‘Buy-to-play’ is a term that refers to games that have box or download fees associated with them but do not incur a mandatory subscription. Some have optional subscriptions and are more properly referred to as hybrid B2P. Most have cash shops and microtransactions.
buy to play
Tamriel Infinium: Getting the most out of your Elder Scrolls Online box and sub in 2019
One of the most confusing things about any game that chooses a hybrid business model is figuring out what you need to buy in...
Flameseeker Chronicles: A guide to Guild Wars 2’s revivified Dragon Bash
Dragon Bash is an event that first ran in Guild Wars 2 in 2013, less than a year after the game launched. It was...
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the most satisfying ‘massively’ content?
A while back, I saw a great thread on the MMORPG subreddit about "massive team PvP." The writer was looking specifically for games with...
Not So Massively: Blizzard cancelled a(nother) game, and I couldn’t be happier
Recently news broke that Blizzard had cancelled an unannounced game that had been in development for several years. This was followed closely by some...
Global Chat: Daybreak is a zombie, walking
What can call an MMO blogger out of retirement? A game studio putting in below the bare minimum of effort in its updates seems...
The Game Archaeologist: Sierra’s Fates of Twinion and Ruins of Cawdor
A few years ago I regaled you with the fascinating tale of one of the very first multiplayer graphical MUDs, the absurdly named Shadow...
Albion Online’s Robin Henkys elaborates on how Percival’s solo randomized dungeons will work
Albion Online's game director Robin Henkys has put out yet another video featuring him sitting in a comfy chair and explaining something coming to...
Massively Overthinking: The worst MMO cash shop trickery
Last week, games psychologist Jamie Madigan tweeted an underrated comment about how psychological tricks used in restaurant menu design are also found in video...
Destiny 2’s fall patch turns Eververse gear into Universal Ornaments as Bungie revamps the Bright Dust economy
Tess Everis will have some new surprises in store for the Guardians of Destiny 2 this fall, Bungie has announced, as the fall patch...
Elder Scrolls Online deep-dives the guild accessibility tools added in update 22
Whenever a big campaign for Elder Scrolls Online launches - and we've seen three come and go now! - the campaign itself always makes...
The Stream Team: Chasing dragons in Elder Scrolls Online’s Elsweyr
Massively OP's MJ got sidetracked by side quests, but she's eager to determine what is up with the dragons in Elder Scrolls Online's main...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 225: The slash and burn of Amazon Game Studios
Justin and Bree discuss E3, Black Desert, Warframe, Last Oasis, Amazon, New World, Ship of Heroes, SWG Legends, LOTRO, Elder Scrolls Online, with mailbag questions on monetizing character costuming and beating bad launch dead horses.
Guild Wars 2 resurrects Dragon Bash events from June 25 to July 16
Surprise! Dragon Bash is returning to Guild Wars 2 next week. Even our columnists were stunned at this announcement, as the event hasn't been...
Choose My Adventure: TERA’s Valkyrie and the free-to-play grind
Close set of voting this time 'round, at least in terms of TERA's business model. For a time, the polls were literally at 50/50,...
Destiny 2’s daily player count is surging back to a million players
Things were looking a little... dicey for Destiny 2 for a bit there, let's be honest. But the good news is that all appears...
The Daily Grind: What does Destiny 2 still need before you’ll call it an MMO?
With Destiny 2 back in the news thanks to its free-to-play relaunch, Stadia platforming, and new expansion, online gamers have once again returned to...
Bungie aims to deliver more Destiny 2 content ‘as often as [it] can deliver it’
The future is looking a bit brighter for Destiny 2, which, after much concern over the game's prospects following Bungie's split with Activision, recently...
Elite: Dangerous’ galaxy-spanning, six-month player voyage concludes with 4000 explorers
What lies at the very edge of the known galaxy? As of this past week, a select group of very dedicated Elite: Dangerous players...
Guild Wars 2 is removing language restrictions on linking worlds with the upcoming WvW restructure
30We don't mean to blow anyone's minds, but there are a few different languages spoken in the EU. At least three. This poses a...
The MOP Up: Project Torque revs back up for another race
Car racing MMOs have endured bumpy runs in the genre, including the late Project Torque (also called Level R and HEAT Online). Torque ran...
