It’s tax day here in the US, so I’m sure our US readers just cannot wait to get off work today and log into video games to pay taxes! But that’s pretty much the exact cheeky move Gamigo’s blocky MMO sandbox Trove is pulling with its Fees and Felines update.
The “Fees” part of the update is essentially a retool of the game’s marketplace (auction hall) that adds fees in an attempt to rebalance the in-game economy. Sellers will pay both a listing fee scaled to the price being asked (refunded if it sells) and a 10% tax on top of the sale.
“The update has been designed to strengthen the in-game economy to create more robust trading processes, as well as to help players within the marketplace to afford more items that perhaps had been out of reach before. The new marketplace changes will see the introduction of taxes which, like in the real world, will help drive down inflation and stabilise the in-game economy. Taxes will also help discourage player speculation in the form of flipping. However, direct trading will remain unaltered, so players who prefer to find buyers themselves will be unaffected by the changes.”
Longtime econ players in the MMO genre will know that while these measures can certainly aid with inflation and reduce market manipulation, in some games they also have the effect of crushing the early game market as players stop bothering to sell low-end items to avoid losing money on fees. Obviously, since this is brand-new, it remains to be seen what’ll happen with the Trove-specific market.
The patch also includes seven new player-designed dungeons, 20 new player-submitted styles, new deco items, a new tome, new bombs to make up for a “shocking lack of bombs,” updated dailies, and tweaks to the market UI.
That's trully purr-ific!
The Fees and Felines update is now available on PC! 🎉
📈Marketplace update!
🐱New sly NPC!
📣and much more!Check it out!
👉 https://t.co/j7ejMpJrGW#TroveGame #gaming #update pic.twitter.com/OzPtBOlpbx— Trove | Play Now! (@TroveGame) April 18, 2023
