- This is not how I wanted to introduce Allods Online on my blog. Just two days after I post about appropriate game pricing, gPotato, the game's US publisher, decided to open their cash shop. And as we all know, bad news travels fast. Saylah of Mystic Worlds and Keen of Keen and Graev's have already weighed in with commentary. If you somehow missed the fury, here is what's going on....
- Allods Online, although a WoW-alike, is a very good WoW-alike. With much better polish than Runes of Magic, my first days in the game have felt like just as comfortable as playing Blizzard's behemoth. I even had to restrict my play time during the closed beta so I would not burn through all the content ahead of time. But the ticking bomb under all the great content was the cash shop. No one really knew (although the developers said all the right words) what was going to happen when it was opened. As we can see today, the bomb was measured in megatons.
- For instance, Massively is quoting the cost of a 24 slot bag at $20. Keen states that this price is about ten to twenty times too high based on the cash shop in the Russian version of the game. And that's just one example.
- Bad pricing will destroy this game. If gPotato does not move to correct this fast, Allods Online will never reach the heights of its potential. I've really enjoyed the game so far, but I will never spend a cent for it based on such inappropriate prices.
© 2010 Marty Runyon. All rights reserved.
I was pretty much convinced that Allod's Online would be my next MMO conquest. The idea of having three shorty fuzzy guys be my character is right up there in appeal with being able to play a pixie. My excitement when they added them to EQ II far exceeded what seems rational.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have to say the item shop prices that have been announced are giving me pause. The prices really makes the developers seem greedy and out of touch with their audience. That doesn't give me a lot of confidence about getting invested in their product.
Nice way to destroy the buzz that was generated from what sounds like a successful beta.
ReplyDeleteSo I wonder if the prices don't go back down, will we see a new trend with the f2p market. Another reason why I hate f2p games in general.
@ Yeebo - At the same time, I really am enjoying the game. If they want to let me play without ever giving them money, I guess that's what I'll do. And it's been fun so far.
ReplyDelete@ Jayedub - The funny thing is that I was writing this very thing on Wednesday. Don't these people listen to us? :)
You make good point. The current prices are forcing their customers to choose between paying nothing or getting ripped off. Surely they will have an attack of sanity before too long and lower the prices before they lose too much business.
ReplyDeleteJust catching up on all the controversy. Either both the publisher and developer seem to have lost their minds, or there's some hard-ball politics happening.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't actually played since closed beta, but I did intend on dipping into the shallow end of the game for a bit. Not sure if I'll bother now or not, I think I'll wait for the s-storm to pass. Plus I've got way too many other things to play. :)