Catnip Games has admitted that the free-to-play Shroud of the Avatar isn’t exactly making the studio a lot of money. That’s one of the primary takeaways from the MMORPG’s latest update post, which opens with word of some new subscription tiers that were added in last week’s update that cost more in order to address the cost of developing the game.
“The current subscription model is not enough to keep up with increasing costs due to inflation and our small player base,” the announcement confirms. “To help us increase income to allow for continued development and to resume marketing, we have added two additional tiers to the subscription model.” The studio further confirms that subscriptions are the primary source of revenue, since sales of cosmetics from the game’s store have not been enough to pay the devs, handle operating costs, and fund further development.
There are now two additional subscription tiers that cost $18 a month and $27 a month on top of the per-existing $9 a month price (all before taxes). The two extra sub tiers grant more monthly cash shop currency stipends and increased numbers of monthly stat-boosting potions, while all three tiers provide the usual benefits like titles, monthly rewards, and dye packs.
The Release 129 update otherwise features the fourth anniversary of the Bug Brigade and another round of polish and adjustment to several features and functions of the MMO, just know that it now also grants the option to spend more on a sub if one is so inclined.
