Funcom's MMORPG no longer requires monthly subscription; optional $15 monthly membership grants a range of bonuses.
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game The Secret World no longer requires a subscription fee, developer Funcom announced today. Those who purchase the game either online or in store (at $30) will not be required to subscribe.
Though Funcom has done away with a mandatory subscription fee for The Secret World, players can choose to pay via a new Membership option. This $15/month tier gives users a Time Accelerator item, $10 worth of Bonus Points, an item-of-the-month gift, and a 10 percent discount on all in-game store items.
In addition the Grandmaster pack (lifetime subscribers) will receive everything above, plus an additional 10 percent in-game store discount. Further, lifetime subscribers can apply their discount to future downloadable content packs.
Funcom also announced today that new DLC for The Secret World will be available beginning in January 2013. The unnamed content will be available as a free download for those with a full game account registered by the end of 2012, or $5 for everyone else.
The Secret World launched during July 2012 to a generally positive critical reception. It has sold over 200,000 copies as of August and is now a profitable enterprise for Funcom. For more on The Secret World, check out GameSpot's review.
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
1 Like I really don't like MMOs but I played this one, and I enjoyed it...for 6 months. I didn't play any other game during this time, so I know what you mmo-gamers go through now...hhehe.to the naysayers...whatever, you're choice, just that some games cost a lot more(in Australia anyway) and you get a lot less time out of it.
2 Like I am so sure all those who say The secret world its a fail din't even play it.
TSW is one of the best mmo out there!
Lotro had theater year ago... and this game is not worth wasting time. I wonder how people wasted their money before above that.
1 Like TSW has real atmosphere, and I enjoyed my free month. The biggest problem I had with the game is the lack of consistent teaming/PUG's. I don't play MMO's to solo.
This is what happens just before an MMORPG dies.
For all those saying the game was crap. You're just a brainless sheep following the crowd.
The game was very good, but when people play one of these games, most of them are looking for complete and total fantasy submersion.
This game didn't provide that, and if it did survival is still incredibly hard given the competition.
I would sooooo not have invested in this genre.
1 Like @naryanrobinson "This is what happens just before an MMORPG dies."
It can also be what saves it. Look at DC Universe. That game was almost dead until they made it free to play.
1 Like Finally! Down with sub based single player! Funcom dropped the ball with the initial monetization. If the game started with sub-free single player, it might have sold considerably more at $60 instead of its current state. Now I am a bit reluctant to pay even $30 because I don't know how long Funcom can keep the game going.
Well, a lesson had to be taught to the businessmen, non-Blizzard businessmen, running sub-based MMOs. The time for that model is long past. No longer will gamers accept single player games that charge recurring fees justified by a veneer of limited multiplayer options. If you want to create a successful sub based MMO, you better make sure multiplayer is integrated into every level of gameplay and there are a hell lot more activities to do than just pvp and dungeons. Ironic, actually, since some single player games even have activities that should be, but are not, in their multiplayer counterpart; I am thinking of KOTOR and SWTOR, of course. If a few games have to fail and a few careers ruined for the point to get across... So be it.
@Unfallen_Satan i always assumed people were talking about the story when they say it'd be a great single player game. am I alone thinking it'd be some of the worst singleplayer gameplay ever? i solo just to advance my character(story's a perk) to get into parties for dungeons where the shallow game mechanics become fun because it becomes about teamwork. maybe I'm weird.
I am opposite. As long as the story appeals to me, I can stand dry gameplay as long as I can get through it quickly. Due to their need to appeal to rather restrictive traditions, I have found most MMO gameplay to be utterly dry and unimaginative. Dungeons are especially bad for me because after the first couple of times I've beaten it, the story and the gameplay challenges are utterly lost. What remains is either the repetition of a tried and true group or the frustration of strangers coming together for the first time. Mainstream MMO should really take lessons from certain indie games with dynamically generated maps and ai enemies. The latest dungeon in GW2 is a step in the right direction, but still no more than a step.
The better road is PvP, but almost all designers seem to think PvP in MMORPG must necessarily mean some variation of team deathmatch, conquest, or capture the flag. I'll go back to the Star Wars. There is not even a simple implementation of Pazaak and swoop bike racing, features that lend themselves very well to multiplayer, even though the single player KOTOR 1 & 2 already had them years ago. One might argue that the majority of players want only dungeons and traditional PvP except sales and subscription figures clearly prove that has not worked.
Some people do spend the majority of time grinding dungeons or what pvp there is. However, there is no question that most MMORPG, and certainly the ones I am talking about now, have the majority of content that is balanced specifically for single player; ok, SWTOR is really balanced for 2 people, which is itself problematic because it's very hard for 2 people to play together consistently unless their are husband-wife or real life friends.
@Kickable I never played FF online, but I think there is something good in a MMO that discourages soloing. Less flexible, perhaps, but more in spirit of MMO. You are right, there are too many solo-friendly MMOs nowadays. And yep, I was talking about Fractal of the Mists.
@Unfallen_Satan you talking about the fractal dungeons being a step in the right direction? the 3 or 4 I did were pretty fun. yea I'm not into PvP at all really unless it means I get gear to help in PvE, just organized boss fights. maybe playing Final Fantasy online ruined me for all these new games you couldn't solo a damned thing in that game. I guess my main goal then was just sense of accomplishment. Oh well if I can't get that in all these new solo-friendly MMOs, I can't sink tons of hours in any MMO like I used to anyway, time to adapt lol
1 Like Now then if they fix the controls I may go back to it, I was lucky with guildwars 2 as some guy made a mod which puts the game in a mode where the right mouse view is permanent with a crosshair in the screen and lets you use the right mouse for other things, I would never have bought GW2 without that mod, and I will never play the secret world again unless they put something like it in place.
2 Like Why are people saying they've "moved on?" Is there some rule stating that if you don't start playing a game at launch, you can never play it?
2 Like Sweet! That was the only thing keeping me away from this game, so now I am definitely getting this.
3 Like I suddenly became really interested in this game. I've played the beta and it was quite fun.
Secret World was nothing but wasted potential anyway. They could have had something great on their hands.
I just cancelled my subscription a week ago, not because it was a bad game though, I just didn't have time because of work and other games I am playing.
@xsonicchaos do you know what items you get for $15 or what they sell in the cash shop? if so that's a pretty exaggerated definition of pay to win.
1 Like @Kickable @xsonicchaos they sell clothes and stuff till now which is just cosmetic .They may be adding xp boosts but doesnt matter in pve aspect because by the time u get to end game u will have enough ability points even without the boosts.I nvr cared about pvp so cant comment on that
@Kane04 @lanseven @xsonicchaos not weapons. I mean you get a scroll type item, you click it and POOF your character is level 80.
@Kickable @lanseven @xsonicchaos Didn't know they were giving lvl 80 weapons anyone that subscribed, but lets face, that's hardly useful and those are probably easily obtainable, they're not more than an incentive to keep people playing for how ever long it takes to hit lvl 80.
3 Like @Kickable Yeah I haven't played wow in 3 years an I still get emails asking me to come back because character X misses me. LOL no thanks~the game is just one huge time sink.
1 Like @lanseven @xsonicchaos yea i don't even count xp boosts. they're only saving you a small amount of time not handing you an overpowered weapon instantly that it took some other guy a month to earn. Hell WoW is giving people instant level 80 when they sign up and I hear less bellyaching about thtat LOL
2 Like G_G Another one bites the dust. When you change your business model from pay to FREE its a loss.
Try to justify it anyway you can, but the game wasn't good if you have to charge $0 to play.
At least Guild Wars 2 was initially free!
1 Like @decoy1978 Err you do realize that its not exactly free.you still have to buy the game to play.They just switched to b2p from subscription model.
after the way they totally screwed of over the age of conan community and myself with fake promises and advertised content that never even made it in to the game, Not to mention total ignorance to what the community was asking for.
Im surprised anybody played this @ all
Conan? Dude, I got burned by Anarchy Online! That game had to shut down the first day and STAYED down for almost a month!
Secret World did much better.
The Secret World developer initiates restructuring process that includes consolidation of offices and teams across company's global presence.
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