在沒有付費的情況下便難以破關。
lull sb. into 哄騙某人相信某事lullaby(n.)催眠曲、搖籃曲
This is when and where the in-game store comes in and has players covered.
這時候內購商店便會發揮作用，並協助玩家成功闖關。
have sb. covered 為某人提供保護或便利
Prices are tiny – hence the name ‘microtransaction’ – to entice players to rely on their credit card more often to progress, and before they know it, spendings snowball to 3 or even 4-digit totals.
由於交易金額很低（「微交易」因此得名），目的在於誘導玩家靠著課金闖關，不知不覺地，消費金額就會如雪球般越滾越大，直至三、四位數。
entice(v.)誘惑、誘使、引誘lure(v.)引誘、誘惑、誘導coax(v.)哄騙、勸誘snowball(v.)像雪球般迅速增大
The microtransaction model has proven much more lucrative than the traditional fixed entry price.
由此證明，微交易遠比傳統定價模式更有利可圖。
lucrative(adj.)賺錢的、盈利的profitable(adj.)有盈利的
Having that being said, the F2P model could backfire on the company itself if done improperly.
話雖如此，若操作不當，免費暢玩的模式可能會適得其反。
backfire on sb. 對某人造成反效果
The image and reputation of Blizzard Entertainment has been tarnished as the developer has been universally panned for its predatory model relying on addiction tactics.
「暴雪娛樂」的形象與聲譽便因此受損，該電玩開發公司靠玩家成癮才能從中牟利的無良商業手法，使其廣受批評。
tarnish(v.)中傷、誹謗、使（名譽、形象）受損defame or slander 詆毀、誹謗、敗壞～的名譽pan(v.)嚴厲批評=criticize sth. or sb. severelypredator(n.)捕食性動物、肉食動物