StarCraft II Will Have Monthly Fees, But Only In Russia

[John Funk]

I don't like the idea in general. Truthfully with big Russian companies like "1C" I'd imagine they have a fairly healthy gaming market despite some of the claims.

My immediate suspician is that they are justifying what amounts to an experiment in a test market to see if they can get people to pay fees for RTS games at all. Truthfully I think the gaming industry as a whole would love to get consumers to pay membership fees for all kinds of games instead of just for constantly supported MMORPGs.

But then again I'm a paranoid cynic.

I think they should just market to Russia normally and it would be just fine.

Russian piracy rates are some of the highest in the world. This does make a lot of sense when you think about it.

But yes, you are a self-admitted paranoid cynic. We all have our flaws.

Alright, I have to ask.

Russia has some of the highest piracy rates in the world according to whom? Besides if that was true, how does that explain fairly large companies like "1C" developing in the region (and apparently selling primarly TO that region because a lot of the localization of their products is absolutly horrible)? If piracy was that rampant I wouldn't think Russia would be producing anywhere near as many games as they are since it would be nearly impossible to make a profit on.

I don't have any links on me, but I researched the matter pretty extensively in college as a major in Chinese language/culture and someone who was interested in entering the industry. I believe that in 2006, 90+ percent of all software sold in Russia was pirated, but that's just me remembering.

 

[icarusfountain]

By "lie," I don't mean to suggest you yourself are intentionally misleading the rest of us, but perhaps just unaware of what the pricing was back then. Way Back Machine be damned, I know I never spent more than $50 USD + sales tax for a new PC game (or a console game before my 360). I wish I had kept receipts for such purchases, but I never anticipated having to confirm purchase prices nearly a decade after the fact.

So yeah, don't take it personally. Just know that I bought Diablo II at EB Games for $49.99 + tax, and Warcraft III at Target for the same price, and thus don't even believe your sources (taken from Blizzard's press releases).

 

[Worgen]

warcraft 3 wasnt 60 bucks, it was 50 like any decent pc title. damn activision for the stupid "oh I wanna make as much money off everything, Im gonna jack up the prices to fuck with ppl"

WarCraft III [http://web.archive.org/web/20010204015800/www.blizzard.com/press/000717.shtml] were both $60 at release, with some retailers selling WC3 at $55.

I still dont think thats right altho considering I bought the collectors or both of them I dont have the receipts to back up my argument, do you have any proof for yours? Im not even sure where to look for the suggested retail.

It's right there in the press releases, at least for the Warcraft III one. Sorry but Blizzard's been doing this for a while.

ahh so I see, at least according to the msrb on the launch news thing on gamespot, I still dont ever recall seeing it for more then 49.99 but I suppose blizz has been price gouging for years before mw2 huh

 

[John Funk]

By "lie," I don't mean to suggest you yourself are intentionally misleading the rest of us, but perhaps just unaware of what the pricing was back then. Way Back Machine be damned, I know I never spent more than $50 USD + sales tax for a new PC game (or a console game before my 360). I wish I had kept receipts for such purchases, but I never anticipated having to confirm purchase prices nearly a decade after the fact.

So yeah, don't take it personally. Just know that I bought Diablo II at EB Games for $49.99 + tax, and Warcraft III at Target for the same price, and thus don't even believe your sources (taken from Blizzard's press releases).

And yet, I'm pretty sure I remember paying $55+ for WC3, so... but like you, I don't have my receipts, the only proof I have here is the Blizzard press releases.

You have to remember that the MSRP is not what retailers necessarily will SELL them at, just like GAME is offering a £10 discount on StarCraft 2 for preorders. So while stores might have sold the games for less, Blizzard's intended MSRP was, again, $60 as seen in those press releases.

Nothing has really changed.

 

[Asehujiko]

So, if they quit within 12 months, the game is half price and doesn't put them in impossibly high ping matches on the other side of the continent? I heartily support this movement and I would like to see it used here as well.

 

[Roofless]

Well, it's a step forward, isn't it? They finally hired some sane people into their marketing department. Still 30$ for a game is quite high in here, but reasonable. Maybe if the move increases the sales, more developers will use such pricing approach to eastern markets.

P.S. Those lucky russian bastards...

 

[Weaver]

This is one of the most convoluted pricing plans I've seen in a game O_O

 

[ThreeKneeNick]

Well that's great, but I'm a little jealous, there are a lot of small countries in eastern Europe which by themselves don't have markets as large as the Russian market, but if they were put together they would certainly be competent enough and give Blizzard, or any other publisher, a large market to expand into by employing this kind of strategies. Especially since PC gaming is dominant in these areas, that would present a large opportunity for SC2.

But i guess the Russian experiment has priority.

 

[direkiller]

warcraft 3 wasnt 60 bucks, it was 50 like any decent pc title. damn activision for the stupid "oh I wanna make as much money off everything, Im gonna jack up the prices to fuck with ppl"

WarCraft III [http://web.archive.org/web/20010204015800/www.blizzard.com/press/000717.shtml] were both $60 at release, with some retailers selling WC3 at $55.

I still dont think thats right altho considering I bought the collectors or both of them I dont have the receipts to back up my argument, do you have any proof for yours? Im not even sure where to look for the suggested retail.

It's right there in the press releases, at least for the Warcraft III one. Sorry but Blizzard's been doing this for a while.

ahh so I see, at least according to the msrb on the launch news thing on gamespot, I still dont ever recall seeing it for more then 49.99 but I suppose blizz has been price gouging for years before mw2 huh

the price blizzard is giving for D2 and WCIII was for the battle.net/battlechest editions just so say hey we always did this
the normal DII,WC3 did cost $49.99

ot: seems like a good idea to quash a bit of piracy

 

[SteakHeart]

In Soviet Russia, games play you...

OT: This sounds a bit odd, but still makes some sense. I mean, jewel cases!

 

[jamesworkshop]

Sounds like a good idea experimenting with pricing structures has worked for Valve recently if you look at things like 50% on L4D

 

[Megacherv]

Seems like an odd payment strategy, but it could work

 

[JerrytheBullfrog]

I don't like the idea in general. Truthfully with big Russian companies like "1C" I'd imagine they have a fairly healthy gaming market despite some of the claims.

My immediate suspician is that they are justifying what amounts to an experiment in a test market to see if they can get people to pay fees for RTS games at all. Truthfully I think the gaming industry as a whole would love to get consumers to pay membership fees for all kinds of games instead of just for constantly supported MMORPGs.

But then again I'm a paranoid cynic.

I think they should just market to Russia normally and it would be just fine.

It's obviously along the line of the new Activision policy to go "Subscription" on a lot of other kind of games aside of MMOs like Call of Duty: http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/702499/subscription-based-call-of-duty-brought-up-again-.html and see what gamers will take.

You should also not forget that the game is a "trilogy"... as they call it (or a total moneygrab as I like to call it) and people will want to play again when the 2nd and respectively the 3rd "expansion" will come out at or near full price. Nothing has been said about how that'll be handled e.g. if they get another period or will have to pay monthly fees to play Online after that.

Also, I can't argue whether Diablo 2 or WarCraft 3 cost 60$ or not, as I wouldn't know, but 45? (what I paid for a new copy of WC3) sure isn't 60?: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B000R5DU6E/

More baseless paranoia; do you post anything else mate?

How can you say it's going subscription when they offer them an out right off the bat? This isn't forcing a subscription people, it's giving them payment options which is a bloody good thing.

Trilogies are total moneygrabs now? What, did you whine about having to pay £27 (or its equivalent in Eur) to see all of the Lord of the Rings movies in theaters? Are you complaining to BioWare about their Mass Effect trilogy being a ripoff? You've got some wonderful double standards there, unless you hate every trilogy by nature of it being a trilogy.

 

[TheDoctor455]

I'm sorry, but I just can't resist.

In Russia, fees pay you!

 

[Lusulpher]

What people are afraid of is most of the features being moved to online DRM servers...and they should be.

But they should also only buy good games so that they, don't have to worry about companies fighting piracy WITH DRM and pumping out trilogies to feed their Ferraris/jets/coke parties.

Russia is the first in an experiment to give the marketplace more options[Communist/Socialist afterall??!] and that pay structure is closer to the F2P model by a small margin[step in right direction], and totally like lines of credit. And we know how well credit meets Capitalistic demands[not not completely fucking abused by all parties involved]...

If they don't move anymore features to online access, this is perfectly kosher. Anyone who complains is a pirate. But if they do, LordKotickoftheFrozenWaste is the one to lynch.

That simple. Now untwist them panties./rant

In Rasshia, games play YUU! edit: Beaten to it!

 

[Fox242]

In post-Soviet Russia, StarCraft II plays you! Serves them right. They think they can run around bullying their neighbors and punishing Georgia for trying to reclaim land that it rightfully owns? Now they must pay in order to play StarCraft II! Justice is served!

 

[DTWolfwood]

um why dont they offer this option here too? in the United States? Like i would love to have an option to buy a cheaper version. (Granted i'll be buying the $100 super-awesome-mega collectiors edition being the Blizzard Fanboy that i am) Still nice to have options.

 

[DNA]

Blizzard: The death of the videogame.

 

[Mr. Mike]

warcraft 3 wasnt 60 bucks, it was 50 like any decent pc title. damn activision for the stupid "oh I wanna make as much money off everything, Im gonna jack up the prices to fuck with ppl"

And yet people still buy the games. If everything else starting going the way Infinity Ward is going, Activision won't have any other games they can bump up $10 that people will still buy. Then Bobby Kotick's reign of terror will be over!