microtransactions
Latest
The community responds to a week of microtransaction announcements
This has been a banner week for the microtransaction business model. If ever there was a doubt publishers are reconsidering the 'traditional' subscription model here in the US, this week has proven it. While SOE's announcement and rollout of value-added RMT to EverQuest and EverQuest II was the first announcement to hit the airwaves, it wasn't the biggest. EA threw its weight behind the model as well, half-way announcing their plans to support Star Wars: The Old Republic with microtransactions of some kind. Though the company attempted to retract the statement after the fact, it's hard to see how Mr. Riccitiello's original comment could be misconstrued. And, of course, we can't forget the rollout of Blizzard's character re-customization service. After years of value-added services like server transfers, the company has fully adopted the realm of cosmetic small-value charges.Major announcements like this always prompt a strong response from the MMO community. For the strongest of those responses, look no further than the threads at Broken toys on the SOE and Star Wars announcements. For a strongly reactionary look at SOE's RMT decision, Keen and Graev's blog has you covered. Ryan Schwayder's Nerfbat site has a more considered look at the issue, primarily noting the polarizing nature of the topic. WorldIV talks about the possibly revolutionary nature of these revenue stream changes, while MMOCrunch notes the connections to the world of collectible card games. Both the Greenskin blog and The Ancient Gaming Noob offer their own opinions as well, and link into their discussions for further exploration. Whatever your own opinion, it's well worth reading into the blogging community's discussion of this eventful week.
SOE's Station Cash won't be coming to Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard
As a followup to the announcement of Sony Online Entertainment's Station Cash system earlier this week we had the chance to speak with Mr. John Smedley, CEO of that company. The full interview with Mr. Smedley will be posted tomorrow, but one question we've seen here in comments and elsewhere in forums seemed like it was worth addressing right away. The initial rollout of this Station Cash service was only to EverQuest and EverQuest II. The question naturally follows: will this see use in other SOE titles?As you might have guessed, Station Cash will play a prominent role in the company's upcoming free-to-play title Free Realms. It's also likely to play some role in DC Universe Online and The Agency, though Mr. Smedley was unwilling to commit to any details on those plans. As far as other, already launched SOE titles, the answer is probably a no. According to Mr. Smedley they haven't even raised the issue of using Station Cash in Star Wars Galaxies with LucasArts, and at this time they don't have any plans to bring the service to their other titles. This would mean Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, The Matrix Online, and Planetside will remain without the Station Cash service.We'll have a full interview writeup on the site early tomorrow, including details on future additions to the program. Tune in then!
World of Warcraft launches paid character re-customization
About two months ago we discussed the discovery of a 'character customization' button in the user interface for World of Warcraft. Somehow unsurprisingly in a week full of microtransaction announcements, Blizzard has quietly rolled out paid character customization options to the WoW live service. The account management component of the official site has full details on the offering. According to the customization page, for the price of $15 players can change: Gender Character Name Face Hair Style Skin Color Any other "cosmetic features determined by your race and gender combination." What you can't change, though, is your race or your class. Just as with server transfers, players are only allowed to re-customize a given character once in 30 days, and all pre-existing naming restrictions exist on the service. Re-customization cannot be reversed on a character once it's in place ... unless you shell out another $15 and wait the 30 day restriction period. Head over to the official account management page to try it out for yourself, or dig into the re-customization FAQ to have all your questions answered.[Via WoW Insider]
Character Re-Customization available for a small fee [UPDATED]
The WoW launcher was updated this morning, and just now what was behind that curtain was revealed: Character Re-Customization. What does that mean? In short, for a fee of $15, you can rebuild your character, with some restrictions. You can change your gender, face, skin, hair, and name, but not your race or class. You can do hair in-game already via the barbershop, so I imagine the ability to do those via this service is just for convenience. The real draw is the gender and face options.Don't want to play your Female Undead Warlock anymore because they move funny? It's okay, turn them into a way awesome Male Undead Warlock. Sick of looking at your Male Draenei? Try out something more... pleasing to the eyes. This is a feature people have been asking for since WoW launched, so I'm surprised it took so long for it to happen. If you're taking full advantage of the feature, it's really not a bad deal considering a paid name change is $10. For an extra $15, you can more or less have a new character. Well, sort of.
Star Wars: The Old Republic, now with microtransactions
Hoping to turn midi-chlorians into monetary maneuvers, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello revealed in today's investor call that BioWare's upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will be "a mid-session game, microtransaction-based. You'll be hearing more about those in the February [conference] call." According to ShackNews, EA has previously deemed FIFA Online and NBA Street "mid-session" games. We're not convinced that it means SW:TOR will be offered sans subscription, so we'll wait until February rolls around to see how the publisher plans to Force Pull your money.Update: Statement from EA via ShackNews: "No statements have been made about the Star Wars business model." The rep also claimed Mr. Riccitiello's comments were misunderstood.[Via Massively]
Star Wars: The Old Republic to be microtransaction-based [Updated]
Update: Shacknews has updated its story to state "no statements have been made about the Star Wars business model," and attributing Mr. Riccitiello's comments to a misunderstanding. For the time being, then, this appears to be unsubstantiated information.To end a somewhat surprisingly eventful day for the RMT and microtrasaction model, EA has announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic will not be subscription-based. Instead, the title will be gain revenue from a microtransactional model. Shacknews reports this surprising tidbit from a conference call held by the mega-publisher earlier today. Said CEO John Riccitiello, "The Star Wars online MMO [is a] mid-session game, microtransaction-based. You'll be hearing more about those in the February [conference] call." According to the game news site, "Mid-session" is a term that EA uses synonymously with microtransaction-supported titles. This fits effortlessly into EA's portfolio alongside games like Warhammer Online and the DICE title Battlefield Online.Everything we've seen regarding information on the title had it positioned as a big-budget title, leading us to wondering what kind of game we're going to be dealing with when the game finally launches. There are only a handful of AAA-funding titles based on the free-to-play business model, and none have the cachet of a Star Wars IP. We'll follow this story as it develops.%Gallery-35033%
SOE launches Station Cash microtransaction system in EQ and EQII
Sony has announced that Station Cash is now available in EverQuest and EverQuest II. Station Cash is the SOE microtransaction platform allowing players to purchase in-game items from the virtual marketplace for real currency. More information on how to use the marketplace in EQ and EQII is available from the Station Cash website. There's also an extensive FAQ for those looking to partake in these markets.Items shown on the site include the Seafury Buccaneer Armor Crate and Flask of Achievements. US players can access this feature today and Europe should have it tomorrow. For information on how to fill your wallet, purchase items from the marketplace, and much more, visit the Station knowledge base. Our Station Cash walkthrough>> %Gallery-38919%
Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine beta keys now available
If you've played Persona 3 or Digital Devil Saga, then you're already familiar with Atlus Games's Shin Megami Tensei line. While the laurels of that line lie in the many single player games, the Shin Megami Tensei series is going into the MMO realm with the new game, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine.Imagine is being carried in the US region by Aeria Games, the people behind Shaiya and Dream of Mirror Online, and they've just started their beta test via Filefront. Just simply click on the link and you'll be given a key and a download link to the client. The game will be free to play, and supported by a microtransaction system.Also, as a small side note, Aeria is currently having trouble with the ImagineUpdate.exe file. If you download the client, run the ImagineClient.exe file without running the launcher shortcut. Otherwise, if the launcher is run, you corrupt the installation and have to re-install.Otherwise, happy demon hunting![Thanks Tony!]Update: Aeria Games has gotten the launcher back to normal. Double click it and run it to update properly!
Take-Two Interactive considering subs and microtransactions for top titles
Subscriptions have been the bread and butter of MMOs since the days of Ultima Online, but subs may be coming to some popular standalone PC titles from Take-Two Interactive, presumably the Grand Theft Auto franchise and BioShock. Brian Crecente of Kotaku reports that "at the BMO Capital Markets conference, Take-Two head honcho Strauss Zelnick seemed very up on the idea of downloadable content, micro-transactions and even... subscriptions." This falls in line with their business model of periodically offering downloadable content to either extend the storyline of a game, or to simply offer varied gameplay experiences. Downloadable content and microtransactions could solve some of the issues game publishers have with their titles being re-sold, allowing them to have a continuous revenue stream, and perhaps dissuading many consumers from reselling that game in the first place. Regular content refreshes could ensure that these games don't go stale and end up relegated to a dusty bookshelf. Zelnick implied that this business model, should it come to be, would likely only affect Take-Two's biggest titles. This implies changes to the business models for Grand Theft Auto and BioShock, although the words "Midnight Club Online" also seem apt. But do you feel that adding the trappings of the MMO business model, namely subs and microtransactions, would enhance your experience with a standalone title, both as a gamer and as a consumer? Are more MMO-like PC games a good thing, or are you more of an MMO purist?
World of Warcraft's paid customization may allow race, gender changes
Eurogamer caught a few moments with Blizzard COO Paul Sams and Associate Producer Lee Sparks at the London, UK Wrath of the Lich King Launch event last night. There they managed to catch a few moments of conversation with the busy, busy men and asked a few follow-ups on the recently announced paid character customization options the comany has in the works. Essentially, the company views it as another value-added feature along the lines of the paid server transfer or name transfer. The paid character customization options will allow players to go back and tweak choices made at character creation. The capacity is already in the game to change hair style and color, but Blizzard seems to be implying 'deeper' changes - facial features, skin color, perhaps even gender or race. Despite that, the two company men resisted nailing anything down specifically. The feature, Eurogamer offers, is "more about making changes to decisions made in the past than adding additional options," and isn't intended to be a new microtransactional revenue stream. "The reason for the monetary expense is more of a barrier so that people don't do it every day," Sparks said. Read on into the article for full details.%Gallery-36550% One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
The future of Flash MMOs with Daniel James pt. 2
How do you compare what you're doing here with other Flash game initiatives on the web? Daniel: Well, they're sort of doing our thing and we're doing ours. We're not really interested in becoming the next Kongregate with thousands and thousands of flash games in Whirled. We're looking for a smaller number of – dare I say – good and interesting games. That's, I think, what we're going to see when people make original content for the platform. It's just a bit unique, you'll find it everywhere on the internet, but it's going to be built on Whirled. We're already pushing our Whirled games back out to sites like Kongregate, but it's essentially Whirled in a little box.
A whole new Whirled: The future of Flash MMOs with Daniel James
Earlier this week we had the chance to speak with Mr. Daniel James, the CEO and co-founder of Three Rings. Makers of successful online titles Puzzle Pirates and Bang! Howdy, the company is well known for the quality of its work and the quirkiness of its GDC parties. They've been working on a third project, Whirled, for the better part of 2008 and it just launched into full live service earlier this week. We spoke with Mr. James about the whys and logic behind Whirled, about the power of user-created content, and the power of offering actual compensation for hard work and talent. Read on below the cut for our talk with Mr. James, and a thorough exploration of a brand-new Whirled.%Gallery-36577%
Wizard101 lets players choose their payment method
In an innovative move by KingsIsle Entertainment, Wizard101 has just announced their new payment plan which promises to cater to a larger audience. This new plan will let players decide for themselves which game payment plan suits them best. As described in a recent press release: At the basic level, Wizard101 is free-to-play for as long as players choose. Subscriptions provide advanced gameplay access for a monthly fee. Prices start at $6.95 per account per month for multiple accounts on the family plan, or $9.95 per month for the regular subscription. All items will be available to subscribers via in-game gold or item drops. The micropayment system now allows individual streets or "zones" to be unlocked for as little as $1.00. Players purchase packages of in-game currency called Crowns to buy zones or items in the game. A volume discount is available based on the number of Crowns purchased.
Former SCEE exec Deering joins PlaySpan
Former PlayStation Europe head, Chris Deering, has joined the advisory board for PlaySpan, a company that has nothing to do with PlayStation and everything to do with the wild world of in-game money making. Self-described as the "first publisher-sponsored in-game commerce network," PlaySpan expects to benefit for Deering's ten years behind the desk at SCEE as the company works to position itself in the lucrative virtual goods market.PlaySpan is better recognized by gamers for its subsidiary brand, PayByCash, which offers payment solutions on a variety of online titles, including Ultima Online, Everquest II and Dungeons & Dragons Online. Even so, we're fuzzy on what exactly Deering will be advising the company on, though we imagine his time will be split between coming up with imaginative ways to reach into gamers' pockets and deciding what horse to bet on in the current hardware race.
WoW paid character customization button discovered, Brack confirms
When curious World of Warcraft players investigated currently-unused images hidden in a build of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, they uncovered a button labeled "UI-PaidCharacterCustomization" which was associated with the character selection screen. Needless to say, that discovery raised some eyebrows. At Blizzcon, Lead Producer J. Allen Brack was asked to clarify.According to WarCry's write-up for the event, Brack first dodged the question, but eventually decided it was necessary to address it. He confirmed that a paid character customization service is in WoW's future, but said that the developers haven't decided what it will entail or how much it will cost yet.Perhaps players will pay to make changes not supported by the barbershop, or perhaps all-new premium customization options will be introduced. If it's the former, then WoW is not headed towards a more microtransaction based future, as that sort of option is similar to the already-existing service that allows players to pay for a name change. If unique premium options are being introduced though, that's a whole different ball game. [Via Rock, Paper Shotgun]
Game economy grows with micropayments
As was recently discussed in a similar topic here at Massively, the idea of micropayments for our MMOs and virtual worlds is growing in popularity among game developers, but is it the best option? According to several highly-successful companies such as Nexon and MindArk, it's not only the best option, it's the future of online business models.A spokesperson for MindArk, maker of Entropia Universe, says that over $400 million in U.S. funds has changed hands in their game's four year lifespan. While some companies have strict rules against the interchange between real world money and virtual credits, there are plenty of others who swear it's the only way to go these days. A perfect example of this, as cited by a PCworld article, reminds us that the downloadable album from Aerosmith's Guitar Hero ventures have earned them more sales than all other album sales combined. "Who would have thought ringtones, wallpaper screensavers, and non-game mobile entertainment would be a $250 million business?", adds Joseph Olin, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
The Daily Grind: What do you think of the subscription model?
We don't always give free-to-play MMOs as much attention as we give to subscription-based games, but we are quite aware that the F2P model is hugely popular. Yesterday, we linked to a blog post on The Forge comparing the two business models. But we thought it would be interesting to ask what our readers think.Some hardcore types believe most F2P games are of poor quality. But the reality is that more people play microtransaction-based games than do subscription-based ones. A lot of times the downsides of the subscription model are overlooked in the gaming enthusiast community. For example: subscription MMOs incentivize developers to stretch out gameplay over more hours than might be ideal for fun, in order to keep subscribers hooked as long as possible.We know most of our readers are more likely to play subscription-based games, but do you have any complaints about what that model does to your experience? Do you ever wonder if F2P is the way to go?
The future of MMOs: Subscription vs. Free-to-Play
Have you ever wondered how so many of today's newer MMOs can go with the free-to-play business model? With the mega bank that Blizzard is making off of World of Warcraft, wouldn't the obvious plan be to make any new game subscription-based? Well, not exactly.According to an amazingly-extensive research post over at Matt Mihaly's The Forge blog, the decision for an MMO to choose between a subscription-based or free-to-play (with microtransactions) business model is not simply black and white. There's so much gray area in there based on more than just trying to reach the largest audience and making the most money. It's about developing a game that players will enjoy for many years. Market trends and long-term player interest is a difficult thing to predict, so new MMO developers find themselves experimenting with many different plans. Will these plans eventually evolve into the holy grail of online gaming payment, or will we eventually find that the best solution has been under our noses the entire time?
Super Boosters and beyond in City of Heroes
Massively recently had the chance to talk with City of Heroes executive producer Brian Clayton and Lead Designer Matt Miller about a multitude of CoX topics. One of the points we covered was the downloadable optional content, such as the recent Cyborg Pack.Massively: The recent changes in the studio, the additional bandwidth you were talking about: would you connect those to the changes you've made in pricing, with the additional purchaseable content? Or is that more a direct result of NC NorCal coming into its own? Brian Clayton: It's a little bit of both, to be perfectly honest. We certainly have huge plans, plans that go over the next five to ten years, for the City of Heroes franchise. So we certainly need to ramp up for that. But we also feel that by providing the Super Booster packs and things like that, it's a win-win in that it helps grow the studio internally to provide more things for our community, but it also helps us to justify those costs and build for the future. I think that's certainly a part of it, but there are larger initiatives again that we can't fully go into detail about, for the future of the franchise.
Perfect World International beta test opens up to pretty much everyone
Perfect World International, the English-language version of the popular Chinese MMO of the same name sans "International" and plus a "2," has moved into its open beta testing phase. The beta test features two servers -- one PvE and one PvP -- and characters created in the testing period will be kept through the live launch of the game.Like most Chinese games, PWI is a microtransaction-based MMO, but it was originally slated to be a subscription-based game. It got all the subscription-based-game-type triple-A graphics and game design treatment, so it should appeal to Western users more than most Eastern free-to-play games. At least, that's the company line.Features include mounts, marriage, PvP territory wars, and pretty much every other staple, all in a Chinese mythology setting. It's been in closed beta testing for only a few weeks. There's no official word on the live date for the post-beta version yet.[Via 1UP]
