Cryptic Studios clarifies microtransactions in Star Trek Online

We noticed quite a stir in our last post about microtransactions in an upcoming Cryptic Studios game. The post in question was about Champions Online, which explained how Cryptic plans to keep the microtransaction system balanced. Quite a number of commenters at Massively expressed the view that the game should either be subscription or microtransaction-based, one or the other, and not a hybrid of the two.

That debate isn't confined to Cryptic's superhero MMO, however. The company's approach to microtransactions with Champions Online will be applied to Star Trek Online as well, according to a recent forum post by Jackalope (Jack Emmert) from the Cryptic Studios dev team.

He reiterates the company's stance on microtransactions in Star Trek Online, as originally stated by executive producer Bill Roper in the Champions Online State of the Game for July:

• "The vast majority are aesthetic items, such as costume pieces, action figures, emblems, etc."

• "A very few are account-level management tools, such as being able to rename a character."

• "Micro-transactions should never limit your ability to enjoy the game or reach the level cap."

• "Any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play."

It's proven to be a fiery discussion topic over on the official Star Trek Online forums. In fact, it's snowballed into a thread 51 pages and counting. If you feel strongly about this issue, have a look at the arguments both for and against the incorporation of microtransactions into Star Trek Online.