Whats happening is western devs are seeing the games in asia and are getting jealous. Cheap/free games with pay-for-upgrades are relatively common over there from what I hear. Its good for the customer, as they can experience the game for a low price and pay more for a better experience. It can be good for the dev as it dodges the whole resale/piracy issue.

The big question is, will western companies cut the cost of games when doing this and will western customers go for it at all.