Last week, Gamigo raised eyebrows with a countdown website under the old Trion domain promising a big Gamescom reveal. Subsequent ArcheAge tweets and details from the site itself made it clear that something big was about to happen for ArcheAge, as Gamigo implied it’d be addressing some specific complaints about the game, from pay-to-win to housing to the labor system – which jibed with post-Trion interviews that suggested Gamigo was collaborating with XL Games on some sort of business model do-over for the game.
Anyhow, the countdown is up today, and now we know just what Gamigo was plotting: ArcheAge Unchained. And yes, it’s a big change for the game’s monetization and perceived fairness, although it’s coming in the form of a buy-to-play server.
“ArcheAge: Unchained is a new way to play the game with a different business model. We’ve changed entirely its monetization which was simply not possible to this great extent with the already existing ArcheAge F2P version. In ArcheAge: Unchained there is no longer a subscription model. With a onetime purchase, you can enjoy the content as often as you want. You will be able to purchase vanity items via Credits and we will implement seasonal ArchePasses. We are focusing on fairer gameplay which is why we decided to change a few monetization features for ArcheAge: Unchained.”
Here’s the bad news: Gamigo says it “was not feasible for the original ArcheAge F2P version with an already existing game economy.” Hence the new server.
“As ArcheAge: Unchained has a different business model, it will be implemented like a new game with a new server environment. There will be no transfer of items or characters between the already existing version and ArcheAge: Unchained. Credits can only be used where they have been bought. In ArcheAge: Unchained everyone starts fresh! There will be no additional bonus if you switch from the F2P version. It’s all about your skills, your dedication and the decisions that you make!”
It sounds as if the new server will have no sub, no Apex, equal labor regen, a 5K labor cap point, and equal opportunity to grab a house. We don’t know exactly how much it’ll cost or when it’s launching, but Gamigo is promising a new update for both ArcheAges this fall, with “a new skillset named Swiftblade, a revamp of the siege system, a new naval arena and lots more,” so there’s a clue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylTvtLdoK8w
