Actually, I wanted to vent today about all the crazy people who, once again, fought over a few percentage points off during Black Friday and sent others to the hospital. Luckily, you are spared from this, as the underdog Star Wars: The Old Republic steps in to create another topic of rage after the weakening of the companions. This time it’s about real money and story – the very things that make Star Wars so great.
What has happened?
Last night, the developers of Star Wars: The Old Republic invited to a livestream to talk about the future of the game and to make a “big announcement.” The disappointment in the chat was quite large when it turned out that the reveal was just a bonus program for loyal subscribers.
Anyone who pays for the game every month will be rewarded with small gimmicks, such as special weapon skins, exclusive companions, or other “fluff” that brings prestige but does not hold back core aspects of the game. And no developer would come up with the idea of also including story chapters in such a program. … or would they?
Rewards for longtime players – Exclusive story
The stream yesterday really angered me. I rarely come across developers this hypocritical. With statements like “With the rewards system, we want to thank all players who have been playing SWTOR as subscribers for years and have accompanied us for almost 4 years now”, I almost had my feminist good-human soy milk come back up.
While that sounds nice in theory, I do have a question for the joker: If you care so much about the loyal fans, why don’t you thank the loyal fans who have been around for 4 years, instead of those who will be from now on? The current plans state that only players who have a continuous subscription from January to August will enjoy the “bonus chapter.” So additional story.
No, SWTOR’s rewards program is anything but a thank you to the “loyal fans.” It’s a horrible, deceitful method to entice players into a subscription, as otherwise, they are simply deprived of what they love about SWTOR – story.
Personally, this angers me. While many fans might think, “I’d rather have a permanent subscription, otherwise I can’t see certain content,” I have the exact opposite reaction. “Without a permanent subscription, I can’t see the whole story when I jump back in later – I’d rather not see it at all.” Yes, my interest in SWTOR has just drastically decreased. But hey, if enough people complain, it might do something. I certainly won’t be subscribing for 7 months – not even for a single month now.
Will you do it? Or do you think these rewards are actually good? Let me know in the comments.
