New World: Will there be a paid subscription?

In the MMO industry, there are certain practices that fans have come to know and expect. While some have come and gone, others have become a mainstay of the genre. 

New World, an upcoming MMO from Amazon Games, is set to mimic many of those practices when it fully releases on 31st August. However, it’s also aiming to break and improve some of the nagging aspects from other titles in the genre. 

One of those aspects is a paid subscription service. This is present in many old-school MMOs like World of Warcraft, Runescape, EVE Online, etc. The service either allows you to access the game or gives you access to exclusive content not available in the free version. 

As with any modern MMO, fans are wondering whether or not New World will launch with any kind of subscription service. For those not wanting to open up their wallets, good news is in store. 

New World will launch a closed alpha and beta before its launch. (Picture: Amazon)

The developers revealed that New World will not have any kind of subscription service. Beyond the $40 price tag for the game, no additional purchases will be necessary to hop online and play. This is more or less the norm for games with a high entry price but it’s not unheard of for titles to tack on an optional subscription after the game has been initially purchased (Fallout 76). 

Luckily for fans, the only way to spend extra money is to buy in-game items. These items will all be optional and shouldn’t have a large impact on core gameplay, if any. If the modern MMO game’s formula will be followed, then most of the items will be purely cosmetic and only enhance the look of your character. 

• Read more: New World: Release date, closed beta, and more

If the Amazon Games developers start messing with this formula too much and include game-breaking items that cost money, then fans might want a subscription service after all.