‘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
Massively OP Podcast Episode 158: We are all heroes
Justin and Bree discuss Final Fantasy XIV, Closers, Guild Wars 2, Trove, LOTRO, Elder Scrolls Online, SWTOR, Secret World Legends, and Tree of Savior, with mailbag questions on lockboxes without gambling and sunsetting working MMORPGs.
Flameseeker Chronicles: My favourite Guild Wars 2 Friend/Ships stories
Friendships and social interaction are everything when it comes to enjoying MMOs in my mind, so you can imagine how much I adore the...
Elder Scrolls Online dataminers spoil the heck out of the upcoming chapter
Ever since ZeniMax promised a new expansion-scale chapter for The Elder Scrolls Online this year, dataminers have been champing at the bit to be...
Elite Dangerous’ Beyond – Chapter One launches next week – here’s the trailer
We're just a week away from the launch of Elite Dangerous: Beyond - Chapter One, that fascinating space abomination of colons and dashes! Frontier...
Leaderboard: What kinds of MMORPG purchases do you consider pay-to-win?
I know I'm not alone in noticing that MMO gamers of late seem to have become sharply divided on how to define the term...
Analysts see ‘potential for earnings growth’ in NCsoft’s trio of upcoming titles
If you walked away confused by NCsoft's most recent quarterly financial report, Mirae Asset Daewoo Co. might be able to sort it out for...
Global Chat: What is the population of Guild Wars 2?
Does it matter how many people are playing your MMO? For some, yes, it does. It's at least of passing interest to others, especially...
The Stream Team: Love is in the ARK
Besides turning various animals bright pink or red, the Valentine's event in ARK is a mating and breeding extravaganza! Massively OP's MJ and the...
Diablo 3’s 13th season begins on February 23, and it’s completely predictable
Diablo III's 13th season is kicking off next week. If you're hoping for something revolutionary and thrilling for lucky number 13, this... isn't that....
Massively Overthinking: Could bots save dying MMORPGs?
Last week, a reader named Chris, who is writing a paper on the MMO industry and revivifying sunsetted games, dropped an intriguing question into...
Elder Scrolls Online has been nonfunctional through Steam since yesterday
Elder Scrolls Online players on Steam woke up this morning to find that the game is still down for them. Apparently, the client through...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 157: Lunar Valentines
Justin and Bree discuss Valentine's Day and Lunar New Year in MMOs, Guild Wars 2's latest patch, Camelot Unchained's beta date, WoW's Battle for Azeroth alpha, Closers' launch, Black Desert's unification, and Final Fantasy XIV's population, with mailbag questions on multiple accounts (spoilers: Bree talks about SWG for like three hours) and variety in period MMOs.
Ubisoft investor presentation highlights the profit benefits of ‘games as a service’
Have you wondered why it is Ubisoft is so dedicated to putting out a continual string of games as a service, even its ostensibly...
Perfect Ten: The tabletop GMs behind MMOs
One of the advantages to computer RPGs, I've always thought, is that you don't need a friend who you can alternately sucker or bribe...
Elder Scrolls Online’s Dragon Bones DLC and update 17 are live – and the new outfit system is not cheap
Elder Scrolls Online's paid Dragon Bones DLC and free update 17 are finally fully launched on PC. While technically the update rollout was yesterday,...
Elder Scrolls Online’s Dragon Bones DLC is here, but the EU rollout hit a snag
We've updated below with the chronology of what's up with the servers.
Elder Scrolls Online's paid Dragon Bones DLC and free update 17 are live...
Bless Online interview: Soft launch plans, why Gamigo bowed out, and avoiding pay-to-win
Bless Online is one of the biggest MMORPGs we're expecting to launch in the west in 2018. Over the last six years, we've watched...
The Daily Grind: What do you think about ‘buying runs’ in MMORPGs?
Long ago in classic Guild Wars, I used to be fond of buying runs - probably the earliest was the Beacon's Perch to Droknar's...
Destiny 2 empowers players to set Nightfall strike challenge levels, prototypes raid features
Destiny 2's Nightfall strikes are in the wings, waiting for their turn to receive some love and adjustments. This should happen soon, as Bungie...
One Shots: Toy chests
Really, when you think about it, MMOs are our grown-up toy chests. They have all of these attractive and fun toys to keep us...