14 DAY TRIAL // Evidence indicates that Star Wars: The Old Republic, the MMO BioWare is working on at the moment, will be powered by micro transactions, at least in part. The source is the actual license agreement that players need to accept if they register for the beta stage of the MMO. The main references are to “points” that can be used in a “game store.” BioWare says that it reserves the right to add or remove such points from profiles at will and claims that they actually have no monetary value.
Last year, speaking to an audience of non gamers, John Riccitiello, the Chief Executive Officer of Electronic Arts, which is set to publish the MMO, mentioned terms like “micro transaction based” and “mid session” as being terms associated with The Old Republic.
The company later aimed to downplay the remarks by saying that they were misunderstood by those who have interpreted them as proof as to how players would pay for the upcoming title.
Of course, it would be an immense surprise if Electronic Arts did not charge a subscription fee for The Old Republic. Probably, the title will require a monthly payment but the publishers will also set up a game shop allowing gamers to use real world money in order to gain certain advantages that can also be obtained by putting in play time. In other words, Star Wars: The Old Republic will likely have a mixed model that will permit different categories of gamers to use different resources, either time or money, in order to progress in the Star Wars MMO.
At the moment, MMOs like EverQuest II and Champions Online are using a similar system. It makes sense especially for those games that have a limited player base and do not draw enough revenue from the subscription element.