Cryptic’s forthcoming super hero themed MMO will feature the ability to purchase a once off lifetime subscription fee, granting players indefinite access to the game for $200(R1600).<\/p>\n
Like many MMOs, Champions Online will require a monthly subscription fee in order to play. The current standard is between $10 and $15.<\/p>\n
Cryptic will also allow players to a purchase six month subscription for $60 (R480) upfront. The developer explained that six months of pay-per-month game time will cost players $90 (R720), making the purchase worthwhile for players that are willing to commit 6 months to the game before even having played it. This also confirms that the monthly subscription fee will be $15.<\/p>\n
The most attractive kick-back of pre-purchasing either of these long-term memberships is that those who do so will be given access to the Star Trek: Online closed beta which is supposedly beginning later this year.<\/p>\n
A number of additional in-game content bonuses will also be granted to those who pre-purchased the long-term subscriptions, such as the ‘art-deco’ costume set and a number of other gimmicky bonuses.<\/p>\n
The $200 lifetime subscription fee equates to 13 months of game-time, and is therefore a fantastic idea for anyone willing to commit for longer than that many months. However, history has shown that the success of an MMO is notoriously difficult to predict, with the likes of Age of Conan seeing a massive drop in its user base within the first 6 months of the game going live.<\/p>\n
Champions Online is scheduled for release on September 1.<\/p>\n