Sony to offer $15/mo for access to all it's MMOs

[nicehat]

 

Thought the days of MMO subscriptions were over? Think again, as Sony is looking to continue offering a subscription option for its games, but not in the traditional sense. Instead of paying a monthly fee to access one game, Sony Entertainment Online is looking to offer a $15 a month subscription for access to all of its MMOs.

 

While a company offering all of their catalogue for a flat rate monthly fee is a first for the scene, Sony has offered several games for a single payment each month for a while as part of its All Access Deal, but that has always had a limited number of games and a $20 a month price tag.

 

"[This is] a benefit most companies simply can't offer because they don't have our portfolio of games," said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment, in a Reddit thread discussing changes to Planetside 2. However towards the end he began discussing the new All Access deal that will provide access to a lot of current, as well as upcoming games.

 

He name dropped Everquest Next and Everquest Next Landmark as two titles that would become part of the bundle subscription system. Medley also alluded to some upcoming entertainment products that could be part of the subscription scheme, but would be applicable to PS2 owners most of all. He did call them games, but the way he said it was suspect.

 

Oh I forgot, all members get a 10% discount on all marketplace items. And console owners? This may be coming to you as well, but no word of exactly when that would happen according Smedley

 

What do you guys think of this deal? Would you be more willing to pay $15 a month if it gave you access to 10+ games instead of just one? Also, what do you think the mystery PS2 project is? 

 

 

 

 

https://www.soe.com/allaccess/

http://www.mmorpg.com/newsroom.cfm/read/29601/Smedley-All-Access-for-15-a-Month.html

[alchemist11]

All these games look like they are Multi-Player games and the subscriptions have worked for SOE in the past (re: original EverQuest). Plus, it's optional anyway. I believe all games, save for the original PS, are Free-2-Play with micro-transactions, so if you are paying close to $15 or more a month for one or more games, the all-access $15 a month would be a better option. All-Access gives 'Member' status to each game. Default status is 'Non-Member.'

[Ineko]

If they introduce the $15 sub to Planetside 2 and completely remove micro-transactions, I'm fine with that.

[nicehat]

If they introduce the $15 sub to Planetside 2 and completely remove micro-transactions, I'm fine with that.

 

well you'll get a 10% discount on all items, thats not bad either

[Imaginaerum]

It's too bad only 1 game (Planetside) is worth paying for. I will forever hate Sony Entertainment for ruining Star Wars Galaxies but hey, if anyone was lucky enough to not experience the downfall of one of the best ever MMO's, maybe it's a good deal.

[That Norwegian Guy]

Sony Online Entertainment is the scum of the industry, and they're not getting as much as a cent from me ever again.

[JLCitadel]

Sony Online Entertainment is the scum of the industry, and they're not getting as much as a cent from me ever again.

 

micro-transactions are destroying the gaming industry. companies make a rediculously large amount from people because no one micro-manages their cash. but they don't put the extra money back into development. Paying 15$ a month for games reduces the amount of idiots on it. The community on WoW and EQ has always been a million times better then league of legends and call of duty, (micro-t [LoL] single purchase [CoD]) and that's why I came back to WoW. For the most part it's a good community at least on my server shards. + Progression raiding is a lot more challenging then stomping someone in lane because they're dumb or spraying a gun.

 

As for sony specifically when it comes to their games, I haven't played a ton of them, none of them really attract me a ton, i might checkout out EQ on a free trial just to see how it's changed, but for people who like their games this is a good deal.

[That Norwegian Guy]

As for sony specifically when it comes to their games, I haven't played a ton of them, none of them really attract me a ton, i might checkout out EQ on a free trial just to see how it's changed, but for people who like their games this is a good deal.

 

Just be prepared for corrupt GMs, long server maintenances in the middle of peak hours, bad server hardware, patches that ruin everything the game used to be about, and the game being unsupported and servers being shut down after 6 months. Oh and don't forget about developers and moderators being absolute cockbags towards players on their forums.

[LordTumnas]

Just be prepared for corrupt GMs, long server maintenances in the middle of peak hours, bad server hardware, patches that ruin everything the game used to be about, and the game being unsupported and servers being shut down after 6 months. Oh and don't forget about developers and moderators being absolute cockbags towards players on their forums.

If my experience with planetside is anything to go off, you are COMPLETELY wrong about the devs and mods being "cockbags" in the PS2 community the devs are awesome. SOE does need some how-to-patch classes though, even minor patches break the game, for example, an AOE weapon with a 2metre radius gained a ~50 metre radius one day... So many tears were shed.

[That Norwegian Guy]

If my experience with planetside is anything to go off, you are COMPLETELY wrong about the devs and mods being "cockbags" in the PS2 community the devs are awesome. SOE does need some how-to-patch classes though, even minor patches break the game, for example, an AOE weapon with a 2metre radius gained a ~50 metre radius one day... So many tears were shed.

 

That's because PS2 is raking in massive profits. The minute they aren't raking it in hand over fist they completely give up.

[EChondo]

Yeah no, introducing a subscription fee? Even if it's for all their MMO's, I don't play MMO's for years and years at a time.

 

Just sell me the damn game then for a flat one time fee. Monthly fee's? Yeah no, ain't going to happen, at least I won't be paying it.

 

Bye bye Planetside 2, it was fun for the occasional weekly warfare, but I'll just go play CS:GO then.

[LordTumnas]

Yeah no, introducing a subscription fee? Even if it's for all their MMO's, I don't play MMO's for years and years at a time.

Just sell me the damn game then for a flat one time fee. Monthly fee's? Yeah no, ain't going to happen, at least I won't be paying it.

Bye bye Planetside 2, it was fun for the occasional weekly warfare, but I'll just go play CS:GO then.

Planetside always had a subscription option, the free to play option isnt going away, SOE is just making it so that if you pay for membership in PS2, you get it in ALL of Sony's MMO's

[EChondo]

Planetside always had a subscription option, the free to play option isnt going away, SOE is just making it so that if you pay for membership in PS2, you get it in ALL of Sony's MMO's

Never seen that subscription option before. Just looked it up, you don't really get that much for it except for that 500SC a month and discounts.

 

Meh, I don't really see the worth of paying $15 a month for only one MMO I'd be interested in, I understand that you get access to all MMO's from Sony, but how many of them are you actually interested in and will genuinely play more than once in a blue moon?

 

Maybe it's just me with MMO's, I usually pick one up for a month then the interest fades away, and it's not because of the monthly fee, it happened to me with Guild Wars 2

[Imaginaerum]

Maybe it's just me with MMO's, I usually pick one up for a month then the interest fades away, and it's not because of the monthly fee, it happened to me with Guild Wars 2

Well Guild Wars 2 had only about a month in it.

[Ethnod]

Aren't most of Sony's MMO's Free to Play/Pay to Win? Plus most of them are shit, right?

[EChondo]

Aren't most of Sony's MMO's Free to Play/Pay to Win? Plus most of them are shit, right?

Planetside 2 is pretty decent, if you have a squad of friends to play with you it gets a bit better if everyone knows what they are doing.

 

Me and my cousin played DC Universe Online, it was pretty damn great for a F2P MMO, nearly the whole thing was PvE and I logged 150 hours into the game, bought a couple of the DLC's as well.

 

Can't say much about their other games though.

[Scionyde]

Well Guild Wars 2 had only about a month in it.

 

I think somebody looking for hardcore endgame pve would be pretty disappointed in GW2. I think most of the tweaks they made on the WoW formula were positive, but the elimination of the tank/healer/dps trinity kinda made raiding impossible and maybe wasn't a great idea. That said, I've actually still been playing since launch but that's mostly because of world versus world and pvp stuff. Apparently their new 5-man fractals dungeons/living story is better content for pve'ers, but even when I played WoW I didn't care for that kind of stuff.

 

Anyway, do most SoE MMOs already have sub fees? If so, I guess this an okay deal. Still, I'm not a huge fan of subscription fees in general. Most likely, I'll get tired of the game eventually and cancel the subscription. But if I want to try the game out later and see if there's anything new and interesting? I'm not big on shelling out $15 on the hope that I'll find the game fun again. To me, the best business model is buy-to-play with optional, non-gamebreaking cosmetics available for microtransactions. I like being able to take breaks and revisit games without having to keep paying. (Theoretically you can have those fair microtransactions in a free-to-play game, but I'm not sure how well that's been done far.)

[Ethnod]

Planetside 2 is pretty decent, if you have a squad of friends to play with you it gets a bit better if everyone knows what they are doing.

 

Me and my cousin played DC Universe Online, it was pretty damn great for a F2P MMO, nearly the whole thing was PvE and I logged 150 hours into the game, bought a couple of the DLC's as well.

 

Can't say much about their other games though.

 

Well yea, ok fair enough, I was just being a jack ass any way lol

Yea not played Planetside myself but my all reports it is decent especially for a Free to Play and DC Universe seems to have the same reports. My only issues are that SOE has an awful habit of making their F2P games Pay to Win which is a load of bollox tbh. Plus ever since SWG (Star Wars Galaxies) and the disaster there that was SOE's involvement I have a very low opinion of them and their games. They force the Devs to make a dumbed down, no challenge grind-fest that you can only enjoy of you throw money at them. SWG was such a great game with even better potential and they fked it up completely by making the game dramatically easier and there for pandering to all the weekenders who wanted to be Jedi. Jedi was and should have been something that you have to dedicate time into and something that was all or nothing, which it was, until SOE decided that there were too many complaints Oh man, that Game was awesome 

[Nineshadow]

I'll have to pay for PS2...God damn it.

[LordTumnas]

Never seen that subscription option before. Just looked it up, you don't really get that much for it except for that 500SC a month and discounts.

Meh, I don't really see the worth of paying $15 a month for only one MMO I'd be interested in, I understand that you get access to all MMO's from Sony, but how many of them are you actually interested in and will genuinely play more than once in a blue moon?

Maybe it's just me with MMO's, I usually pick one up for a month then the interest fades away, and it's not because of the monthly fee, it happened to me with Guild Wars 2

I dont pay for membership either, i probably never will

Never touched any of SOE's MMO's before planetside 2, i found a cool group of people so i stuck with it, their other ones seem pretty awful imo

Edit: typo