The online RPG Shroud of the Avatar offers a bundle that is quite expensive. For $7,000 or $8,000, there’s a package with all the bells and whistles.
Yes, Shroud of the Avatar (SotA) is still around. The now significantly reduced development team is currently also diligently working on Episode 2, which is planned for the end of the year.
However, the team needs money for development. This is currently being generated through the sale of decoration items and donations from fans. Now a bundle has been offered that is quite something.
Pretty Expensive
What is the deal with the bundle? The “Lord of the Isle: Episode 2” bundle is sold in three variants. The cheapest costs $6,999, the most expensive $7,999.
Interestingly, all bundles offer the same content, and the prices seem to follow a “first come, first served” principle. So those who act quickly will still get the bundles at a cheaper price.
The bundle includes:
- A property deed for a plot that you can place anywhere: It is tax-free for one year if placed outside a player city and you will never have to pay taxes if it is within a city
- Title: Lord of the Isle or Lady of the Isle
- A unique “Lord of the Isle” house that will be introduced later
- An additional house currently available in the store
- A keep cellar of your choice, available in the store
- A castle wall set available in the store
- 1,400 crowns
- 999 bank slots
- 12 “Prosperity Tools”
- 2 unique in-game items (to be announced)
- Early access to Episode 2
- Episode 1 box with a signed map from the team
- One hour of one-on-one conversation with the technical director Chris Spears via video conference
- A real silver ring, personally crafted by Lord British, numbered
- An in-game version of the Lord British ring, numbered (including a placeable decoration version)
- Tour of the Portalarium offices
- Dinner and drinks with Lord British, Darkstarr, and Atos at a yet undisclosed location in Austin, Texas, or New York City
This is how the cash shop is supposed to look better: The developer studio Portalarium is aware that the item shop does not sit well with many MMORPG fans. Therefore, it will be moved from the website into the game. Additionally, there will be adjustments to the prices.
The developers admit that some items were offered at a high price compared to the item shops of other online games.
Similarly, the team is revising the in-game currency COTOs. It will be offered a bit cheaper in the shop, but you will not receive them as frequently as loot in the game anymore.
The future of the game looks rather bleak
This is how players are reacting: Shroud of the Avatar is a heavily contested game. There is a small but loyal fanbase that actively participates in financing the game, and there is a group that expresses their disappointment over how the online game has developed and continues to do so.
While critics are currently mocking the very expensive “Lord of the Isle” bundle, even fans are showing some skepticism.
The price seems too high for many, which is why some content has already been adjusted. The developers explain that some fans have explicitly asked for such bundles.
And in the official forum, some players are even inquiring about financing options because they would like the bundle but cannot afford the price all at once.
This is how SotA is currently doing: After the launch on March 27, 2018, it has not had a particularly successful year:
- Half of the developers were laid off in the summer
- In October it became known that studio founder Richard “Lord British” Garriott had stepped down as CEO
- At the end of October 2018, a switch to the free-to-play model occurred
- At the end of November 2018, the end of the partnership between publisher Travian Games and Portalarium was announced
- Player numbers, according to Steamcharts are not good despite the switch to the free-to-play model
- The reviews on Steam frequently drop to “mostly negative”
Now the question is whether a bundle costing between $7,000 and $8,000 can bring about a turnaround.
