Subscription Fees + Microtransactions: A Negative MMO Trend

Sonly Online Entertainment recently introduced microtransactions to the subscription-based EverQuest and EverQuest 2 MMOs.  Apparently they dropped it on the playerbase without so much as a warning, and in direct contradiction to prior promises to avoid such a move.  The Galaxies NGE vets are not surprised.

This is the kind of thing City of Heroes needs to be very careful about.  They've been moving more towards this themselves recently.  Purchasing renames, server slots and character moves is one thing, but the Booster Packs have you purchasing costumes as well, and they've even started including powers with the Packs (such as the Self Destruct that came with the Cyborg pack).

MMO publishers need to make a choice.  They need to go with subscription fees, ads, or microtransactions, not two or more.  Sure there is money to be made, but there is customer wrath to incur as well, as SOE is finding out once again as people rexamine their EQ and EQ2 accounts.

NCNC, don't let this happen to you.

Read the MMORPG thread.

SOE's new cash shop.  Note how next to "IT'S TIME TO TAKE YOUR GAMING TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL" is  a graphic of a wallet with money coming out.  Very poor design choice.  I'll bet that gets changed.