Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Sci-Fi MMO WildStar Announces Business Model
Lots of MMOs may be going the free-to-play route, but Carbine Studios' WildStar sci-fi MMO will present a few different options for players.
When players buy the game (it comes out in the spring) they'll get 30 days of free game time plus three guest passes for friends. After that initial period is over, players can pay a normal subscription fee ($14.99 per month or $10.99 per month if you get a 12-month sub) , buy a card with game time on it, or use in-game gold for more time.
Gold earned in-game can be redeemed for Certificates of Research, Exploration, Destruction, and Development (C.R.E.D.D.), and each one lasts 30 days. The rate of exchange between the two will be determined by players themselves via a Commodities Exchange on each server. C.R.E.D.D.s can also be bought directly from the WildStar website.
The game's beta is currently underway.
For more on WildStar, check out its business model FAQ, this Respec Radio podcast with some developers from Carbine Studios, and an early preview of the title.
Our Take:
Giving players different ways to pay is a great idea – especially given the genre's move towards free to play. Like EVE, getting the players involved via WildStar's Commodities Exchange sounds like a cool, natural way to run things, and ostensibly provides a way to fuel free time with the game and would also allow players to mix-and-match the different free and pay schemes.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
