In Star Citizen , players buy virtual spaceships even before the release. On May 23, CIG introduced a particularly stylish ship: the “Ironclad Assault.” The ship seems to fulfill the imagination of many players so much that so many jumped at the chance and got it as an affordable upgrade that the developers raised the price during the sale without informing the players.
How is it with Star Citizen?
- Star Citizen has raised an enormous amount of money through crowdfunding, and the game is currently approaching $700 million.
- Most of the money comes from the sale of virtual ships. Even though the MMO is still a long way from release, some players are stocking up on ships that are sometimes absurdly expensive. The largest package costs 53,121 euros and 60 cents.
- Proponents of the system say: It’s not that critical for the game, as large ships require large crews. The people who buy ships are collectors – and one should not view all this too critically.
New ship fulfills many players’ “I am independent” fantasy
This is the new ship: On May 23, CIG presented the new ship “Ironclad Assault” (via youtube). The ship is operated with 6 people, and CIG emphasizes that it is “self-sufficient” and can provide for itself:
- The ship can transport heavy vehicles and infantry
- But also has firepower through turrets
- It also offers a garage on board that can create new components for vehicles
How was the ship received? In the video introducing the ship, the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. Apparently, the Ironclad seems to fulfill the imagination of many players in how they want to play Star Citizen:
- One pilot says: It’s the “perfect sandbox ship” and aligns exactly with his idea of how he could play Star Citizen. He could host gladiator fights from the ship.
- Another says: “Damn, what a wonderful ship. I have always wanted a flying chunk.”
Players do not buy the ship but upgrade their old one for $5
Here are the aftermaths: Three days after the video, on May 26, a user noticed on reddit that CIG increased the price for the “Iron Clad” by $10. The price increase takes effect when one wants to upgrade from another ship, like the M2 Hercules, to the new ship.
There is a discussion about whether the price increase was a reaction from Star Citizen or whether the originally stated price was a mistake. It is criticized that such a “silent price increase” is in any case the wrong behavior from Star Citizen. The developers should have owned up to the mistake and continued to offer the old, cheaper price.
In the discussion, it turns out that many players apparently took the opportunity to upgrade from the “M2 Hercules” to the new, more attractive ship for only $5 more.
It is therefore suspected that many players did not buy the ship at full price but instead obtained a very affordable upgrade to enhance their existing investment in the game.
Because the M2 Hercules seems to fulfill a very similar power fantasy but not as well as the new, slightly more expensive ship.
“The marketing team is surely not satisfied with that,” believes one player.
Numerous players state that they immediately jumped at the new ship and secured the new version for only $5.
In the discussion, some are happy that they managed to grab the ship at the old price just in time. Others defend CIG and dismiss the whole discussion as irrelevant. The price increase is not even 2%; it’s peanuts. But one user says it is madness to discuss a ship for $500 in a game. For him, it is insane. The comment goes almost unnoticed, with only one upvote. New package in Star Citizen costs 53,121 euros and 60 cents – More than a gross annual salary in Germany
