The new MMORPG Ashes of Creation will adopt a subscription model. The special thing is: You will not have to buy the game at launch. This comes from an interview with Steven Sharif on the sidelines of Gamescom 2018.
Where does the information come from? We at Mein-MMO.de had the opportunity to talk to Steven Sharif, the head of Ashes of Creation, at Gamescom 2018. Lead designer Jeffrey Bard was also part of the conversation. The interview was conducted by Dawid Hallmann, the head of Mein-MMO.
The MMORPG announced a publishing deal with “My.com” the day before. My.com will distribute Ashes of Creation in Europe and Russia.
What will the payment model of Ashes of Creation be?
Ashes of Creation is planning an unusual payment model: The MMORPG will not be Free2Play, but it will deviate a bit from the traditional “Pay2Play” model:
- Customers will not have to buy the game at launch
- To play, however, you need an active subscription
- The game will offer a cash shop. However, it will only contain “cosmetic” items
- Players will have the opportunity to earn real money with the game through a “partner program”. If they refer other players through a registration link, they will receive 15% of the money the referred player spends as commission
- During the early access phase, founder packs will be offered. However, players can wait and then join with the subscription at the release
My.com also confirmed the payment model to Mein-MMO.de.
Anti Pay2Win model
Why does Ashes of Creation choose this model? According to Sharif, this model is the best for the western market. It is the model they prefer themselves, and it is also the model that customers want.
Western players wanted such an “Anti-Pay2Win” model. Everything in the direction of “Pay2Win” annoys the western MMO player. The eastern market and the mentality there are different, which is fine. There are different cultures. However, Ashes of Creation is a game with western roots.
Self dissatisfied with the previous offer: As an MMO player themselves, they are dissatisfied with what products are offered by publishers and developers. They feel that many customers out there share this dissatisfaction.
That is why they considered early on: How can we bring about a change in a genre that we love?
Why My.com as a partner? It was difficult to find a publishing partner that would allow the team to take this path. They spoke with many publishers. But most did not want to commit to the path taken. With My.com, they can accelerate the release in Europe and implement Ashes of Creation with their vision.
Ashes of Creation is a passion project of the developers. Particularly the payment model is important to the developers. They did not want to make compromises. With My.com, it has been possible to adhere to the desired payment model.
What does “creative control” mean? In advance, they reacted to fans’ Pay2Win concerns after the publisher of Ashes of Creation was announced and stated that creative control lies completely with Intrepid Studios. Some fans suspected that this creative control would exclude the financial aspect.
Sharif has now clarified to Mein-MMO.de that the control also applies to the financial design of the game and that Pay2Win elements may not be introduced.
Referral deal happens everywhere – at Ashes it is just transparent
Why the partner program? Ashes of Creation financially involves anyone in the game’s revenue who refers others through referral links. This was already a contentious issue a few months ago.
According to Sharif, this is a deal that happens behind the scenes in many games anyway. This type of participation deal is normally only closed with influencers, i.e., with YouTubers or streamers.
With Ashes of Creation, they decided to be transparent about it and offer everyone the opportunity to participate.
Statement from My.com to Mein-MMO.de
We have just received an official message from the publisher, stating:
We at my.com are fully committed to supporting the creative vision that Intrepid Studios has for Ashes of Creation. In our partnership we are looking forward to supporting them with the knowledge and experience of my.com in the publishing areas of Localization, Community Management, Server Infrastructure and more, while Intrepid will remain in full creative control of the game.
My.com has primarily published traditional Free-To-Play titles from predominantly eastern developers, and we are looking forward to this partnership with Intrepid, exactly because they have a vision that is different from the titles we already have in our portfolio. Their vision appeals to the desires of western MMORPG fans, and we are fully committed to bringing this non-Pay-to-Win vision to the European players.
We believe that Ashes of Creation is on its way to become one of the largest MMOs ever to be globally published, and we are excited to be a part of this journey, together with our friends at Intrepid Studios.
With this, My.com emphasizes what Sharif told us: They want to create a game for the western market and follow Intrepid Studios’ “Anti-Pay2Win” path. My.com’s previous games were primarily designed by eastern (i.e., Asian) developers for their markets.
My.com believes Ashes of Creation is on the way to becoming one of the largest MMOs ever released worldwide.
What is Ashes of Creation? The game is considered by many to be the most promising MMORPG of the future, with a AAA budget and a team of over 100 developers. The release is expected to take place before 2020. You can read more about it here:
More articles about Ashes of Creation:
- Is it an MMO for PvE players?
- How does one aim for good performance with Unreal Engine?
- When is Ashes of Creation coming out and will it also be in German?
- What makes Ashes of Creation better in development than Everquest Next?
- How does the dynamic world function, which runs in different phases?
