MMO game will offer online players multiple ways to play the sci-fi MMO.
Carbine Studios is taking a different approach with its business model for WildStar, the developer’s new sci-fi MMO. Online gamers will have different ways to embark on their planetary adventure when it’s released in spring of 2014.
Upon purchasing WildStar through a retail outlet or digital download, players will receive 30 days free game time, plus three guest passes to give to friends for a week of galactic adventure. Players can then opt to pay a standard monthly subscription, purchase a Game Time card or use gold earned in-game to purchase a Certificate of Research, Exploration Destruction and Development, (otherwise known as C.R.E.D.D.) which can be redeemed for additional game time. In-game gold is exchanged for C.R.E.D.D. through each server’s Commodities Exchange at a rate established by the player community itself; C.R.E.D.D. can also be purchased for real money online atwww.wildstar-online.com. The model provides players multiple options for access to play – through a traditional MMO subscription or a “play to pay” approach.
“Gamers have strong opinions when it comes to business models and monetization in MMO games,” said Jeremy Gaffney, executive producer at Carbine Studios.” In combining a classic subscription model with C.R.E.D.D. and Game Time cards, we think we’ve struck a good balance. It supports players preferring to pay monthly, while the availability of C.R.E.D.D. enables players to continue enjoying WildStar by taking advantage of a player-driven economy.”
