micro-transactions
Latest
GTA Online riches available for cash
Players looking forward to Grand Theft Auto Online, available on October 1st, are probably already contemplating ways to get and spend their in-game funds for the myriad of customization goodies within the persistent world of Rockstar Game's GTA5's multiplayer mode. Well there's a new addition to the acquire list: microtransactions. Eurogamer.net shares a find that was first caught on Reddit, namely a publicly viewable XML file on the game's online store that shows in-game cash cards in denominations of $100K, $200K, $500K, and $1.5M $1.25M for purchase with real-life cash along with a description inviting players to solve their in-game money problems by buying these packs. The prices for these cash cards, however, are not stated. The same file shows items from the special and collector's editions, indicating that this exclusive content may also be made available to all for purchase later. [Thanks Potaco for the correction.]
Uncharted 3's v1.13 update adds tournaments, micro-transactions, more Drake dress-up
You know that new content Naughty Dog teased? Well, aside from the usual balance fixes that come with a game patch, the 1.13 update for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception installs a pipeline for weekly DLC updates to the multiplayer side. Each week will bring a new flood of items and other goodies, either unlockable in-game by leveling up and completing certain actions, or purchased directly through the game with micro-transactions.There's also a new Sniper/Pistole game type for online matches, and a Tournament feature where players will be gifted 10 tickets each week that can be used to participate in special tournaments – don't worry, if you run out of tickets, you can always purchase more with real-life cash.Naughty Dog released a pair of video overviews showcasing this new content – one above the text here, the other just past the break.
The Soapbox: The hidden perils of Guild Wars 2's microtransactions
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. The ArenaNet post about microtransactions in Guild Wars 2 reveals that the "gems" currency will be bought with real money and be available for purchase with in-game gold in GW2. But people seem to have forgetten that Runes of Magic's cash shop operated this way three years ago. I've been playing RoM since closed beta, and the cash shop is one of the reasons RoM is so different from other F2P MMOs of its era. Frogster eventually removed the ability to buy diamonds with gold because of fraud, so I'm curious to see how ArenaNet handles that issue. My time in RoM has shown me that there are other issues involved here, issues of security, players gaming the system, botting, and pay-to-win debates. In other words, there's more at stake here than whether cash shops sell gear or items toward gaining power.
Lost Pages of Taborea: Biting the bullet
I want to make a proposal that Runewaker, Frogster and all the powers that be strip away any semblance of forcing players to dig out their wallets while playing Runes of Magic. I haven't played as many free-to-play MMOs as Massively's Beau Hindman, but I have played a good many of them. I'm sure, by now, many players have experienced at least one. If you haven't, then you really should read Beau's columns... or Rubi's or Justin's. Heck, I think everyone here at Massively has experience with F2P MMOs and provides valuable input. Go read up on terms like hybrid, pay-to-play, pay-to-win and the many discussions that have come and gone covering the different F2P business models. I'll wait. Back? Good. Let's get crackin'. RoM uses a traditional cash shop. It's not a hybrid like Lord of the Rings Online or Dungeons and Dragons Online. It's entirely run on a cash shop, like Perfect World International, Allods Online, or Zentia. But one difference I see with RoM's traditional cash shop is that it encourages players to exchange real cash for in-game gold. Other MMOs have allowed this, but usually it's not integrated. Exchanges are often terribly lopsided and see players charging other players ridiculous amounts of in-game currency for a cash-shop item that cost a few bucks. Cold, hard cash has become a seamless part of RoM's in-game economy. Real cash has taken on a balanced pricing-scale for items because money can be injected into the MMO. It can then be changed into gold to buy anything. A player's real money has not only been integrated into the game but become balanced in the same way any game-item is. This is only one unique aspect of RoM that could allow for the removal of any perceived pressure to spend in the cash shop to fully enjoy the entire game. RoM already has a great system in which you can experience everything by sacrificing more time, but I think Runewaker and Frogster could do more. I say blow the doors wide open. Give players every little bit that RoM has to offer. It would be like dropping the monthly fee on a subscription-based MMO. I'll tell you how and why after the break.
iZettle's chip-reading Square competitor will take your money, no swipes required (video)
Everyone seems to be getting on board with Square's iPhone credit card reader -- Apple started selling the device in its stores last week, and even Visa has taken a financial interest in the company. However, due to the popularity of fraud-fighting chip-enabled smart cards on the other side of the pond, Square's offering doesn't quite fit the bill. iZettle has a similar solution for Europe that includes the ever-so-necessary smart card reader, which the company is launching in Sweden this June. Not only does it enable you to accept credit card payments from friends or customers, the app adds a social twist. Merchants can email a photograph and receipt to buyers, who can then share their latest spoils on Facebook. Of course, if this starts to catch on, it could make explaining that "awesome deal" you scored on a new laptop that much more difficult when it pops up on your significant other's news feed. [Thanks, David]
Cryptic is offering relief from tax-time woes
Cryptic, the maker of your favorite MMO Star Trek Online and the infamous Champions Online, has decided that this year's tax refund is insufficient. In the interest of giving you some relief, Cryptic is offering a 20%-off-everything sale on the C-Store items for STO and CO, meaning everything from now until Monday, April 18 at 1 p.m. EDT will cost 20% fewer Atari tokens. Those Elemental A-Symmetry Tights you have been staring at can now be yours for 380 tokens, and don't forget The Original Series bundle for your Star Trek Online ship and crew -- that only costs 1400 Atari tokens. For those looking to finally make a commitment to either or both of these games, this Tax Relief sale includes life-time subscriptions for Star Trek Online and life-time gold memberships for Champions. To find out where you can spend more of your tax refund -- or tomorrow's paycheck -- glide on over to the C-Store before 1 p.m. on Monday -- ooh! A Bajoran Militia costume pack!
Free for All: F2P and microtransactions at GDCO
Last week I wondered about how free-to-play would be discussed at GDC Online. After attending the event -- it was all a blur -- and listening back to my audio notes, it seems that free-to-play has reached some sort of level as a standard pricing option for a modern world. It could have been the fact that many of the developers at the event are making browser-based, iPhone or Facebook social games, but the word "subscription" came up rarely. Blended models seemed to be the runner-up. It appears that all the older companies -- the Turbines, SOEs and other western companies -- just cannot let go of that sweet, sweet subscription cash-flow. Can you blame them? It's a good deal for many, and it could be argued that without that subscription, many players would be turned off. Does all this talk of free-to-play and microtransactions signify some sort of change in quality or style of game? No, not really. It's my argument that things are different in only one way: quality has gone way, way up.
GDCO 2010: UTV True Games wows with three new titles
One of the most thrilling aspects of this job is visiting game studios. It's essentially like stepping into a toy factory, complete with strange noises and funny personalities. Nerf guns are a staple, and each desk or station is decorated with all types of toys, posters, and other trophies from Nerd-dom. UTV True Games is no different, so when we were asked to sit down with three (count 'em, three) different teams to preview some new titles, we knew we were in for a good time. Of course, our professionalism prevented us from actually clapping and going "sqqquuueeeee!" every time a new product was shown, but it's very possible that the teams would not have cared anyway. So what did we see? What do we have to look forward to from the same people that brought us Mytheon? Well, click past the cut and let's take a look!
Waging WAR: RvR packs, the "wait and see" edition
This week Waging WAR rides the double rainbow of gameplay customization via downloadable content and takes a cursory glance at the RvR packs being teased by the folks behind the development of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Let's follow along and see what Greg can unleash this time. It is difficult to talk about the future of WAR right now. Not because it doesn't have a future, but because the availability of information regarding it is not exactly easy to find. Actually, information on the future of WAR is all but non-existent, surrounded by controversy on all sides, and steeped in rumor, speculation, assumption and misinformation. The best I can put together is that we, as players, can look forward to some sort of set of three different "RvR Packs" allowing us to "customize" our gameplay experience moving forward. The packs have been called "Power," "Progression," and "Personality." What exactly each contains is a mystery, although the few talking points I was able to find regarding these RvR packs are speculatively disappointing at best. Although Carrie, Andy, and anyone else involved with the Mythic development team have said time and time again that they are not discussing moving toward the free-to-play business model, what they're proposing with these customization packs looks suspiciously like the item shop established by Turbine, implemented in Dungeons & Dragons Online and soon in Lord of the Rings Online as well. V.I.P. membership, anyone? Although concrete information is scarce and difficult to find, let's take a look at the most commonly referenced points of interest after the break.
Free for All: Why I play free-to-play
I hid in waiting under a soggy sheet of cardboard for the past three days with stale Cheetos as my only nourishment. I had but a single target, who finally exited his house with bleached skin, a red fuzzy head and blurry eyes. As he stood at his front door trying to shoo away the sun like a vampire, I made my move. At last, I thought, Beau's spirit hood will be mine. By the time I was well into a Keanu Reeves-style flying scissor-kick, I realized an important tactical error. It wasn't the horror-filled eyes of a man who had spent too much time indoors staring at a computer screen that I was looking into, but the fierce come-get-some eyes of a teenager with spiky, dyed hair who was practicing his karate moves. Had I thought beyond simply looking cool as I made my attack, I would have realized I spent every ounce of energy I had to pull off the insane leap-kick that actually looked more like what you'd expect: a tired, wet, dirty, malnourished geek hop-skipping and shouting gibberish through a yard with a piece of cardboard stuck to his back. The three-day diet of stale Cheetos did not give me enough fuel to defend myself from the brutal pummeling that the pint-sized Bruce Lee gave me. It turns out Beau lived in the house next door. He had seen my wild display and subsequent beating, so he came out to help me. He invited me into his house to let me clean myself up, extolled the dangers of trying to live out movie fantasies, and offered to let me write his column for a week. It wasn't a spirit hood, but it was a very nice gesture. The dog-shaped cookies were a nice gift too, although I don't know why he snickered every time I ate one. No. The above tale really didn't happen, but Beau is letting me write his column today so I can tell you why I love to play free-to-play MMOs.
Captain's Log: Per-character C-Store services ruin everything ever
Geez louise! It's time for another installment of your favorite Thursday Star Trek Online column, Captain's Log. Despite the lovely weather, the final volume of awesome, that crazy-good movie and a parasailing donkey, everyone seems to (still) be talking about one thing: the C-Store! In last week's Captain's Log, we glanced at micro-transactions in STO on our way to discussing the game's future in an increasingly freemium world. Readers had plenty of comments to share ... and that was before Cryptic Studios dropped a hydrogen bomb in the form of new per-character services. Players erupted late last week, and the flames are still burning in a forum thread more than 115 pages long. I would be remiss to gloss over the controversy, so let's examine why folks are so upset at Cryptic this time. It's not as if much else is happening in the pre-patch lull, amirite?
Free for All: Assumptions based on assumptions
I decided to write this article based on a nagging feeling. It's not something I would normally look into, being that the questions I have are not that easy to ask, or not that easy to clarify. But, as I sink deeper and deeper into the world of international websites, games and toys, I always find certain attitudes pop up during my conversations about my findings. Perhaps it is because I am used to the sights, sounds and styles of free-to-play titles, and have learned to look beyond some of the long titles and odd descriptions. I no longer see games divided into groups and sub-groups. When hearing the complaints about "foreign" games, I rarely see the counterbalance to the comments. If "Asian" games are grindy, that would mean that North American games are not? If free-to-play games "force" you to spend money, then that means that North American subscription titles do not? The descriptor "free-to-play" is accurate, nine times out of 10, yet there seems to be an issue with using that term, because at some point the player might need to spend money to go at a pace she wants to. In fact, I am confused by the constant use of the words free-to-play to describe, essentially, a class of game. Where is the counterbalance to that? Does that mean that all subscription games are from a different world of higher quality?
Behind the wheel with Need For Speed World
Vroom vroom! I want to tell you to warm up your engines and place your hands at 10 and 2, because Need For Speed World is just about ready to burn some asphalt and squeal some rubber. Too bad I couldn't car-metaphor my way out of a wet paper bag. But I can tell you this: EA's free-to-play racing MMO is awesome fun. And it's almost here. I sat down Wednesday with Adam King, EA product manager, and a copy of NFSW, which opens July 20 with a pre-order head start before going fully live July 27. King gave me a chance to look under the engine, punch the tires and take the game for a twirl -- car metaphors, agh! -- so follow me past the jump for my impressions of the game, plus some hints about what to expect in the first major content update.
Tom Chilton can imagine a future where WoW is free-to-play
PC Gamer posted an interview with Tom Chilton where he discussed the possibility of World of Warcraft eventually going free-to-play. He clarified that there are no active plans for this now, but he can imagine a future where it would be possible. As massively multiplayer games become more mainstream, a common tactic to compete with WoW is to make the games free to play while charging microtransactions for in-game content. It makes games more accessible, and in theory can make publishers enough revenues that they can be profitable. If enough games break even this way and WoW starts losing momentum and market penetration, instead of shutting down, it would only make sense for Blizzard to keep the game available for the residual income. The original EverQuest is still live, for example. Instead of leaving vast empty realms populated by a very small number of nostalgic gamers, however, making WoW free-to-play could keep it residually profitable for longer. While WoW will undoubtedly lose the majority of the market share some day, this day is not close. Warcraft is past the red-hot growth phase of its life cycle; however, it's still the largest player in the market. Chilton acknowledges that there's no reason for Blizzard to make this change while this is the case: "We're not spending a lot of time thinking about it. It's not something that's a reality for us in the near future."
Lost Pages of Taborea: The cash shop
I'm really looking forward to the coming weeks in Runes of Magic. I'm shopping around for a new guild to partake of siege wars and other guild goodness. I'm also planning to throw some funts or maybe even a macaroni toward the Item Mall. I've spent money on RoM before, but most of it went toward decorating my house, customizing the look of my equipment, or extra storage chests. This time around, it's all about beefing up my attributes and jumping into more content. I need to alleviate that trudging-through-mud feeling I'm getting from the leveling curve while prepping for some dungeon action. It will be win-win for everyone. I'll be having more fun by opening up new aspects of gameplay and you'll get to read all about it. First thing I need to do though is speed up some armor-enhancing to boost my ability to kick some butt. Since I'll be doing all of this shopping, I thought I'd cover my opinions on how Frogster handles the Item Mall. Click past the break -- free of charge -- to see my opinions on pricing, what types of items you can get and how it will affect your gaming.
APB's lead designer discusses pricing model
Kotaku has an interesting article regarding the recently announced pricing options for Realtime Worlds' All Points Bulletin. The urban crime MMORPG made waves late last month with their unique access model that allows gamers the ability to purchase time blocks in certain sections of the game world in addition to the traditional all-encompassing monthly access fee. E.J. Moreland, APB's lead designer, draws a distinction between players that are likely to prefer the game's gunplay versus those that will be more interested in the socialization options in the game, which are considerable. "With the social district there is a compelling investigation to be made into making the social district entirely free to play, building that out to be a stand alone. There is going to be two kinds of audiences in APB: People who want to play the action game and think it's cool and then people for whom customization is the driver," he says. Moreland goes on to state that the Realtime Worlds team is planning on adding to the social game in short order, beginning with player housing. Check out the full article over at Kotaku.
Free iPhone apps can now include in-app purchases
One of Apple's many curious restrictions on iPhone apps has now been lifted. It used to be that, in order for developers to have microtransactions / in-app purchases, they had to charge something upfront for the software, essentially requiring consumers to pay at least twice, or not at all. Well, all that's changed, as the company has sent word to its developer community that the restriction has been lifted, meaning those annoying "Lite" and "Full" versions cluttering the app store can now be one and the same, with folks downloading the demo and paying to upgrade from within the app itself, a model that's worked to success in other software ecosystems like Xbox Live. Sure, there's gonna be developers out there that abuse the newly-minted business model, but it's not like anything was stopping them before when they charged $2 upfront only to get you again later. The mass email announcement is reprinted after the break. [Warning: read link requires iPhone developer account] [Via Daring Fireball]
Micro-transaction model a possibility for WoW
VideoGamer.com's recent interview with Blizzard's Tom Chilton, game director for the totally underground MMO World of Warcraft, is full of interesting tidbits for the WoW-innoculated -- info on the possible new races and classes that could make their way into the new expansions, in-game territories yet to be explored, etc. However, one blurb from the interview has the online gaming world a-buzzin' -- probably because said blurb references the possibility of a free-to-play, micro-transaction business model for the monolithic title.Don't get your dander up too fast -- Chilton merely said, "I certainly think it's possible that we could do some kind of micro-transaction stuff," later adding that, "whether we ever shift to a free-to-play model is really too hard to say at this point." It's unlikely they'll make the switch as long as the game continues to be a veritable assembly line for giant bags of money, however. What do you guys think? Would you support a transaction-based WoW?
The Daily Grind: When does RMT cross the line?
This question was posed yesterday by Saylah at the Mystic Worlds blog, and we couldn't help but wonder the same ourselves. When RMT or micro-transactions are first introduced as a business model for a game, the claim is always that these items for sale are not detrimental to the actual gameplay itself. They're cosmetic, or they aid your character with convenience items like extra bag space or a faster mount. But as Saylah points out, Runes of Magic has introduced crafting items to their Item Shop recently. This allows players to purchase bundles of resources for crafting, which gives an advantage towards things like guild castles. "My first reaction is to suspect that the massive grind in this area is intentional to encourage the purchase of the resources now available in the Item Shop," she says. So what do you feel is going too far in RMT purchases? Is selling crafting resources too much, or would you only raise an eyebrow at the sale of overpowered weapons in an RMT shop? With the popularity of micro-transactions, do you think developers will edge closer and closer to that line to see what they can get away with? Let us know your thoughts!
Accessing the Runes of Magic Item Shop
With the official launch date still about 2 months away, Runes of Magic seems to be ahead of schedule with their features. While the open beta is sailing along nicely, we get word of the game's Item Shop opening to the masses.According to the official press release, the Runes of Magic Item Shop is now open for those players who want to "achieve their goals in the game world faster." They've compiled a handy guide to the Item Shop and the Diamond currency system, which should help any players who are new to the game, or new to RMT in general. You can also keep an eye on the latest items added to the shop, which usually include items such as special potions, jewels, pets and mounts. Check out the complete press release after the cut below.
