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The Elder Scrolls Online quietly removes six-month subscriptions
Players are just a little bit leery of the fact that The Elder Scrolls Online has removed the six-month subscription option from the game. Oh, sure, it seems innocent enough; it's just a change in billing options. But it's also one of those changes that's happened in more than a few other games indicating that the game was removing the need for a subscription... or that the game was no longer going to be playable at all, in the case of Warhammer Online. The official ZeniMax response on the French forums is simply that players indicated they preferred the shorter billing options, so the six-month option was removed. General sentiment in the thread is that this answer is not entirely credible. If it really is a harbinger of something more to come... well, we'll find out about it in about six months. Maybe five. [Thanks to Siphaed for the tip!]
Newest producer's letter discusses the next major Allods Online update
Allods Online is the first game that launched free-to-play and then launched a subscription server. How did that go? According to the latest producer's letter, it went. Not perfectly, and it's not as popular as the option to play the game for free, but it serves different customer types. But that's just the smallest hint of the changes coming to the game, which could include a merge for the American and European regions in the future. The game's next major update, appropriately titled Winds of Change, is currently in the works. It promises to bring new features such as an asymmetrical 6v24 PvP challenge. The small team will be tasked with infiltrating a large facility and retrieving the flag deep within, leading to a different approach than the usual clash of armies. New mounts, new class features, and more are due along with the update, which should go live in early December.
WildStar's Gaffney on why the game isn't free-to-play
It's not enough any longer to simply say that your game is launching with a subscription when one considers that the past several years have seen free-to-play rise like a rocket approaching escape velocity. WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney recently took the opportunity to explain a little more about why the upcoming game decided to go with a subscription-based model (with added wrinkles) by explaining that he doesn't see free-to-play as a "magic bullet" for all games. Gaffney explains that from the developer's standpoint, having a free-to-play model involves having a small number of players paying for most of the population, which makes the experience far more variable and unsteady. He also notes that free players have a very different experience from those who play, one that often removes the incentive to pay money in the first place. The game's stated business model requires a monthly subscription, which can be paid for via in-game money on an open marketplace.
Anarchy Online prepares for Steam debut
You can't teach an old dog new tricks? Don't tell that to Anarchy Online because the classic MMO is preparing to carve a place for itself on Valve's digital distribution platform. AO Producer Dave Williams writes that the title should make its way to Steam very soon. In addition, he posted a chart of all of the new subscription options and bonuses that are now available. Williams touches on a number of important developments in the most recent producer's letter, in particular some staff reshuffling and word about the server migration. Of course, what everyone wants to hear about is the graphics engine upgrade. Williams confirms that it and the new player experience are still on course for an early 2013 public beta, and he was able to show one of the new features that the engine will allow: armor meshes. These meshes will allow the Funcom team to create additional 3-D objects to stick onto armor, giving players a more unique (and updated) look.
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.
