When MMORPGs first hit the scene, they charged players on a monthly basis, like any utility service. You had your water bill, your cable bill, your EverQuest bill. Times change, though, and as games move toward the free-to-play model, it makes the idea of a monthly fee seem laughable, a barrier rather than a price tag. BioWare’s MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic, was made to be a pillar of the MMO community with a major studio working a major license. If any game could demand a monthly fee, it would be this one. It failed, and soon, SWtOR will be going free-to-play. Does this fallen giant represent the death knell of the subscription fee model? Ars Technica has the story.
Subscription fees always represented a sort of commitment, a lock into the game. Gamers aren’t so good with that sort thing, being surrounded as we are by new games to play. A free-to-play model offers a lot more flexibility, and allows players to try the game without any great investment.
It also seems to work, which is handy.