Subscription
In Korea, Hellgate: London is now using a free-to-play business model. The following is an account of the US/EU subscription model Flagship Studios while it was in effect:
There were two types of multiplayer accounts: free and subscription accounts. Subscribers had access to ongoing content updates.
The US subscription plan cost $9.95 (USD) a month and an offer to pay a one-time fee of $149.99 for a lifetime subscription was available for up to 100,000 people who pre-ordered the game and ended on January 31, 2008. The UK subscription is £6.99 and EU subscription is €9.99.
Additionally, subscribers would have access to a Hardcore mode, special PvP arenas and a PvP ladder, the ability to bypass server queues, a shared storage space with room for 40 items instead of 20, the ability to create guilds, the ability to achieve officer status in guilds, and 24-hour customer support. Subscribers and non-subscribers were able to interact in all ways in the game. Non-subscribers could join guilds, but not create them. The level cap is set to 50 and up to 24 character slots are available for all players.
As of July 2008, all subscriptions were suspended and players could neither subscribe nor unsubscribe at that point, although they were no longer billed, see Flagship Studios. Since Flagship Studios went into receivership US & Europe multiplayer gaming ceased (January 2009).
Read more about this topic: Hellgate: London
Famous quotes containing the word subscription:
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)