MMORPGs: Free to Play vs. Monthly Fees

Listening to a few podcasts got me thinking about MMORPSs and their subscription plans. Some are free to play, others require a monthly fee, and some games withhold content unless gamers pay, utilizing a sort of freemium model. The question is with all the options, is there room for all these games to be profitable?

As someone who used to play World of Warcraft a lot I valued the money I spent every month on the game. $14.99 a month wasn’t cheap for a college student. So I felt I had to get my $14.99 worth of content from the game. This meant putting console games on hold and playing WoW a lot.

WoW is probably one of the best known MMORPGS. Want to jump in? At the retail level Blizzard charges around $30 for the game and its expansions. Usually the price at retail comes down pretty quickly and gamers still get a free month of play with new accounts. Star Wars the Old Republic as the new MMORPG has a similar model, pay $60 for the game, receive a free month, and then pay monthly fees. Now another semi-popular MMORPG, DC Universe Online has gone free to play. Granted, players can spend the extra money for in-game content and new areas. However, players could play through the whole game without paying any money. This is a great example of the freemium model and one of the many advantages.

Lord of the Rings Online has the same sort of structure as DC Universe Online. The game is free, and if players want extra things in the game they pay for them. This means they might not have access to certain areas. But since LOTR Online went free to play their revenue has skyrocketed. Another MMORPG City of Heroes uses a hybrid model, there is an option for free game play, and some of the updates cost money but are free for long time subscribers.

All of these models work in theory. But it would be nice to have more MMOs with longer trial periods. I think WoW still offers a trial and is free to play to level 20. How about giving people a discount when they sign up after a lengthy trial? Here is an idea, make the game $30 at retail and throw in two months for free after a two week trial. Maybe MMORPGs need to be cheaper overall? Make the game $30 and the monthly subscription can be $20, vs. $15 a month. As much as I would like to see prices come down, players seem to be really drawn to the games with monthly fees. Maybe its the illusion the game has better content if one has to pay a monthly fee vs. the free MMORPGs. This is not always true.
From what I’ve heard WoW has lost some players to games like Rift and Star Wars The Old Republic. Should Blizzard be worried? Not with 10 million subscribers. They don’t call it World of Warcrack for nothing. If the MMORPG is a good game at its core, has a large player base which it retains while recruiting new players, and is heavily supported like Star Wars The Old Republic, than there is nothing to worry about. If a game can do all of this it will be successful and there is no need to change the pricing model.

As for the others, going free to play with some sort of freemium subscription seems to be the way to go to draw people in. If a new game comes out and wants to really drum up the interest, here’s an idea. Run a free two week-a month trial and give gamers a discount for the first month or so. I’m sure many gamers would take the chance with a price and trial like that. Who knows where the future of MMORPGs are going?

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Rift succeeds in Guinness World Record bid

On Valentines Day, Rift challenged players to set a World Record for marrying as many in-game characters as possible in a 24 hour period. Players responded by hitching 21,879 in-game characters together. Each participating spouse was granted a title: The Avowed. The act of marriage was added in Rift’s 7th update, Carnival of the Ascended.

“Establishing this record was a monumental achievement for our development team and community of passionate players, and I couldn’t be more proud,” said Scott Hartsman, Executive Producer on Rift and Trion’s CCO. “Ascended Weddings were a great way to lift the veil on Rift’s new ‘Gatherings’ feature, social experiences that bring players together in new and interesting ways. We look forward to expanding this great new gameplay element in the always-evolving world of Telara.”

Gaz Deaves, Gaming Editor for Guinness World Records, said “It’s great to see the seeds of love blooming in virtual worlds, and particularly impressive to see so many gamers getting together to say their vows for one event like this. The evidence submitted was of a very high standard and we even witnessed some of the ceremonies ourselves, so this achievement will definitely be considered for the next Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition.”

Rift recently added a free to play option, so if you want to add some virtual matrimony to your life, be sure to check it out.

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13 Years Later: EverQuest Finally Going Free-to-Play in March

The great-granddaddy of 3D massively multiplayer online roleplaying games won’t cost a thing to play for the first time in its 13-year history come March 2012 — so sayeth the folks at Sony Online Entertainment.

“After listening to your feedback and suggestions over the past few years, I’m happy to announce that in early March 2012, EverQuest will be going free-to-play,” writes EverQuest producer Thom Terrazas. “We’re excited to be expanding the EverQuest experience by making the game more accessible to every type of player so that you can choose to play the game in a way that suits you best.”

But wait, didn’t EverQuest already go free-to-play? You’re thinking of EverQuest II, which did indeed tap the free-to-play model back in 2010 via “EverQuest II Extended” (EverQuest II itself went free-to-play in December 2011). But EverQuest trundled along with its unknown (presumably shrinking) player base, asking players to pay just shy of $15 monthly since the subscription rates last went up in 2005.

I haven’t played EverQuest since 1999, six or seven months after it launched, but at the time it was something to behold, run through a pair of 3dfx Voodoo 2′s in SLI (Scan-Line Interleave) mode. I remember killing giant bees outside a city with trees the size of redwoods (a tree city with elevators you’d ride up to trade loot and skill train, if I’m remembering the leveling system correctly). I also remember doing that ad nauseam for a month until I bounced — the original 3D grind!

If you’ve never tried EverQuest but want to see what the hullabaloo was about (long, long ago, anyway), Terrazas says you’ll be able to download the client in March and calls it “Free to Play, Your Way,” meaning it’ll support several ways to engage, including the old $15 monthly rate, which’ll offer access to…he doesn’t specify, but it probably involves punching through level caps and/or having access to special areas, features or other content. The freebie version will limit character creation options, the number of characters you can have at once and how much money you can plug into the in-game bank. You can throw $5 one-time at the game and bump those restrictions a bit.

EverQuest celebrates its thirteenth anniversary on March 16, so alongside the free-to-play launch, Terrazas says to expect new events and items, a renovated everquest.com website and upgraded EQPlayers pages, and an updated in-game map that’ll show level content for your character and help you locate zones with less trouble. For the full feature list, check out Terrazas’ EQPlayers note.

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Blizzard files antithesis to Valve’s Dota trademark

Blizzard has grumbled before about Valve Software regulating a name Dota 2 for a blurb supplement to a hugely renouned Warcraft III mod Defense of a Ancients All-Stars–usually called simply ‘DotA’–but now it’s called in a lawyers. Newly-discovered paperwork, filed with a USPTO in November, uncover a Warcraft developer has rigourously against Valve’s focus to heading “DOTA,” claiming it “would means repairs and damage to Blizzard.”

Blizzard Entertainment contends in a grave Notice of Opposition [pdf] that a “DOTA” code is tied to Warcraft and Blizzard itself in players’ minds. So a evidence goes, it’s given a strange mod DotA requires WC3, rises a lot of characters, skills and mechanics from WC3, and is played over Blizzard’s Battle.net (though many use third-party networks nowadays).

Should people incorrectly trust Valve’s Dota 2 is connected with Blizzard, it says, this would be “all to a mistreat of Blizzard’s goodwill and reputation.” Supposedly, Valve is perplexing to “appropriate a some-more than 7 years of goodwill that Blizzard has developed.”

“Valve has no rights in or to a DOTA mark,” Blizzard insists. “Valve has never released, distributed, or sole any products regulating a symbol DOTA, or, for that matter, any of a DOTA Marks. Valve did not silver a DOTA symbol and has never participated in a origination of a DotA Mods.”

Though, let’s remember that DotA’s pseudonymous creator ‘Eul’ is operative during Valve on Dota 2, as is a fugitive ‘IceFrog,’ who’s been a mod’s lead developer given 2005.

In a response filed in December, Valve denied Blizzard’s allegations, observant Blizzard “lacks station to move this dispute” and that a rights to a heading are “senior.” Valve called for a Notice of Opposition to be dismissed.

Blizzard’s not doing this quite to urge a good name. The studio’s also creation a possess DotA clone, brazenly named Blizzard DOTA. It had once designed to side-step a heading emanate with a name ‘Blizzard All-Stars.’ Some demeanour of giveaway recover is planned, presumably by a singular chronicle enclosed with a StarCraft II trial.

According to a USPTO’s hearing schedule, a brawl should be in a find phase, and a hearing should hang adult by a finish of December. This whole nauseous mess, rebuttals and all, should be wrapped adult during a really latest by Feb 2, 2013.

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Aion to go free to play in Europe in February

Ultra-pretty flighty MMO Aion is set to drop the monthly subscription fees and go free to play in February next year. The free to play version will be rolled out in the UK, France and Germany first before spreading across the whole of Europe. “In the last few months the lands in Atreia have become more and more deserted,” NCSoft write on the new Aion free to play site, “we want to reinvigorate the world of Aion and attract new adventurers to the towns.” There’s no mention of a free to play version for the US yet.

Aion’s been updated many, many times since its release. New dungeons, new endgame quests, new missions and pets that will collect your loot for you are a few additions. The seriousness of the stoic angel warriors that made up Aion’s character base on launch have thawed considerably over the years with the addition of new outfits, afros and a ton of new gear.

Aion’s world has become more impressive, too, with a raft of graphical updates. It’s powered by Crytek’s CryEngine, making it one of the best looking MMOs around, though through it all, it’s never quite managed to shake its reputation as a bit of a grindfest. Come February, you’ll get to download the client and find out for free.

In the Aion free to play FAQ, NCSoft mention that in”every quest, class, instance and zone is freely playable and is free of charge for every player.” There they also mention that new players will be able to pay extra for a “Gold package” which will remove “a few minor restrictions in an effort to protect the game against bots and gold sellers” If you’re already a subscriber, you’ll be rewarded with “Veteran” status. “With this, all game options are open to you free of charge and you also receive special bonuses.” Find out more on the official Aion free to play site. If you’re an Aion subscriber, NCSoft recommend marking your account for transfer ahead of the free to play switch. There are instructions on how to do that here.

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DotA 2 Leaked Screenshots

Thailand's DotA-team, MiTH-Trust, attending the DotA 2 championship tournament
for 1 million USD accidentally released a couple of screenshots of the team practising
where you can clearly see DotA 2 running on one of the guy's display. The non-blurred
images were almost instantly gone from the team's site: Valve appears to be rather strict
when it comes to images of unreleased games.

Following screenshots are not of the highest quality at all, and if you are not really
a dedicated DotA fan like me, you might not find it that much interesting. After all
this is the first DotA 2 leak of it's kind, and I'm happy to share it with you here on
LewtersLounge.


Original image of MiTH-Trust players practicing that was taken down very quickly.
Can't see it? Check the next zoomed image!


Here we can see the DotA 2 UI (interface) and some other interesting things such
as the cool shadow rendering as it looks like.


This image was taken down also very quickly, it is the official DotA 2 logo.

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Diablo III Beta Announced!

Blizzard has just recently made an announcement of the Diablo III beta and has decided to answer a few questions people might have. This article was published around noon yesterday in an effort to bring awareness to the community and its chance at being invited.

Diablo III Beta Test Overview

After 10 years of anticipation following Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo II (2000) and its expansion, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction (2001), the iconic action-RPG gameplay of the Diablo series is back with a vengeance in Diablo III. In the upcoming Diablo III beta test, selected participants will be among the first in the world to rejoin the battle against the minions of the Burning Hells as they explore part of the game's foreboding first act.

After hearing all that good news I'm sure most of us are going to be pretty eager to get our hands on one of those lucky few that are going to be chosen to try this beauty of a game. People were curious as to what Blizzard's goals were for the Diablo III beta testing and they replied,

What are your goals for this beta?

The primary reason for the Diablo III beta test is for us to test out our new hardware, see how the server–client infrastructure holds up, and look for bugs in the installer and patcher as well as the game. We’re also looking to get some quality feedback about the beginning game experience and how the different classes feel. The beta test will help us ensure that the release is stable and fun, and that we’re ultimately able to deliver the experience we intend with Diablo III.

As you all probably already expect it, this beta will ensure that we all get to have a great experience with the opening night of Diablo III. I had a chance to test out the game during Blizzards convention, Blizzcon, in 2010. That was one of the main problems they had wanted to tackle, and thats the class balancing. From my experience of what I've played so far, they are going to need a lot of testing on the current class situation.

I'm sure you're all wondering, how do I sign up for this wonderful opportunity?! As most people already know, you enter mainly through Battle.net and attending Blizzcon. Here is a more in-depth answer that was a part of the FAQ.

How do I sign up for the Diablo III beta test?

To sign up for the Diablo III beta test or future Blizzard Entertainment beta tests, you first need to create a Battle.net account. You can then opt-in to the beta test for Diablo III, as well as beta tests for future Blizzard Entertainment games, through the beta opt-in process. To get started, simply click Beta Profile Settings in Battle.net Account Management. Please note that opting in to a beta test through this method does not guarantee that you will be selected.

Of course not everyone will get in, but I can tell you this. Blizzard needs testers from all different perspectives. That's why the opt-in copies your computer specs. They need to test the game for people that have really low end computers, as well as those that have good or great computers. They understand that not everyone can stay up to date, so I am sure those with lower computer specs will be able to get a chance at this beta. As I was saying before, Blizzcon also increases your chances of association with the Diablo III beta. Here is a question someone asked and they replied with,

1,000 Diablo III beta keys were promised at BlizzCon; how do I know if I am a winner?

We will be sending out emails with beta keys to winners along with detailed instructions on how to access the beta test. Players who receive a beta key via email will need to create a Battle.net account, click “Add or Upgrade a Game” in Account Management, and enter the key there. The beta client will then be available for download from within Battle.net Account Management.

A common question a lot asked was when they planned to end the Diablo III beta, here is there reply even though it's very generic.

How long will the beta test last?
We have not determined an exact date for the end of the beta test. We will notify participants when the beta test is nearing completion.

Blizzard is allowing the beta test in all regions where Blizzard games are available. That's good news for those not in the U.S. or more common areas they choose to test at. The only catch is that North America will be the first to receive the chance to play the beta, as they widen their horizon. Here is a question that was asked concerning what regions they plan to allow the beta test.

Which regions will be able to participate in the beta test?

All regions will be able to participate in the Diablo III beta test; however, to keep the process as efficient as possible, and ultimately to release the game as soon as possible, we plan to roll out the beta hardware in waves, starting with North America. This means that players outside of North America who are granted access to the beta test may experience some latency issues. Once the new hardware setup has been optimized, we plan to roll it out in additional regions. This should provide a solid connection experience for beta testers in those regions who are connecting to the new local hardware infrastructure.

We are all really curious as to what we should expect to see in game when they open the doors for those who receive keys. Players were wondering what content they are going to see in the opening of the beta, Blizzard replied,

What game content will be available in the beta?

You’ll be able to try out all 5 character classes and experience the early stages of Diablo III from the start of the game through the Skeleton King encounter. You’ll be able to interact with new and returning characters in New Tristram and fight the reawakened evils emanating from the cursed Tristram Cathedral. You’ll also experience the randomized elements of Diablo III as well many of the new system designs that take many of the core Diablo design elements to a whole new level.

As I'm sure we have all read the article by Unholyshaman, Diablo 3 using in-game gold and real life money. The players asked a question about the Diablo III Auction House system, and they replied,

Will the Diablo III Auction House be available in the beta?

Yes, we plan on testing the functionality of the Diablo III gold-based auction house during the beta phase.

Here is another direct dialect from their "overview" of the Auction House, CONFIRMING that there will be a real life money auction house system! Here is the confirmation.

The Choice Is Yours
Use of either the real-money or gold-based auction house is completely optional -- that decision can be made on a per-item basis, and both versions of the auction house are functionally the same. In addition, players have the option to simply sell the items they obtain to in-game vendors for gold. They can also trade items to other players through a direct character-to-character trading system in the game in exchange for gold, other items, or just an overwhelming sense of goodwill.

As time goes on and we all begin to check our battle.net emails and hope to be greeted with an invite, not all shall be stoked. Those that receive chances at the beta, let us know in the comment section below! What's your opinion on all of this? Do you think the beta will be a successor towards Diablo III being fair and balanced? Speak your mind!


UPDATE: Diablo III Beta Profile Update

Just recently, about 35 minutes ago, Zarhym, a Blizzard Community Manager made an announcement for everyone that's interested in any future beta testing, they should probably update their Beta Profile through BNET. Here is the link for the announcement:http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2957126089
Credit for the link: Shadowsx

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Diablo 3 using in-game gold and real-life money

A few days ago World of Warcraft and Diablo Fans a like woke up a piece of absolutely mind blowing news. Real-life money used for in-game transactions? Has Blizzard gone off their rocker? Who cares let's make some money!

In short, there will be 2 separate Auction Houses, one that utilizes in-game gold, and one that utilized real-life currency, and players will be able to choose which Auction House they wish to use per individual transaction - in other words you won't have to choose between the two.

The way I imagine it working, will be if you want quick, easy sales - use the in-game gold auction house. If you have a very very rare, high-ticket item that you don't mind being patient with, use the real-life money auction house. Of course there is no reason why you wouldn't put either of those category items on either of the auction houses, it just seems less likely right now.

First thing NOTE: this information was posted on MMO-Champion, WITHOUT any source links. They state "Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment" but usually the words "Blizzard Entertainment is a hyperlink, this time it isn't - so take everything here with a grain of salt.

Sinuviel brought up a good question in one of the World of Warcraft related IRC channels:

 Originally Posted by Sinuvial

Who is going to be able to check if it is Blizzard, or a player selling goods anyways? Blizzard Trader-X makes an account, uses some l33t getItem command and posts some pure profit items on the AH. Nobody can tell if he is an actual player, or a Blizzard employee!

Something else that I want to point out is Auction House cuts and Deposit Fees.

• 25 million players.
• On average, each player sells 5 auctions per day.
• Blizzard puts a 1 cent AH cut per auction.
• 25 million cents per day.

It's clear that, if this is true, Blizzard is finally facing the facts that Gold selling/buying is an unstoppable force. I just wonder what kind of exact effect this will have on the game's economy. Ever since pre-bc, players have been constantly bringing up the suggestion that Blizzard should allow buying and selling of gold with real-life currency straight from their website.

I'm not going to spam you guys with all the FAQ quotes by Blizzard, but I will post some of the more interesting ones that are more relevant to our community. When Blizzard releases more information and we get proper source quotes I'm sure one of the news team members will do an update post on the situation.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

Safe and Sanctified
The real-money auction house provides players with an easy-to-use, Blizzard-sanctioned way to collect money for items they obtain while playing Diablo III. It also helps protect players from the scams and theft often associated with questionable third-party sites by providing a secure, completely in-game method for purchasing and obtaining the items they want for their characters.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

How does the auction house system work?
Players can open the auction house interface from anywhere in the game to make purchases or list items for sale. Items can be sold from the shared stash (storage shared among all the characters on your Battle.net account) or from any individual character’s inventory. When posting the item, the seller picks whether it will be sold in the gold-based auction house or the currency-based auction house. The item is then held by the auction house system until the listing expires or a purchase is made. Items that are not sold are returned to the seller’s shared stash, and items that are sold are delivered to the winning bidder’s shared stash. In either case, the auction house system will deduct a nominal fixed transaction fee from the seller, the amount of which is determined by whether or not the item was sold (see below). For the currency-based auction house, players will have a few different options for how to pay for item purchases and receive funds for item sales, as discussed elsewhere in this FAQ. There may be differences in how this system will work in different regions of the world. We’ll provide further details at a later date.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

How is the transaction fee determined?
A nominal fixed transaction fee will be deducted from the seller for each item listed in the auction house. This fee consists of a fixed charge to list the item, which is assessed whether or not the item is successfully sold, and an additional fixed charge that is assessed only if the item is sold. Because the listing portion of the fee is charged even if the item doesn’t sell, it will be in the seller’s interest to list items he or she believes other players will be interested in, and to do so at a competitive price. Specific details related to the transaction fee for the currency-based auction house will vary by region and will be announced at a later date.

Please note that we plan to waive the listing portion of the fee for a limited number of transactions per account. In other words, for these transactions, the seller will only pay a transaction fee if the item is successfully sold, and that fee will not include the listing charge. We’ll have further details on this as well at a later date.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

Why are you creating a currency-based version of the auction house?
Our goal with all of our games is to ensure players have a highly enjoyable, rewarding, and secure experience. Acquiring items has always been an important part of the Diablo series, but the previous games have not had a robust, centralized system for facilitating trades, and as a result players have turned to inconvenient and potentially unsafe alternatives, such as third-party real-money-trading organizations. Many of the transactions between players and these organizations led to a poor player experience and countless customer-service issues involving scams and item/account theft, to name a few. To that end, we wanted to create a convenient, powerful, and fully integrated tool to meet the demand of players who wished to purchase or sell items for real-world currency, and who would likely have turned to a less-secure third-party service for this convenience.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

Does Blizzard plan to post weapons, armor, and other such items for sale in the currency-based version of the auction house?
The currency-based auction house is a place for players to purchase or sell items they’ve obtained within the game. Blizzard does not plan to post items that affect gameplay, such as gear or character-enhancing runestones, for sale in the auction house.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

Will Blizzard sell anything directly through the auction house?
We don't have any plans at this time to post items for sale in the auction house.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

What’s Blizzard’s cut?
As with other online auction sites and real-world auction houses, our fee structure will vary by region. However, we plan to collect a nominal fixed transaction fee for each item listed in the auction house. This fee consists of a fixed charge to list the item, which is assessed whether or not the item is successfully sold, and an additional fixed charge that is assessed only if the item is sold. The listing portion of the fee, which helps encourage sensible listing prices and discourage the mass posting of items that are very low quality or would be of little interest to other players, will be waived for a limited number of transactions per account. For players who opt to have the proceeds of their auction house sales go to their third-party payment service account instead of to their Battle.net account, Blizzard will collect a separate “cash-out” fee. Specific details regarding these fees will be announced at a later date.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

Can we buy gold from the currency-based auction house?
Players will be able to buy and sell gold through the currency-based auction house at whatever the current market price is, as established by the player community.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

How do I cash out from the currency-based auction house?
As an advanced feature, players will have the option of attaching an account with an approved third-party payment service to their Battle.net account. Once this has been completed, proceeds from the sale of items in the currency-based auction house can be deposited into their third-party payment service account. “Cashing out” would then be handled through the third-party payment service. Note that this process will be subject to applicable fees charged by Blizzard and the third-party payment service. Also, any proceeds from the sale of items in the currency-based auction house that have been deposited into the Battle.net account will not be transferrable to the third-party payment service account. Not all regions will support this advanced feature at launch. Region-specific details, as well as details regarding which third-party payment services will be supported and the fee that Blizzard will charge for the cash-out process, will all be provided at a later date.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

Will buying or selling items in the auction house reveal my identity?
No. All player transactions in the gold-based and currency-based auction houses will be anonymous, and neither your real name nor your character name will be revealed to other players.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

Which regions will have currency-based auction house support?
We plan to roll out the currency-based version of the auction house in as many regions as possible with the launch of Diablo III. In regions where the currency-based auction house will not be available, players will still have access to a gold-based auction house. We'll share more details in the future.

 Originally Posted by Blizzard

Will there be separate auction houses in each region? Will I be allowed to bid on items from players outside my own region?
Due to various factors, including technology, language, and currency, there will be multiple separate auction houses serving different player communities around the world. We’ll share specific details on how the auction houses will work for each region as we get closer to launch.

The rest you can find on MMO-Champion if you want to read more.

The fact that Blizzard themselves will be selling gold for real life money will be an absolute killer to the gold buying and selling private industry, but I'm sure there will be a few who try and undercut Blizzard or even dupe players into thinking that they are Blizzard.

What about bots? I'm sure we will see an absolutely insane boom in the amount of bots running around the show, trying to scrape up as many shiny items as possible to trade for real cash.

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