Blizzard has confirmed that Diablo 3 will not have any multiplayer subscription fees, but it looks like there will be some new, optional fees coming in the future to World of Warcraft.
Blizzard has reportedly been looking at ways to monetize its popular Battle.net online gaming service, according to a report by Warcry, but Diablo 3 Lead Designer Jay Wilson said that while the company had not yet decided on how to approach the matter, charging for multiplayer D3 action was definitely not going to happen. Whether other, presumably optional fees will be available to players remains undetermined.
It seems like a good possibility, though, as World of Warcraft Production Director J. Allen Brack said the MMOG would “eventually” incorporate some kind of paid character customization options. Brack was responding, hesitantly at first, to questions about a “Paid Character Customization” button found in the data files of the Wrath of the Lich King beta. It’s a bit of a surprise maneuver from one of the only companies to find unmitigated success in the MMOG arena, particularly given that microtransactions, while a staple of many Asian MMOGs, have never really caught on in North America.
It’s obviously way too early for informed opinions, but wild speculation is always on the menu. So what do you think, WoW players? Does this sound like something you’d pay for?
Published: Oct 13, 2008 03:33 pm