NCSoft and Carbine Studios today announced how players will be able to get their hands on WildStar when it releases in spring 2014.
After an initial purchase of the game, be it through a digital download or on a disc from a store, players will receive 30 days of free game time, as well as three guest passes to give to friends which will last one week. players can either pay a standard monthly subscription, purchase a game time card, or use in-game currency to purchase something called C.R.E.D.D from other players.
C.R.E.D.D. (also known as a Certificate of Research, Exploration, Destruction and Development) is an in-game item that players can redeem to avoid paying a subscription. Players will be able to sell C.R.E.D.D to each other on each server’s Commodities Exchange, bringing a potentially quite interesting angle to the economy of the game world. C.R.E.D.D can also be bought using real money from the game’s official website, allowing for multiple way for players to access the game and play it. Carbine Studios, which is calling this endeavor the “play-to-pay” model, issued a statement concerning the game:
”In combining a classic subscription model with C.R.E.D.D. we think we’ve struck a good balance. We definitely want to support players who appreciate the value of high-quality subscription-style game. Meanwhile, C.R.E.D.D. gives gamers who don’t like monthly subs the option to just play to pay and enjoy the same content”.
Jeremy Gaffney, Executive Producer at Carbine Studios
This system seems quite innovative, but we will have to wait and see until the game launches in Spring 2014 to see if it catches on. Will you be picking up the game? How will you be paying for it? Let us know what you think in the comments below.