Numerous MMO fans are currently heatedly discussing the monetization of current game projects. The verbal crossfire involves Star Citizen and Ashes of Creation, which are already capitalizing on their alpha testing phases.
What is the catalyst for the current discussions? Those browsing through the MMORPG subreddit these days encounter several discussion rounds where the monetization of MMO projects is extensively criticized – triggered by the new alpha bundles of Ashes of Creation.
If you want to contribute to the second alpha of the ambitious online RPG by Intrepid between November 2024 and May 2025, you need to invest between 100 and 120 US dollars. In return, you get access to the upcoming beta tests, a one-month subscription at release, and in-game currency Embers worth 15 US dollars.
Compared to the 400 or 500 US dollar alpha-1 accesses from the first crowdfunding and later supporter packages, this is almost a bargain, right? Well, at least if one finds it acceptable to pay for access to an alpha testing phase.
An overview of Ashes of Creation in 49 seconds:
Paid Alpha = Bad Game?
What are parts of the community criticizing? In various threads (Example 1 on Reddit, Example 2 on Reddit, Example 3 on Reddit) discussions are currently ongoing, and the points of criticism quickly repeat:
- In general, many see it as wrong to be charged for supporting the development by participating in a testing phase.
- That some fans defend these paid alpha accesses shows, according to critics, impressively how low the standards of many players have become and what we are willing to accept from the industry.
- With every shift of the boundary of what we allow to be done to us, the next attempts become even more brazen. It fits that the developers of Ashes of Creation initially did not even include further goodies like beta accesses or a month subscription in the new alpha packages. That only came after the subsequent shitstorm.
- If alpha tests can be successfully monetized, the pressure on developers to launch a good product as soon as possible disappears. Without a launch, there are also no tests where one might receive disappointing reviews.
- The thesis: Anyone who tries to extract money from players in alpha does not develop the best possible game but a so-called “cash grab” where quality is secondary.
As a particularly impressive example of this development, Star Citizen is repeatedly mentioned in the discussions.
What is the problem with Star Citizen? Chris Roberts is said to have been working on the concept for the ambitious space MMO since 2010. The actual development probably only started in 2012 – that’s when the first crowdfunding campaign was launched. That was already twelve years ago.
Since then, a lot has happened. For instance, more than 5.3 million supporters have transferred more than 717 million US dollars to Cloud Imperium Games to support the project (via robertsspaceindustries.com).
With the budget, the ambitions and plans have grown. Now even small features like ship fires are realistically simulated. The targeted release year has been postponed several times and then at some point not communicated at all. Why would it be? The money keeps rolling in. No other unreleased game has earned anywhere near as much.
If you want to be part of the process, you currently start with discounted starter packages that cost about 45 to 75 euros. But you can of course indulge in more expensive packages, such as the “Constellation Andromeda Starter Package” for about 304 euros.
This trailer shows what Squadron 42 is supposed to be like in the end:
After all these years, there is no end in sight for the development. This applies not only to Star Citizen but also to the single-player spin-off Squadron 42, which was originally supposed to be released in 2014. Noteworthy, that was already ten years ago.
How do you evaluate the two games and paid alpha testing phases? Are you still looking forward to the release of the ambitious projects, and have you perhaps even put your money into it to support them? Or do you steer clear of expensive testing accesses and wait for the final release? Let us know in the comments! A general overview of Ashes of Creation can be found here: Everything about the new MMORPG Ashes of Creation – Release, classes, gameplay, and nodes
