business models
Baldur’s Gate 3 boss pushes back against the industry’s renewed ambition over games subscription models
This week offered another example of executive foot-in-mouth disorder when Ubisoft director of subscriptions Philippe Tremblay suggested in an interview that games subscription business...
Nexon Korea hosts ’emergency livestream’ over recent MapleStory cube manipulation fine
Last week we reported on a fine levied by Korea's FTC against Nexon Korea, which was found to be manipulating the probability of earning...
Pax Dei ponders a box price with sub monetization balanced with a free trial and possible game time tokens
Where does the developing sandbox MMO Pax Dei stand on monetization? "Well, we’re sorry to say we haven’t figured it all out —...
RuneScape subbers are not happy about its new battlepass-style Hero Pass system
If you were desperately hoping that there was another way to give RuneScape your money on top of the game's existing subscription option, good...
The Daily Grind: What convinces you to pay money for an MMO?
One of the interesting aspects of the modern MMO landscape is that there are long stretches of time when you can play a game...
Overwatch 2’s Jon Spector confirms that hero unlocks will be on the free track of the battle pass
Blizzard has not been doing a great job of managing its leaks lately, and another one hit last night when a description of Overwatch...
Vague Patch Notes: The MMO term ‘pay-to-win’ is a red herring
It probably hasn't escaped anyone who has been reading my writing over the past several years that I have something of a vendetta against...
The Daily Grind: What do you think is right to charge for in a free-to-play MMO?
We all understand that free-to-play games still basically want your money, yes? That's the whole point of the business model. But the question is...
Fallout 76 clarifies that seasons will be free, with some potential Fallout 1st bonuses in the future
If there's one thing that Fallout 76 does remarkably well, it's making people angry about the way the game is monetized, all the way back...
Bless Unleashed offers a two-part preview of its cash shop
With Bless Unleashed finally approaching a launch, the developers want you to be aware of it and feeling good about giving it a spin. And...
The Daily Grind: What are your expectations from buy-to-play MMOs in 2019?
Because I am old I still remember the halcyon days when the original Guild Wars shocked the world with its plan to serve as a...
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is now free-to-play with a new battle royale mode
Gosh, the mighty have fallen when it comes to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The game isn't hemorrhaging players like certain other titles, but it does appear...
Saga of Lucimia’s creative director debates the merits of MMO business models
The debate over MMO business models is constantly ongoing: There are those who swear by monthly subscriptions, those who prefer strictly free-to-play, and those...
Surprise! Shroud of the Avatar is now officially free-to-play
Have you taken advantage of the fact that Shroud of the Avatar has gone free-to-play yet? Or are you staring at that with some...
The Daily Grind: Have you tried more MMOs now that almost everything is free-to-play?
It feels like a long time ago now (because it was about a decade) but I still vividly remember when Dungeons & Dragons Online...
EVE Evolved: Two ways that EVE Online’s monetisation could be expanded under Pearl Abyss
When Pearl Abyss bought out CCP Games last week, the overwhelming message to EVE Online players was that it would be business as usual...
Valve’s Artifact will feature no moderation and no cards earned through play
Oh boy.
If you've avoided hearing about Valve's upcoming digital card game, Artifact, you might want to take a look at the latest interview from...
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds plans longer embargos for its crates on the Steam market
Getting a crate in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is meant to be a reward for the player, but it's also frequently meant something to resell on...
Champions Online puts subscription switch on hold in light of player disapproval
So, as we reported Friday, Champions Online was on deck to lose its subscriptions just like Star Trek Online. Except that as many, many players...
The Daily Grind: What would (or already did) convince you to buy an MMO lockbox?
Look, we know, none of the people reading this right now like lockboxes. And, you know, for good reason. But despite that dislike, lockboxes...
