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The Elder Scrolls Online won't require PS Plus, will require Xbox Live Gold
The Elder Scrolls Online will not require a PlayStation Plus membership to play on PS4, ZeniMax Online Studios Game Director Matt Firor wrote in a PlayStation Blog update. Bethesda confirmed to Joystiq that the subscription-based MMORPG will require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play on Xbox One, however. Bethesda was in talks with Microsoft to allow Xbox One owners to play the game online without the Live subscription in August. That was after Firor revealed the developer's decision to go with a monthly subscription for the game instead of moving to a free-to-play format. The Elder Scrolls Online will cost players $14.99 per month when it launches April 4 for PC and Mac with next-gen console versions following in June. The game was recently handed a Mature rating by the ESRB, to which Bethesda said it is "unwilling to change the game's content to achieve a different rating."
Blade & Soul takes over the top spot in Korea, dethroning Diablo III
Just two days ago, Blades & Soul opened its doors to players for the Korean open beta test, clocking an impressive wave of users and a third place finish in popularity behind Diablo III and League of Legends. Now the new fantasy MMO has leapfrogged over both games to claim the number one spot. One feature that helped cinch Blade & Soul's rise in popularity was the lack of any server maintenance over the weekend, something the deposed leader couldn't claim when it launched. Want to see what all the fuss is about? Check out the two new studio-released PvP videos after the break. NCSoft also laid ongoing rumors of the game's going free-to-play to rest by announced the game's pricing: A monthly fee of 23,000 Korean Won (about 19.81 USD) will begin on June 30th.
The Daily Grind: Counting the accounts
With the global economy in rough shape, many people are looking towards their MMO accounts as a method of trimming back a little money every month. Even those of us here at Massively have had to cut back, with most of us only carrying a handful of accounts now as opposed to carrying a plethora. There again, we know we're by no means the exception so far as being MMO crazy and carrying multiple accounts. The question for this morning though, is just how many accounts is everyone still paying for, month after month? To that end, we've created the shiny new poll below to see where the Massively readers fall. Lot of accounts open? None? Somewhere in-between? If you have an answer that isn't listed, feel free to chime in! %Poll-28774%
Ryzom going to monthly subscription
Ryzom has been up and down, with changes in models, cancellation, and being re-launched. Recently, it's incarnation has been a free-to-play game, but word has come down the wire that to continue running Ryzom, they need to reinstitute some type of fees.The good news for those who loved Ryzom before, or who perhaps are newish to this world, is that the fee structure will be less expensive than previous incarnations. The better news is that they will continue the current free-to-play model until the end of January, in case you were considering checking it out but hadn't yet.For month-to-month, you will pay $10.95 (7.95 €, £ 7.75); for three months at a time you'll get a discount down to $10.25 per month (7.50 € of £ 6.98 per month); 6 months will cost you $9.49 per month (6.99 € or £ 6.63 per month); and finally a year's subscription will discount furthest breaking down to $8.83 per month (6.50 € or £ 6.15 per month). With as many folks who are opting to give up on extra MMO accounts due to the cost, the price break may well keep Ryzom afloat - or even attract some players who want to try out a visually exciting new world for a bit less than the $15 many MMOs charge these days. [Thanks, AterNox]
The Daily Grind: Now how much would you pay?
For many, the cost of a game -- the initial purchase plus the monthly fee -- is simply assessed once, then never considered again. You have to pay something, after all, and you don't really have a choice if you want the content. Obviously, this doesn't take into account free-to-play games, but some people believe that you get what you pay for.But there is also the consideration of value over time -- was it worth that fifteen dollars for the month if you didn't enjoy the gameplay? If not, then why not? What would be worth that fee? Is it fair to say that sometimes you have to absorb the cost of a game you disliked to find out for yourself that it wasn't worth playing? Are there any games that you're happy to pay for, knowing you're helping ensure the maintenance and further development of the title?
The Daily Grind: monthly fee or microtransactions?
We have covered this peripherally before, but while that post focused on buying items through microtransactions, we'd like to ask you: what's your preference? A few MMOs have monthly fees that are also set up for discounted bulk purchases -- you pay less per month if you buy, say, 6 months at once -- but then there's the oh-so-enticing free-as-a-bird model, with microtransactions for better gear thrown in.But it's not just about items or time, is it? Do you feel that paying a monthly fee to your favorite MMO is an investment in your gaming future? Is it enough of a reward for the development team? If you're playing a free-to-play microtransactions game, can you still vote with your dollars if your favorite class gets nerfed? All things being equal, which is better?
The Daily Grind: What would you pay for?
At this year's Game Developer's Conference, a lot of hay was made over the concept of microtransactions and the free-to-play model. Attendees seemed split right down the middle, some for, some against. It wouldn't be a stretch to characterize the Massively readership as similarly split. But for those of you who love your free-to-play MMOs, is there anything that would get you to pay a monthly fee?Many titles have the option to both play free and pay a monthly; Dofus, for example, and Second Life too, to polarize the offerings. Are there any such models that have shot themselves in the foot by making the paid content not appealing enough to energize users to pay? If not, what will it take?
GameTap now $9.95/month; GameTap TV announced
PC subscription gaming service GameTap has dropped its monthly fee from $14.95 to $9.95 and announced a GameTap TV expansion that will offer "a new broadband video streaming network" for games- and non-games-related programming.The GameTap TV feature will include separate channels dedicated to music videos, network game previews, GT TV-exclusive content, and "even an animation channel set to go live this spring that will feature an original series of animated shorts."We don't know where Space Ghost fits into all these broadband network plans, but we're sure that it can't be good. The cost-cutting measure by the TBS-owned venture are important in light of all the digital-download announcements made by the big console manufacturers recently, but it's hard to tell whether the $5 drop in monthly fees will greatly increase the number of current PC subscribers. Anyone gonna jump in on this?See also: What is GameTap? [Official page where the inset image was found] GameTap to offer previews, trailers GameTap: Turner's games-on-demand site is live
