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The Secret World's business model to feature subs and cash shop
Funcom has taken the wraps off its business model for The Secret World, and the upcoming horror-conspiracy MMORPG will ship with a traditional subscription model. That's not all, though. In a post on the official forums, community manager Oliver "Tarib" Kunz says that the game will also feature microtransactions and a cash shop. The blurb mentions Funcom's desire to steer clear of "pay-to-win" scenarios by limiting the item store to clothing and convenience items. "Character power in The Secret World will be determined by how well you play the game, not how much money you are willing to put into it," Kunz writes.
Bombshell: End of Nations to be free-to-play
Conquering the world just got a lot more affordable, as Trion Worlds announced that its MMORTS End of Nations will be released as a top-notch free-to-play title. This decision means that players can not only obtain a copy of the client for free, but play through the solo, co-op, and the persistent-world multiplayer conquest modes as well. Trion's Dave Luehmann hopes this will give End of Nations a competitive advantage when it launches: "Being able to offer a premium game such as End of Nations for free sets us apart in this industry. At Trion, we strive to innovate online gaming while emphasizing the delivery of the best core gameplay experience available. Our decision to release End of Nations as a AAA free–to-play title is guided by these principles." Trion will be offering an optional subscription package and a game store to enhance players' experience. The store will sell customization and convenience items, and Trion has clearly stated that it will not be selling "pay-to-win items" through it. During our hands-on impressions from last year, we noted that the title was probably not best suited for a monthly subscription, so it's good to see Trion freeing the game from that business model. End of Nations will be available to players at this month's Gamescom.
DUST 514 may go true F2P in the future
While we've known that DUST 514 won't be as free as originally thought, there's still hope for a true free-to-play version to come. CCP's Hilmar Veigar Pétursson told GamesIndustry.biz that while PlayStation 3 owners will have to contend with a "cover charge" -- estimated to be between $10 and $20 -- before accessing the game for the first time, the company may drop it entirely in time. This fee is meant to help with the initial start-up costs for DUST 514, and will be refunded to players in the form of in-game currency that can be spent on unspecified in-game microtransactions. Pétursson isn't ruling out the possibility that the game might go completely free-to-play in the future, however: "You're really getting the game for free but you have to pre-buy credits in the beginning. We might go fully free-to-play down the line, but in the beginning we have a cover charge just to manage the initial launch of it. We have always been a big believer in growing up a social network behind the game in a slow and predictable way. Because we have seen that if you don't do that you can end up with a very unstructured experience, where there's no cohesion to the community. By growing it at the beginning we help to make a healthy environment initially." We first reported on this cover charge during last month's E3. Pétursson says that CCP will see how the cover charge plays out during the game's testing period. The company is just now recovering from a hotbed of controversy involving EVE Online's approach to in-game item sales.
Realms Online celebrates the 4th of July in style with zombies and unicorns
The British are coming! The British are coming! And they want to... eat your brains? In perhaps the oddest holiday event we've ever heard of, Realms Online is featuring a Redcoat zombie invasion that starts today. Redcoat zombies are swarming over the warzone, and it's up to you to fight for independence from brain-noshing. Participating in the event will give players the chance to earn special Independence Day costumes until July 15th. Zombie invasions aren't the only things going on during the Dawn of Freedom event -- GMs will be throwing firework shows, banners will be playing the American national anthem, and other fun activities will be available. Realms Online is also selling 4th of July-themed items in its item shop for those with particularly strong patriotic persuasions. And what 4th of July event would be complete without... unicorns? Unicorns? OK, we'll roll with that. GameSamba is going to post a code on the Realms Online Facebook page that will let players use a unicorn for free for a week before it goes on sale in the store.
Do the shopping cart: Prius Online opens item shop
Prius Online has taken another step toward full-fledged release, as gPotato opened the doors to an in-game item shop today. As with many free-to-play titles, Prius Online will chug along under the power of microtransactions from shop purchases. The item shop will hold an attractive array of fun and useful goods, ranging from costumes to mounts to all manner of helpful trinkets. To celebrate the shop's opening, Prius Online is handing out a free Leaf of Oblivion to players who log in between June 15th and 19th. The Leaf is capable of resetting your skill points, including your initial job choice, so that you can respec into a better build. Prius Online went into open beta earlier this month, and any interested parties can check the game out by visiting the website and signing up!
The Road to Mordor: Shopping at the LotRO Depot
About 99% of the time I'm in Lord of the Rings Online I never think about the LotRO Store. Ever since the store came online last year, it's been adventure as usual in the Olivetti household. Sure, I mock the "You got 5 Turbine Points! Now you can retire in the Caymans!" popups like everyone else, but I've always felt that Turbine does a good job balancing the store presence between the polar extremes of obnoxious and invisible. That isn't to say I haven't used the store at all; on the contrary, I've been a sporadic if loyal customer of sorts, trundling my shopping cart through the aisles of Shire-Mart looking for a good deal. Thus far I haven't dropped any additional cash into the game, choosing to subsist on my monthly allotment of TP with whatever I earn through deeds. Every once in a while I'll boot up the store and see what niceties I can give to my character as a reward for slaughtering his 5,000th Neeker-beeker. The LotRO Store has two categories of customers: the free-to-players and the upper class. Does that sound snooty? It's not intentional -- all I mean is that some folks use the store to provide basic necessities for gameplay (like quest packs, riding skills, class unlocks) while others are already well-off in the game and shop for luxury items. I'm in awe of the F2P gamers who can get a good chunk of their content by methodically knocking deeds out so they can purchase the next zone, but I'm fortunate enough not to have to do that. So today I wanted to give myself an audit of what I've spent in the store so far and analyze whether they were wise purchases, wasteful frivolities, or overpriced insanity.
GDC 2011: Nexon's future is so bright, it's gotta wear shades
Not only are Nexon's revenues on the way up with no sign of slowing, but the company's famed "Nexon iNitiative" is already producing hearty results. Unlike the Dharma Initiative, the Nexon iNitiative is a force for good, as the company is funding promising indie developers and their pet projects. Last year, Antic Entertainment and one2tribe both received a chunk of the $1 million funding to make games that would be published worldwide by Nexon, and a similar program is underway for 2011. At GDC we sat down with Nexon America CEO Daniel Kim to talk about the future direction of the company. Nexon's in its 17th year and considers itself the most accomplished global provider of online games. Whether or not you agree with that statement, the fact that the company has over 30 titles under its belt in over 71 countries is impressive, and that's not even looking at the way Nexon casually drops how many hundreds of millions of players check out its titles daily. Interesting Nexon tidbit: The name comes from the company's philosophy, to look for the "next online" trend. Now you have something to say during awkward silences at dinner parties. Hit the jump to hear about some of the future projects and developments of this online pioneer, including MapleStory and Dragon Nest!
The Road to Mordor: My wish list for 2011
January is always a month of denial for me because it usually takes a full 30 days for the reality of a new year to settle into my skull. It can't be a new year! I just, just got used to the old one! I'm going to forget the real year when I sign my checks and then I'll be denounced as a fraud! What horrible teenage fad will be inflicted on us this year? Seriously, Ke$ha was the final straw for me. She's like all four horsemen of the apocalypse melted down and recast as a talentless banshee with an ironic dollar sign smack in the middle of her name. But that's my problem. A new year also means a virgin slate for all of our MMOs. What happened last year was so last year -- now we turn our eyes to the future. We know a little of what's upcoming for Lord of the Rings Online, but that doesn't mean we can't have wishes. You know what they say: If wishes were horses, I'd have the Steed of Night. So in honor of '11, I've come up with an 11-point wish list of what I'd love to see in LotRO this year. I fully expect Turbine to drop everything -- everything -- to get on it!
The Daily Grind: What's the most ridiculous microtransaction you've seen?
With in-game item shops rapidly becoming the norm -- whether you rail against them, enjoy them or sit somewhere in the middle -- one gets the feeling that these companies are still trying to figure out just how much these virtual items and services are worth. From Blizzard's $25 sparkle pony to SOE's $55 guild namechange service, it seems that these companies are pushing as far as they can go to see what we'll cough up for our games. So what's the most ridiculous microtransaction you've seen in an MMO? What was so ridiculously overpriced or horribly mis-priced that you couldn't stop shaking your head and wondering out loud, "Who would pay for such a thing?" Mind you, this could even be something small, such as an item in the cash shop that you could easily get for free in the game itself. Today, be a consumer crusader and call out bad MMO microtransaction pricing! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
LotRO's Siege of Mirkwood discounted to become the one price to sell them all
While many of us have spent a great amount of time and money shopping for other people this holiday season, it's sometimes easy to overlook yourself in all of the hustle and bustle. Treat yourself to something nice this week -- you deserve it! May we suggest a gaming Snuggie for those long nights of raiding, or perhaps 50% off of Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood? As part of the Turbine Tuesdays sales, the LotRO store will be selling the game's second expansion for half off the regular price this Tuesday, December 28th. Siege of Mirkwood is priced at 995 Turbine Points in the NA store (which is around $10), but on the 28th the cost will be halved to 498 ($5). The Siege of Mirkwood expansion unlocks over 150 quests, zone deeds, five instances and plenty of content for high-level players. Currently, free players may access the zone and experience the epic storyline, but the rest of the content is walled off unless this quest pack is purchased.
Personality or progression: WAR's 1.4.0 patch offers a choice
With the Skaven waiting in the wings, Warhammer Online's 1.4.0 patch delivers a few tantalizing goodies right here and now. The focus of the patch is two new "RvR packs" that can be picked up in the EA Store. For players looking for a leg up in their RvR advancement, the progression pack offers faster Renown Rank climbing as well as an increased cap of level 100. On the flip side, players looking for fun, fluff and fast travel can opt for the personality pack, which includes new dyes, quick mounts, barbershop tokens and vanity pets. Of course, you could always drop $10 for a free level instead. Patch 1.4.0 also features a major revamp of two core WAR features: open RvR zone capture and renown abilities. Mythic has pared down the victory conditions of open RvR to just capturing the enemy's keep, which is aided by achieving battlefield objectives and producing siege weapons. Renown abilities have lost their tiered structure, allowing players to purchase passive traits when and if they have the points for them. The dev team has added a number of new abilities as well. For more on improved itemization, the infamous Barber Surgeon and class changes, head on over to the WAR Herald and check out the patch notes.
The Road to Mordor: Rep pony riots
Last week I received a note from a LotRO player named Shawn who was concerned about one of the controversies revolving around the LotRO store and was wondering if I was going to touch on it. Now, it's no personal surprise that the store was going to have controversial aspects to it -- I can't even imagine a scenario in which it wouldn't -- but I assured him I'd tackle the subject and more after downing a few strong drinks and subjecting myself to 414 straight pages of forum rants. My reluctance to talk about this is due to a combination of (a) not feeling that strongly to the point of frothing at the mouth about a lot of these items for sale, and (b) the fact that no matter what position I'd take, I'd lose with at least some readers. Hard place, me, rock. So what the hey, why not take the reputation horse by the reigns and see how I can muddle through this and come out with a majority of my skin unflayed! I'm only going to do this with one provision, however -- that next week I get to talk about what I actually like about the store. There may be hugs and ballads involved. To controversy and beyond, tallyho!
[Updated] Wasteland for sale: Fallen Earth opens its item store
Some men are born into greatness, the saying goes, and some have greatness thrust upon them. In MMOs, some are launched with item shops, and some thrust item shops upon us. In another sign that the MMO genre is irreversibly marching down the path of microtransactions, Fallen Earth quietly opened the doors to an item store, offering a pair of luxury goods in exchange for cold, hard cash. The two items currently for sale are a Kaibab Cur pet and a pair of brass goggles. The Cur is one of the new pets in the game -- in this case, a four-slot-carrying dog -- while the goggles give lowbie characters a hand up with protective stats while making your avatar look like a mad scientist. Interestingly enough, Icarus is limiting players' purchases of each item to one per account. You can scope out the goods at the Fallen Earth store on the official site. We'll certainly be keeping an eye on Icarus to see how the store develops and how players react. Although considering that Fallen Earth takes place in a post-paper currency economy, one wonders if Icarus Studios would accept poker chips instead. [Update: The Fallen Earth team has responded to player concerns with this item store. Their statement can be found after the jump.]
