Sony considering subscription fees for MAG, according to PSU survey

by Alan Tsang { Sep 29th 2008 at 3:45PM }

The Bitbag reported that a PlayStation Underground survey was sent out asking customers "15 questions related to payment plans" regarding a game that sounds a whole lot like MAG. The survey hints at plans for a monthly or yearly fee for the 256-player MMO title, as well as the possibility of paid DLC.

Videogamer contacted a Sony representative, who issued a standard reply of "we don't comment on rumor and speculation." Do keep in mind these types of surveys are designed for companies to hear consumer feedback, so if you receive one of them, be sure to let Sony know how you feel.

Source - The Bitbag
Source - Videogamer

[Via Joystiq]

Tags: MAG, massive-action-game, Zipper-Interactive

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Brute @ Sep 29th 2008 3:51PM

That does NOT sound good, at all, no MAG for me...

Averna @ Sep 29th 2008 8:44PM

Wow, thats awfully fast. How many people do you think would actually say "Yes I want to give you money every month for a game I already paid for" in the survey? If they are polling it means they havent decided and if subbing means they dont make a lot of sales, then subbing will likely not happen.

MAG for me!

wem003 @ Sep 29th 2008 3:53PM

And thats why I won't buy it. If I wanted to pay for online play, I'd get an xbox.

Duke @ Sep 29th 2008 5:54PM

Yeah, cause thats the same thing. This is a fee for only one game.

Anyway, I'm in GAP and I never got this survey, so I dunno.

wem003 @ Sep 29th 2008 6:22PM

I'm not saying that - but if they start with one game, then whats next? That's what I like about the Playstation model all the way back to SOCOM on PS2.

Too many other great games coming out with great online play to bother with paying for the game, and then paying to use it.

kentuckyfried @ Sep 29th 2008 10:09PM

ditto.

If they start charging, we all need to collectively refuse to pay until they either open it up, or go back to the drawing board and figure out a way to keep it free for ps3 gamers.

However, if the cost is cheap enough ($5/month), I'd probably spring for it. But nowhere near the ridiculous $10/month cost or whatever WoW is charging (that's like $15/month, right)?

Nathanical @ Sep 29th 2008 3:55PM

imo, if theyre gonna make it subscription based, DLC should be free.

Subs would mean no MAG for me. The whole idea of FREE online gaming was a huge selling point for me, as while i like online gaming, im not prepared to part with my hard earned cash for the luxury.

KarlW @ Sep 29th 2008 4:26PM

Agreed. Online gaming is something I do primarily because it's free. It's a cool bonus. I wouldn't pay for it on a subscription.

iamkid @ Sep 29th 2008 6:17PM

free dlc. thats kinda a contradiction, you really only pay for dlc. because if it was just free, it would only be an update. there would be no need to specially downloading it, unless it was something like character skins or whatever(which is a bad example, because that should be free no matter what, but its all i could think of in 5 seconds)

Nathanical @ Sep 30th 2008 8:50AM

Let me put it this way, assuming the subscription fee is around £10 a month, in a year you will have payed the retail value of the game around 4 times over in subscription fees alone (assuming a £30 retail). Thats not including the initial purchase of the game. Your average game will in most cases only sell a maximum of one copy per gamer. On that basis alone i truely believe the subscriber is entitled to FREE expansions and DLC. Id even go as far to say that the game itself should be free if a subscription is required to play, although i am a little more understanding of that. But at very least, the price of the subscription should cover DLC and expansions. Anything less than that is robbery imo.

Gonzo @ Sep 29th 2008 3:57PM

I WAS interested in this game.

Seriously. I got the ps3 because I don't like monthly fees.

Shimmy123 @ Sep 29th 2008 3:57PM

how ridiculous, Sony's thing that kept them amazing was the fact that nobody had to pay anything extra than what they already paid for. I loved the idea of this game until I read this.

deusmecha @ Sep 29th 2008 4:00PM

To be honest, subscription based games do provide a small form of quality control.

Compare free MMORPGs to ones you have to pay for. The free ones have communities that are, well, less than acceptable.

Also, the cash makes sure that the server is kept in tip-top condition and that new content is constant.

So I wouldn't be complete against subscriptions just because you want to save $5 a month that's probably gonna be wasted on some other trivial thing.

Sammy @ Sep 29th 2008 5:51PM

People pay for XBOX Live but I consider that community to be "less than desirable".

kentuckyfried @ Sep 29th 2008 11:37PM

If the price is right, I'll do it. It just means getting by one 1-2 less mochas during the month. ;)

kentuckyfried @ Sep 29th 2008 11:37PM

If the price is right, I'll do it. It just means getting by one 1-2 less mochas during the month. ;)

Sky @ Oct 1st 2008 7:44AM

Wow, if they go through with this i will certainly not get the game...

bambino @ Sep 29th 2008 4:02PM

Epic Phail!

Devil240Z @ Sep 29th 2008 4:06PM

first off, quit complaning and see the world for what it is. 256 players at once? GAMER PLEASE!! how can you expect MMO features without MMO money.

and secondly I am in PSU, and GAP and I didn't get this so called survey so if it exists we have yet to see.

benny boy @ Sep 29th 2008 4:11PM

For everyone saying they are no longer getting MAG or are no longer interested in the game because of this really need to calm down a bit and stop being so indignant.

Just because it was asked about in a survey to PSU members does not mean it's going to be happening. Sony have done surveys asking about payed subscriptions for the PSN before but that is obviously never going to materialise.

Calm down.

No Kills @ Sep 29th 2008 4:21PM

Guys,you gotta understand.
this is 256 players online,and think about how massive the servers will cost for them.
I know, i know. Sony's main sell point is the free online,but how long can they go running on free?
I participated in this survey and it gave you the choice to do either
a.) pay a monthly cost
b.)pay a full year up front
c.)pay for every feature your going to use for reasonable price

but,what caught my eye was,reporter mode.
where you get picked to be the character that records the game and you can upload it or share it with your friends.

first time posting,
Tayler

RasenganFury @ Sep 29th 2008 4:24PM

I wouldn't mind buying DLC like map packs, but i wont do a subscription. If it becomes sub-based, i wont be getting MAG.

JerJerBinks @ Sep 29th 2008 4:26PM

I have no problem with paying a subscription fee as long as its paying for servers, bandwidth, and additional content .... much in the way that WoW and any other MMO works. That seems pretty reasonable to me.

Hopefully what they are going to do with this game is make it like Planetside where the map and the battles are constantly in flux. This might be difficult to pull off on the 256 player scale, but it was one of the thing i enjoyed about that game.

SSG @ Sep 29th 2008 4:28PM

The only thing I will pay a monthly subscription for is sex, and that's it.

Sporia @ Sep 29th 2008 4:37PM

lol...

Shaun @ Sep 29th 2008 4:47PM

^^sad.

Hunts314 @ Sep 29th 2008 6:40PM

you know they say that paying for sex is cheaper than getting it for free

...however when you think about it, you pay either way

HAAS599 @ Sep 29th 2008 4:42PM

I think its to early to form an opinion on whether or not to buy this game, its not official yet and you don't even know the price!

Chris @ Sep 29th 2008 4:56PM

That will keep me playing Warhawk then

mcx @ Sep 29th 2008 5:36PM

How much we talking?? That makes the difference.

iamkid @ Sep 29th 2008 6:18PM

right, right. i think ill decide if i want it when i hear the price, if any. theres a huge difference between something like 5 bucks a year and 10 bucks a month. thats kind of an important thing to know

Byron517 @ Sep 29th 2008 5:11PM

I know everyone here is getting bent out of shape but this is my opinion.. I love the fact that Sony is free and that is huge for the fact it seperates itself from Xbox Live.. However I am aware that 256 player MMO is epic sweet and its plain to see it won't be cheap... Sony needs to understand that players won't be happy in a "fee to play" but if its worth the cost.. then perhaps it'll fly... However at this point its neither here or there and we need to chill-lax for a bit and breath...

Secondly if I'm not mistaken Zipper is handling this game so you know its going to be sweet, they've done all the Socoms *minus Confrontation= Slantsix* So they have some serious head turning to do... Hopefully this calms down the masses a bit...

will @ Sep 29th 2008 5:09PM

the problem with fees is it keeps the user base smaller.

if people have to pay, they will be less inclined to play. even if there are subscribers, there certinaly won't be as many as if it was free. wheras WoW can be played single-player style, MAG can not.

magicfett @ Sep 29th 2008 5:13PM

Slow down did you see the source didn't even provide screen grabs of the supposed email? There is no proof that this is real. I haven't received any such survey either and so far neither have any of you. Interesting? No?

No Kills @ Sep 29th 2008 5:51PM

magic i got the e-mail and i did the survey.
this is real.

Mattchewie @ Sep 29th 2008 5:15PM

This is a hard one.... On side I say no, on another I say yes.

If the sub means that DLC is free, then possibly. However, per DLC is also a bit craptastic.

I would say per DLC as long as their are no bundle specials. The fact that someone that just got warhawk can pay less for all their bundles but the fact that I bought broken mirror way back when ensures that I pay 7.99 per DLC after is a crappy way of saying thank you to your long term customers.

Vannoy @ Sep 29th 2008 5:25PM

I guess someone finally figured out that doing large scale online gaming services isn't cheap.. The quality of XBL is light years above PSN.

I would gladly pay a subscription if it meant I could turn on my PS3 pop in Metal Gear Online, Warhawk, or any of the other online games and be playing within sixty seconds (like with the 360)..

Instead I pop in a game, and spend 15-20 minutes sitting in a MGO lobby, or sorting though hundreds of Warhawk servers, or trying to communicate with a friend what server I'm in, then what room, then whatever else I have to say.

If Sony wants to make any kind of dent on MS and the 360, they are going to have to charge for online services, its the way of the beast..

Eggy @ Sep 29th 2008 5:51PM

Funny how some of you keep justifying that fee you pay every month. The only thing XBL has over PSN is voice comm and it will probably come to PSN as well in time.

I'll wait for official word to come out, I can't really be bothered by some survey asking players, among other things, how they feel about payment methods.

Vannoy @ Sep 29th 2008 5:57PM

Well in my case its not really a matter of trying to justify anything.. Call me dumb, or crazy, or whatever you want but I like it when things just work.

If I want to play a game with my friends online, we tend to pick 360 games over ones on the PS3 due to us being able to get together really quickly and have fun right away. I remember the night that I picked up my PS3, me and a few friends wanted to play MGO and I think it took us about 20-30 minutes to get things going.

After awhile we said to hell with it and jumped on the 360, started playing a game of GoW in a little under 2 minutes.

You tell me what one is better..

devilmaker @ Sep 29th 2008 6:10PM

Thats because MGO is absolutely terrible online. You need a Konami ID for crying out loud. Its stupid, I hated the Premier Beta because of the ID and those bloody annoying, long, pointless updates. MGO is NOT a very good online game to get setup quickly.

Packfan @ Sep 29th 2008 6:18PM

I don't know about you, but I never have a problem getting into a game of Warhawk or any other game in under 2 minutes, and that's the time it takes to turn my system on, boot up the game and click a couple menus.

XBL is almost exactly the same as the PSN, just in a different format. At least the PS3 is quiet and I keep it running constantly and only turn on my 360 when I need to because of the jet engine noise.

The PSN has proved itself and I'm converting fully to PS3. Trophies are way more addicting than Achievement points and the prospect of having a trophy room in Home could be awesome.

kentuckyfried @ Sep 29th 2008 10:12PM

What are you talking about? XBL, PSN...it takes the same amount of time to get into a COD4 game.

MGO is just hampered with the fact that it comes on the same disk as MGS4. Hopefully a standalone is coming, but I'm not keeping up my hopes too high.

Kodros @ Sep 29th 2008 11:31PM

Plus, this article is about paying to play MAG. It has nothing to do with PSN.

Frank Sandoval @ Sep 29th 2008 5:46PM

There goes my sale. There's only room for one subscription game in my life right now, and that's Warhammer.

benzema23 @ Sep 30th 2008 7:17PM

SOMEONE SHOULD CREATE AN ONLINE PETITION AGAINST THIS! SONY SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT WE LIKE PSN BECAUSE ITS FREE!!!

Twinturbo120 @ Sep 29th 2008 5:59PM

I'd pay if the game was that massive and it's on PS3. I mean come on.....256 players? on 1 map? granted it's going to be a huge map but think of it as if you were on the other side. Would you like being payed crappy money for making something freaken huge?