[Updated] Wasteland for sale: Fallen Earth opens its item store
Some men are born into greatness, the saying goes, and some have greatness thrust upon them. In MMOs, some are launched with item shops, and some thrust item shops upon us. In another sign that the MMO genre is irreversibly marching down the path of microtransactions, Fallen Earth quietly opened the doors to an item store, offering a pair of luxury goods in exchange for cold, hard cash.
The two items currently for sale are a Kaibab Cur pet and a pair of brass goggles. The Cur is one of the new pets in the game -- in this case, a four-slot-carrying dog -- while the goggles give lowbie characters a hand up with protective stats while making your avatar look like a mad scientist. Interestingly enough, Icarus is limiting players' purchases of each item to one per account.
You can scope out the goods at the Fallen Earth store on the official site. We'll certainly be keeping an eye on Icarus to see how the store develops and how players react. Although considering that Fallen Earth takes place in a post-paper currency economy, one wonders if Icarus Studios would accept poker chips instead.
[Update: The Fallen Earth team has responded to player concerns with this item store. Their statement can be found after the jump.]
Greetings Wastelanders.
We just wanted to take a moment and address the concerns surrounding the new Fallen Earth Store. Although we know there is a lot of controversy with the introduction of the store we wanted to share our vision of where we are taking this. We primarily view the store as the means to deliver to you, our players, role-playing and social items. The Kaibab Cur provides players with a unique pet with a 4 slot pack to help in your adventures in the Wasteland. The Brass Goggles, although they provide a very small boost to stats, are a promo item that we wanted to be able to offer to all who don't have the opportunity to attend industry shows or participate in contests where these had been offered before. The Goggles are a level 7 item and offer very little benefit once you progress to higher levels in Fallen Earth.
In the near future we are planning on introducing name changes and even the ability to re-customize the look of your character via the store. We are also working on unique clothing items (not armor) that will help enhance RP events and social activities in the game. This does not mean that we are moving towards a free-to-play model nor do we plan on adding items that significantly provide players with an advantage in the game.
We greatly appreciate all of you and believe we have one of the best communities out there. We want to continue to hear your feedback and concerns. Thanks again for all of your support.
The Fallen Earth Team
