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World of Warcraft is going down in Europe... in price, that is

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Expansions, MMO industry, News items

Reports of the demise of World of Warcraft have been greatly exaggerated, but the price of the game is falling. This isn't entirely unexpected, but the game's two more recent expansions have just seen a significant drop in their EU prices, with Wrath of the Lich King dropping to €19.99 and Cataclysm dropping to €29.99. If you've been playing the game in Europe but have yet to pick up the later expansions, this might be your incentive.

While some retailers have instituted their own price cuts in the time since the release of these expansions, these latest price drops come from the upper management at the company rather than being a limited-time sale or a reduction of overstock. The price move seems to be a result of the newly free-to-play nature of the early game and the upcoming Mists of Pandaria. No word yet on whether or not a similar official price drop will be mirrored in the US.

World of Warcraft is going down in Europe... in price, that is originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What do you think about lifetime subscriptions?

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Champions Online made a bit of a splash when the development team announced that lifetime subscriptions would become available once again... albeit at the rather steep price of $299, right as the game is preparing to go free-to-play. It's not that it's a bad reward for players, but the price is a bit steep for many, and requires quite a bit of expected playtime for one to make back the investment. On the other hand, permanent access to a game is always tempting, and lifetime subscriptions always carry some weighty perks.

Not many games offer a lifetime plan, but those that have done it have received mixed reviews. The up-front investment is a bit daunting, but the result is never having to worry about how you'll pay the subscription fees. Of course, some players prefer having that fee in their minds to help ensure they make the most out of their in-game time, rather than knowing the game is always there for whenever. Would you purchase a lifetime subscription to your favorite game? How much would you be willing to pay?

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!

The Daily Grind: What do you think about lifetime subscriptions? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Party hardly

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Business models, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter, Promotions

I think by this point I have a well-established reputation as being a fairly positive guy on the subject of City of Heroes. It wasn't a conscious decision or anything -- it's just that I've been pretty happy with the game's development and content, and I do tend to be a bit of a developer supporter. I don't expect the game to be something other than what it is, and I enjoy what it is. Not to mention the obvious fact that the game has given me a lot of enjoyment over the years. So I usually come down as being part of the sunshine and light crowd.

But that's not by design -- it's just how things have shaken down. I hand out praise and criticism as the situation warrants. And this week I'm going to talk about something that most definitely deserves criticism. I'm talking, of course, about the Party Pack, the newest mini-addition to the game and one that's already produced more than a little fan rage. But it's deserved, and even if I can see why Paragon Studios went the route that it did, I find it a little hard to just dismiss it with the usual "if you don't like it, don't buy it" routine.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Party hardly

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Party hardly originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online adds more C-Store options and controversy [Update]

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, News items, Opinion, Star Trek Online

There's a pattern that seems to repeat itself every time Cryptic adds new items to Star Trek Online's C-Store -- or at least, a sequence of events wherein players are at first excited, then angry or annoyed when the prices are revealed. A bunch of new items have been added to the store: two additional costume slots (not on the website at the moment), two additional ship slots, and two additional bridge officer spots. The trouble arises with the handling of the upgrades, particularly with the new costume slots, as they're counted on a per-character basis.

A similar upgrade is available in the store for Champions Online, for the exact same price -- but it increases the number of costumes available on every character rather than just the character it's purchased on. The per-character upgrades, coupled with a reduced importance for costumes in Star Trek Online, all help make many players feel a bit shorted by the price tag. Others are arguing that the add-on is only $2.50, an argument that's gone on at length on the official forums. Controversy is nothing new to the game, but this much debate over a fairly minor item leads one to be a bit curious about what reception future items might find.

[Update: Cryptic has contacted us with news on upcoming changes to this system, "We're going to change the way the costume slot purchases work so they become account-wide rather than per-character. And, of course, our customer service department will be able to assist anyone who purchased the upgrade multiple times to cover multiple characters."]

[Thanks to Cap for the tip!]

Star Trek Online adds more C-Store options and controversy [Update] originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global Agenda sale on Steam

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, News items, Global Agenda

It's no secret that we're rather fond of Global Agenda. It has a certain je ne sais quoi, which is a French phrase meaning that it's an entertaining shooter in a massive online environment, with a strong dose of strategy on top of that. Oh, and no elves whatsoever. (Probably.) But we can understand if our enjoyment of the game isn't quite enough to convince you that the game is worth checking out. There's no substitute for getting your hands on the game, after all. Luckily, the ever-popular Steam has made it easier to get into the game than ever by lowering the price.

The price drop is effective immediately, moving the game down to $39.99 through the online game distribution service. Best of all is that this price drop doesn't appear to be one of the famed Steam sales, but a permanent reduction. Considering the amount of content that has been getting pushed live by the team over the past few weeks, now might be a perfect time to buck up and give Global Agenda a shot. Lower prices are a marvelous inventive like that.

Global Agenda sale on Steam originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Allods Online announces changes to cash shop pricing

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online

When Allods Online soft-launched on February 16th, it had proven just how much buzz a free-to-play game could generate in a short span of time. Three days later, it proved how quickly a game's reputation could plummet, as the release of the cash shop prices sent most players into a paroxysm of rage. The official statements (and interviews) were seen as amounting to "well, it's our game so pay up," and the crowd was quickly turning around and heading for the hills. So an age-old strategy has been employed: the powers that be are reversing their position

The official announcement doesn't give any details, but it makes it clear that the community outrage has been heard, and the cash shop prices will be revised sometime this week. The structuring has been changed to make "participation in this element of the game" less onerous, and no doubt to try and reverse some of the animosity leveled against Astrum Nival and gPotato in recent days. It remains to be seen whether or not the turnaround will mollify players or if the changes will be too little too late, but it's good to see that the voice of the players has been heard all through Allods Online.

Allods Online announces changes to cash shop pricing originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making/Money: Auctioneer Wishlist

Alexis Kassan — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Economy, Making money, Making/Money

WARNING - MATH AHEAD!

A few weeks ago, a reader e-mailed me with questions about some Auctioneer data that they have been collecting. Though the question was regarding trying to determine inflation patterns on their server, it got me to thinking about what Auctioneer actually captures. And what other data points would be most helpful in making evaluations of item pricing or looking into economic trending.

While I'm not about to go through all of Auctioneer's algorithm rules, I would recommend that anyone who uses this mod check them out on Norganna's Wiki. They explain where the recommended prices come from. Basically, it's a comparison of the historical data accumulated from all of your auction house scans and the most recent snapshot data. The market value ends up being either the median of historical or recent data, flavored with the user-set preferences for markup or markdown.

Continue reading Making/Money: Auctioneer Wishlist

Making/Money: Auctioneer Wishlist originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mythic lets slip the dogs of WAR: Warhammer Online launches Sept. 18th

Samuel Axon — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:40:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New titles, Warhammer Online, News items

Electronic Arts and Mythic Entertainment have announced the official launch date for Warhammer Online: September 18th! That goes for the regions of North America, Europe, and Oceania.

Additionally, game time pricing has been revealed. In North America, a month-to-month subscription will go for the standard $14.99 per month. Three month and six month plans will be available at $41.97 and $77.94, respectively. For Europe, it'll be one month for 12.99€ (£10.31), three months for 35.97€ (£28.55), and six months for 65.94€ (£52.34).

Earlier today, the EA store was updated with an August 23rd date, but that apparently was an error. September 18th is it folks! Get ready for some Realm on Realm action! Check out the full press release behind the jump.

Continue reading Mythic lets slip the dogs of WAR: Warhammer Online launches Sept. 18th

Mythic lets slip the dogs of WAR: Warhammer Online launches Sept. 18th originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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