how exactly is this bizarre? any publisher, and any game designer, wants their game to reach as wide an audience as possible. credit cards are an obvious barrier to play yr game for those without credit cards, even if they have the money.

making payment cards available at retail outlets, however, allows those ppl who would want to play, but haven't access to a credit card (or in the case of f2p game, want to purchase the additional content, whatever it is) to participate in your game.

that the news that an MMO publisher is bringing an MMO game to a wider audience would strike an MMO news site as 'bizarre' strikes *me* as bizarre. it's almost as if the news site lacks an understanding of the industry it is reporting on.