The Daily Grind: Do you buy lifetime memberships?

by Lesley Smith Aug 5th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Lord of the Rings Online, Business models, New titles, The Matrix Online, Tabula Rasa, Star Trek Online, The Daily Grind, Casual, Champions Online

On Monday we told you Cryptic had announced a lifetime membership for Champions Online. For $199 you get access to the Star Trek Online closed beta, special costumes not available to anyone else and other juicy perks. Cool huh? Now while lifetime memberships are not new (LotRO springs to mind), it's a lot of money to try a must-play game but, in a way, it also binds you to said MMO. You're buying before you try, in effect, and promising to invest a large amount of time in a particular game based on screen shots, lore or the IP.

The problem is, it's hard to tell whether a game will be hit and miss and if it ultimately goes the way of Tabula Rasa and The Matrix Online. At the same time, the really popular MMOs like WoW never seem to offer lifetime subs, as if they know they will be so popular that subscriptions will keep the game going well into the next decade. I'm wondering, constant readers, do you buy lifetime memberships and did you do it because it would work out cheaper or because you genuinely love that MMO?

Tags: champions-online, CO, lifetime-membership, lifetime-subscription, lord-of-the-rings-online, lotro, MxO, star-trek-online, STO, tabula-rasa, the-daily-grind, the-matrix-online, TR, world-of-warcraft, wow

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

TommyB said on 8:07AM 8-05-2009

I would never ever buy lifetime membership for a game that doesn't even offer a trial, accessible to everyone.

CO's not so open "open" beta is a great example, yet they expect people to buy a lifetime membership.

.jpg said on 8:26AM 8-05-2009

to me it screams "this probably won't be around long, give us as much money as possible upfront".

TommyB said on 10:03AM 8-05-2009

"We already scammed you into preordering this crap, why don't you give us even more money while you're at it!"

Nice try.

Arthy0 said on 8:28AM 8-05-2009

Hmmm, I must admit I love playing EvE online, best MMO out there, but at the same time I can't get my friends to play it (every 1 plays WoW) so I ended up playing wow with all my IRL friends but I do not exactly love the game tbh and my parents won't pay for 2 subscriptions a month ... but if there were a lifetime subscription for about 199$-299& (witch I might get away with if i don't buy any other games the whole year or so) ... Yes, I'd buy it. You may ask: "why not just get a 1 year subscription, that's close enough ?" the answer is: it's just not the same thing :P

Arthy0 said on 3:59AM 8-16-2009

199$ - 299$

Tewak said on 8:30AM 8-05-2009

I think the thing is, its too early in the game to be offering a lifetime sub, like yea its a nice idea and a great hook, and i guess they figure if the game explodes its only a small profit loss, the timing just seems awkward.

I guess if you've played the beta and its really got you hooked, and you've been able to see the potential and know how this game will shape out i guess you can easily make the informed choice. If however your like most its too big of an investment so early on, its only 13ish months of subscription but if you get bored after one, its money down the drain, and the fact its only a limited time offer doesnt make that choice any easier.

Jason said on 8:37AM 8-05-2009

It all depends on the game. Honestly I wish all MMO's offered them this way people that enjoy certain games can benefit from the savings. I'm glad Turbine started this and hopefully more companies offer it. I love LOTRO and I'm glad I bought the lifetime sub. I've been playing for free for a while now. The lifetime sub pays itself off pretty quickly. It's a risk though so you gotta make sure the game company has a good history. LOTRO isn't getting shut down anytime soon as the population is strong. I do think it's more of a thank you to fans though and won't become the norm. Eventually you stop making money off anyone thay bought it and company's don't like leaving money on the table.

RJGiskard said on 11:52AM 8-05-2009

Agreed. I was tempted by this offer for a few moments, as I've payed more than $200 for CoX over the years. But I'm really not too interested in jumping into another superhero MMO right now.

Now, if they offer the same for STO, it's pretty likely that I will.

MeowCat said on 8:40AM 8-05-2009

I have never purchased a lifetime membership. Had I known how long I would be playing LOTRO, I would have. Now I won't as I have started looking for another game. So, yes it could be in my future but I would absolutely require a trial period to see what I am buying.

The Champions Online issues seems to carry the risk of buying any game for $50 but in this case its $200!

This is the first super hero game I have considered but this has me worried.

Macabre said on 9:33AM 8-05-2009

Lifetime subs are a fantastic deal if done properly, but definitely NOT how Cryptic is doing it.

From my understanding (I haven't played the game), LoTRO offered lifetime subs *after* the game launched. This is perfect, as it allows you to not only get a feel for the game itself and decide if you like it, but almost more importantly, you get to feel out the community to see if it's strong, and if it's a place you'd want to spend at least the next year in.

With CO, it really feels like Roper is up to his old tricks again. Hellgate: London offered the *EXACT* same thing: Lifetime sub offer expires prior to launch, a bunch of goodies to make you feel "elite", and you basically had to buy into the beta. I foolishly purchased a lifetime sub to Hellgate: London, based almost purely on empty promises of fixes and the fact that Roper and others at Flagship had come from Blizzard and Diablo, so I figured the apple don't fall far from the tree, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong. Epic fail. The scam (yes, that's exactly what it is) preys on not only the "newness" and excitement of a new game (with most MMO's, you don't really start to find the glaring faults until a while later, as the early game experience is usually similar, not very complex, and typically decent, just ask AoC), but also the notion that "well, it's just *beta*, the final product will be polished, we swear!" Finally, it preys on the "elite-ness" of the offer, calling you things like "founder", and offering a slew of exclusive goodies to make sure everyone knows you payed the big bucks for the lifetime "exclusivity".

The concept is sound, but it should be offered, say, after 2-3 months of the game gone live, or even if you do offer it right at launch, fine, but don't have it expire right before launch; make it available for like the first 3 months. It not only provides some much need capital at the early stages of a launch, but also hopes to establish an early dedicated community to keep the game going strong. While they might lose some money in the long run, it's not like everyone will buy into the lifetime offer, so they should find a happy medium between long-term subscription revenue and an early influx of capital.

Cryptic's strategy is pathetic, especially when they offer beta access to *a totally different game*. That spells confidence, right? I really hope it doesn't pay off for them, or I fear others may (read: definitely will) follow suit. That may sound harsh, and it is, but such unscrupulous tactics should not be rewarded.

Tony Montana said on 8:50AM 8-05-2009

The Champions Online offer in particular sucks ass.

The offer is only open till the game launches so you won't be getting your hands on the final product before that offer expires.

That means you will be coughing up 200 dollars way before you even get to experience the game which is a risk not worth taking.

If the offer was open for longer than the period before the actual launch and I had a few weeks to play the final product and decided I would be playing it many more months then I would defintely buy a lifetime membership.

As it is now though I wouldn't really consider it at all. Lifetime memberships are fine but only when you have a good grasp of the content.

Now only if Blizzard would offer a lifetime membership for World of Warcraft. I know I'd buy a lifetime membership for The Old Republic as well and maybe even Final Fantasy 14.

Omega2k3 said on 12:50AM 8-07-2009

"As it is now though I wouldn't really consider it at all. Lifetime memberships are fine but only when you have a good grasp of the content.

[...] I know I'd buy a lifetime membership for The Old Republic as well and maybe even Final Fantasy 14."

You make great points up until you COMPLETELY contradict yourself in the last statement.

Andrew said on 8:57AM 8-05-2009

I would never buy a lifetime sub to any game, no matter how much I thought I loved it at the time. I'm too scatter-brained a gamer.

As for CO - their offer smells like a massive scam.

Archipelagos said on 9:02AM 8-05-2009

It all depends if you're willing to take the risk. The MMO could be brilliant, the lifetime subscription could easily pay itself off and yet, on the other hand, the MMO could be terrible and you have just spent $199 on 3 months of abysmal playtime. Unless you are one of the lucky few to experience the beta of the MMO in question this is an exercise in pure chance.

So...who is feeling lucky?

JP said on 9:18AM 8-05-2009

I would if I was hearing great things about a game.

I never heard much at all about HG:L that was particularly positive. I'm glad I let that one pass me by.

LOTRO (while I did hear positive things) isn't an IP I'm very interested in, and that's the sole reason I let that pass.

CO (MT + Sub debauchery aside) I haven't heard anything good about it. In fact, of the four friends I know in beta, they said CoH w/ power customization will be better then CO at launch. So, even if I was excited for the game, I'd probably still not accept the offer seeing that all the people I know personally say it's meh.

Psychotic Storm said on 9:24AM 8-05-2009

Their offer looks and sounds like, a marketing decision, nothing more nothing less.

I liked the offer and grabbed it, 13 months are nothing if the game survives and nothing I have seen so far looks like it won't be here to stay, besides they do have MT in so most likely people will still spend money despite having a lifetime sub.

Anyway, to counterbalance the pessimist comments, one could say they are so confident about their game that they believe the lifetime offer will sell despite the limited preview time they offer.

Or they might do it to raise some hype not expecting to sell many and are happy with it, regardless offering a lifetime sub, does tend to create a really loyal fun base that will support the game, if not monetarily but as a positive voice in the web, plus it generates some stable subscription numbers that are always great to have.

another thing to consider is, people say it all the time, they cannot afford another subscription, a lifetime sub, thought a bit steep to pay may bring customers that stand on the fence, might sound odd, but that's how buyers psychology works, one might prefer to give a year+ sub and not pay ever again than to pay each month forever, another customers slice interested is the one who may like the game but only for occasional play maybe leaving one or two months without playing.

finally, to test a game before committing into it, sounds good, but you will only know how the game was when it finishes, TR despite what many bashers say was a great game and its death song was magnificent, nothing that could compare to the games launch.

Overall, if you would commit in something like a lifetime sub, is entirely personal and subjective, there are pro and minus on each case that each one sees with another eye, what I do believe is that there are sound reasons on why a company could be offering something like that without falling in the case of fraud or compromising the longevity of the game.

Sephirah said on 9:57AM 8-05-2009

A lifetime subscription available ONLY before the game ships is a scam. Period.

Psychotic Storm said on 11:08AM 8-05-2009

why so certain?

nekoali said on 9:26AM 8-05-2009

The only game I bought a lifetime subscription to was Lord of the Rings Online, and that was only after buying the game and playing the free month. I initially had my doubts about how an MMO in such a beloved world would work out (Had to many frightening thoughts of people running around spouting lolspeak named things like Frodos and Aaaaragorn. Or worse yet Drizzzit and Thraall. But I found them happily unfounded, so I was happy to pay the lifetime. I've more than got my money's worth out of it, and I can take breaks and return anytime I like.

I'd never buy a lifetime sub for a game I didn't absolutely love though, and certainly wouldn't go for a 'buy the sub now before the game is out!' deal. That just sounds to me like developers trying to pad their cashflow before the negative release comments start rolling in.