NCsoft plans to sell dungeon content for Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars has always been the free-to-play alternative for many MMOers, though paid content was introduced several years into the game's life cycle. There wasn't too much opposition from players, given the lack of subscription fees.

NCsoft is taking microtransactions to the next level in Guild Wars 2, and this time around, it's more than just cosmetics and extra storage space. The company announced paid content in the form of actual dungeons, in addition to the previously announced Transmutation Stones.

Now before you (or I) freak out, note the game itself will still be subscriptionless, and neither NCsoft nor ArenaNet has revealed any solid details regarding the dungeon DLC. Lead Designer Eric Flannum does promise whatever added content they come up with will be worth the price.

“The thing I would say [about not having a subscription fee] is that we actually have the continued support development model that encourages us to make cooler things than anyone else… If we have to sell you additional content like microtransaction content or anything like that, we have to give you something that you’re going to want to buy. We have to earn your money.

“We don’t get to say oh well, you know ‘We don’t have to release this content this month, since they’re all going to give us their subscription fee anyways. Let’s just wait until next month and release this cool thing.’ We’re actually kind of bound because if we need income, if we need this game to make some money, we better provide things that people want to buy.

“There are not many subscription-fee games that have equaled [what we've put out for the original Guild Wars since Prophecy shipped] so I think our content model ensures that you’re getting your money’s worth, because as the consumer you have the option to say ‘You know, I’m not going to buy that. That’s not good enough.’ Whereas the monthly fee [business model] takes it out of your hand. You better be getting something good every month for that–but that’s just not the case with a lot of games.”

Keep in mind you're still getting a full game with a copy of Guild Wars 2, and the microtransactions discussion applies to additional content. Although the idea has been confirmed, it remains up in the air for the most part.

Source:PC Gamer

Section:PC Games

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