[quote=mdk]
How could it possibly have functioned as F2P? The production cost of this game was *ludicrous*. They should've..... what, done that for zero money?....sorry. I fucking hate F2P. Hate hate hate. It's bayuddddd. I pay subscriptions happily in Elder Scrolls Online, if only to keep out the F2P would-be players. No regrets.
[/quote]

From what it looks like, 8 hours of story, 10 maps? There's no way that cost near the amount of money they put into it.
I guarantee you the majority of that money is being put into things such as DLC stuff they could more than make their money back from by selling individually.

Or if their micro-player transactions works so well, use the DLC as a way to update the game and keep players engaged. Just like Mass Effect 3's Multiplayer DLC, that shit was 100% free. But it kept people playing and buying the packs with real money.

F2P allows a much larger player base to come in, a lot more people to play the game, a lot more people to keep the community alive and active.
So when coupled with a online marketplace for stuff such as better loot rolls, experience boost packs, or even say just skins to customize one's appearance you're audience is far bigger. A lot more people are willing to fork out 5-10 dollars for this new skin, then another 5 for this starter kit, then another skin etc rather than a full up 60.

Often times players end up spending more than the 60 anyways, such as say Planetside. I've blown [u]at least[/u] 80-100 dollars into skins, deco's and weapon variants. And I'm considered minor compared to some of the hardcore players. A lot of those hardcore players, may have never tried the game out if they had to pay 60 up front. Or may have left way earlier if the 60$ fee was causing the player community to be much smaller.