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Google Wallet to phase out prepaid card, cut-off date set for October 17th
Google Wallet's prepaid card concept has been plagued with its share of security concerns, and though Mountain View seems to have sorted out those issues, it's now phasing out the prepaid card program entirely. The service was intended to make up for a limited choice in debit and credit cards, and now that Google Wallet accepts any and all plastic, the prepaid option is a bit moot. The cut-off date for adding funds to a Google prepaid card is September 17th, and the prepaid option will vanish entirely on October 17th. Whereas users were previously charged $2.00 per month after 180 days without a transaction, they'll get slapped with the same fee after 30 days of no purchases. Google says you can request a refund if you have a remaining balance after the prepaid option kicks the bucket, though it's probably a good idea to just go ahead and spend those leftover dollars. [Thanks, Chris]
Final Fantasy XIV adds direct subscription options
As Final Fantasy XIV forges ahead with its revived subscription model, Square-Enix is showing signs that it is listening to its customer base in regards to options. The company announced that players can now directly subscribe to the game with a credit or debit card through the account system. Previously, Final Fantasy XIV utilized a convoluted system that required players to purchase an intermediary currency called Crysta, which was then spent on monthly subscription options. Not only did players find this complex and unnecessary, but there were issues with buying more Crysta than one actually needed. According to the company, the ability to directly subscribe via credit card was "by far the most popular request received from the community." FFXIV began charging for subscriptions earlier this month after more than a year of free service.
DAoC Producer's Letter puts on training wheels, er, windows
Like fine wine, Dark Age of Camelot is improving with age, at least according to the recent Producer's Letter for the game. Stuart Zissu crowed about the success of the dev team's first Live Event -- called "Infernal Awakenings" -- which saw developer-controlled demons rampaging across the world. Apparently, it was such a success that the dev team is deep into planning the next Live Event. Belford was also excited to talk about the new training window UI, which is set to arrive in the game very shortly. This updated interface lets players map out their specializations in advance via sliders so that they can create the exact character build they desire. Once a desired build is found, the game will automatically refashion your character's stats and abilities to match. The DAoC team is also working on ways to make the game more accessible to all, including additional character transfers and payment methods. You can read Andy Belford's full Producer's Letter at The Camelot Herald.
