The anime MMO Soulworker is currently still in the Open Beta, but now it is already facing criticism after publisher Gameforge included VIP subscriptions in the item shop.
There are two VIP subscriptions to choose from: a silver and a gold membership. These subscriptions are optional, but offer some benefits that players consider Pay2Win.
A subscription causes controversy
The silver subscription offers:
- Keycards
- Respawners
- Battle Books
- Extra action slots
- Additional 80 energy points per day
The gold membership doubles these bonuses and even adds 120 maximum energy. It is still possible to combine the gold and silver memberships, giving a player a total of 200 extra energy points. This is twice as much as a player without a subscription can use.
Nothing works without energy
The energy system restricts you in the activities you can perform. Each mission costs a number of energy points, and once you have used up your points, you either have to buy more or wait until the next day when your energy refills.
So, anyone with a VIP membership can use more energy to complete more missions per day, thus progressing faster in the game.
Publisher Gameforge has now commented on the criticism of this system, stating that it will take a closer look at the situation and possibly take countermeasures. In the meantime, players are encouraged to trade energy and more events will be launched to provide players with more energy.
The Open Beta of Soulworker is already causing quite a stir.
