The in-development sandbox MMORPG BitCraft has discussed its monetization plans before, but those were more conceptual than anything that was fully decided. That was four years ago, and with the game nearing its early access release, developer Clockwork Labs has obviously had more time to firm up its monetization plans and share them with followers of the project.
As announced previously, early access will have a $30 box price, but the post also confirms it will also sell hexite shards, which serves as the premium cash shop currency. When the game goes into its full official release, it will do so as a free-to-play title as previously discussed, while the hexite shop will unsurprisingly remain. The box price for early access is being done for a few reasons: to help ensure that the MMORPG’s single shard is scaled correctly, to ensure that it gets featured by Steam, and of course, to fund development.
As for what players can purchase with hexite, that includes cosmetics for empires that include banners, capes, and various fanfares; unique pathway visuals; building skins; and character-scale cosmetics. The studio also confirms that players will be able to trade shards among each other, though it also promises that it will ensure that “coins or other items are not easily convertible directly to experience without putting in significant effort.”
The post also stresses that empires are not land claims and they don’t affect what players can or cannot build within their borders. “The purpose of the empire system is to give players something to rally behind while encouraging political intrigue and social gameplay,” Clockwork writes. “We want players, from town leaders to solo players to big streamers, to feel like they are a part of something greater.”
The post then closes with another reminder that despite its name, BitCraft is not associated or offering anything in terms of crypto or NFTs and that the monetization strategy may change if the current plan doesn’t work out. Until then, we now know just what will be sold. Early access is still slated for May 29th.
