EQ2 unveils new sub options with Passport

Sony Online Entertainment has introduced a new payment model for its flagship Everquest II fantasy MMORPG. The Passport, announced today on the official site, looks to offer an alternative method for gamers with budget issues, gaming infidelity, or multiboxing tendencies to get their Norrath fix.

The Passport option costs a measly five dollars, and nets you three full days of gameplay per 30-day period. As the announcement makes clear, the option is ideally suited to those with an occasional interest in the game. Maybe you want to make sure you get to all the seasonal events, play with your friends one weekend a month, or bring up an alt account to help you out on a raid. With the new Passport that's all doable, and affordable.

As a bonus, you can make use of the Passport to log in for special 'claim' items without having an active account. The only caveat is that the Passport is only available to existing inactive or closed accounts.

Check out the press release on the official site for more details.

[Thanks Jason!]

Reader Comments (41)

That's actually not a bad idea. Way to go Sony for opening up additional subscription options.

While it's an interesting idea I'm not sure they have the ratio quite right.

I realize it's for "occasional" playing but paying one third the cost for one tenth the play time? I'm sure some people will be interested, but I'm certainly not.

I definitely agree with you. While the article here says you get to play for a "measly" 5 dollars, what they should also say is that your measly 5 dollars gets you an even more measly 3 pitiful days of play.

I can play every day all day long on Free Realms for $5 a month. I can play games like Dungeons and Dragons and get nearly the entire game and not pay a cent. $5 for 3 days is such a rip off.

If they wanted to do it for 3 days in HOURS instead, give me 72 hours of game time per month for $5, I may consider it, as that's the real casual way to play. Casual players won't get crap out of this, as it seems that you have to be hard core enough to play all day long to get any value out of this. Otherwise you may as well just throw $5 away every month.

$5 isn't a lot, but it also isn't something to be tossed away for so little value in return. And considering that you normally get 10 times the play time for 3 times the cost, that really means that this is not a good value at all. A 3 day limitation is crazy and so not worth it, honestly you'd have to really be a fanboi hoping to talk up the game to make out like this was a great deal (no offense to the author but it's true). The conversion value per play time, if you paid this amount for your monthly fee you'd be paying $50 a month - is this value for time in the game world? Not really.

Simply put the charge should be less. This is a horrible "value".

I was just reading up about this one.
On the one hand I really do think it's a great idea for those 'quick fix' moments, or when you want to return to check it out or be part of a promotion.

But the flip side is that it's one third of a sub, which should really equate to 10 days worth of play.

I guess SOE win either way here; if I thought 'well I might as well spring the extra $10 and resub for the month' then they get a month out of me. If I choose to take up this new scheme, they get a quick $5 out of me.

Still, kudos for at least providing the option. Definitely better than not. Hopefully other companies follow suit.

Does that mean 72 hours a month for $5.00? That would make more sense.

I believe it is 72 hours of play. I like the idea, but agree that it should be a little more time if it is a 3rd the price.

No it's actually 3 consecutive days, not 72 hours. Just like how $15 gets through 1 complete month, and not 720~ hours of play.

In that case I don't think I would do that for $5, but the option is there I guess for those that would.

I think this was really close to the mark but just a bit off. I would have liked to have seen something closer to the asian model, like $5 for say 36 /played hours. The current setup SOE is proposing is a little limiting.

You realize they're selling 72 hours for $5.00, right? You're getting a better value with SOE.

You are mistaken Jaren. It's 3 consecutive days, not 72 hours.

I really want to take advantage of this, but my account is STILL active! Arrghh!

This is actually a nice idea really, I like it.

That's a pretty clever way of creating money where there was none before.

Knowing my luck I'd get hooked for just beyond 3 days; resub with enthusiasm - then regret it a week later.

Might be handy to check out Halas though. Damn you

I was under the impression it was 72 hours over the month, not three consecutive days when I posted the above.

That's a horrible deal.

I went to take advantage of the option but this passport was the only payment that says "non-reoccurring". That made me think that I'd have to do this every month which didn't make much sense. I think I'll wait a few days and see what others have to say about it.

I thought it was interesting that one of the audiences they explicitly mentioned it as a good option for multi-boxers.

Sounds like a ripoff to me. But fairly tipical for gaming is heading for lately IE. rip your costumers of for as much as you can as fast as you can before they relize that you are. Starting to sound a lot like wallstreet style slash and burn takeovers to me.

Hell, April 1st was 2 weeks ago. Little late, aren't we?

Oh, wait. It's SOE.

Something that would be stupid for any other company to try, SOE always considers a sure bet.

Hmmm, 3 consecutive days is a little lame, but still it's better then paying 15$ a month and only playing a few hours worth just to get an Eq2 fix... Like what I've been doing. :/

3 days, not 72 hours?

Sony fails again!

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EQ2 unveils new sub options with Passport

Reader Comments (41)

Posted: Apr 20th 2010 9:09PM ultimateq said

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