3 ms·
Guild Wars has just about always had a microtransaction shop. It's less emphasized than the boxed products, but it's tough to consider Guild Wars' model that di
by WorldMaker 6y ago
Guild Wars has just about always had a microtransaction shop. It's less emphasized than the boxed products, but it's tough to consider Guild Wars' model that different from an F2P model. Especially as both Guild Wars have "free to start" options today, the line is blurry if non-existent.
It's also not a model that has disappeared or anything. Not just in the MMO space where there are plenty that may or may not be free-to-start but claim their primary financial driver is expansion packs. Overwatch is sort of based on that model, but always had loot boxes. Destiny was based on that model, but always had micro-transactions. Destiny 2 is now free-to-start, and again that line is really blurry between F2P micro-transactions and "expansion pack business model".
- raun1 6y agoI'm pretty sure the poster you replied to meant the original Guild Wars, which, so far as I'm aware of, was a 'buy once, and play for life' model. No micro transactions there.
- WorldMaker 6y agoGuild Wars 1 had micro-transactions for additional (DRM-ed!) music to unlock if you got bored with the base game songs as some of us did. It was an odd experiment (that I recall I paid for) that got shut down, taking the DRMed music with it as the DRM servers also shutdown, to some frustration at least from me as I had assumed it to be a more traditional soundtrack purchase. I recall there being other micro-transactions for cosmetics in Guild Wars 1 as well, across its early lifespan, but of course, it certainly was not quite to the degree of Guild Wars 2's "Gem Shop". (ETA: You don't have to take my word for it. It was called "DirectSong": https://guildwars.fandom.com/wiki/DirectSong https://guildwars.fandom.com/wiki/DirectSong)