MMORPG EVE Online Raises Subscription Prices After 18 Years – Exceeds WoW and FF 14 Pain Threshold

Since its release in June 2003, the SF-MMORPG EVE Online has been a kind of substitute life for many of its regular players. From May 17, 2022, however, a price increase is due: the cost of the in-game currency “PLEX” and the subscription “OMEGA” will increase by about 10-20%. Fans reject that. The traditional pain threshold for $15 a month in an MMORPG is thus exceeded.

How are prices changing? EVE Online increases prices for the “Premium” status Omega by up to 25%:

• $14.95 going up to $19.99 (1 month)
• $38.85 will soon cost $47.98 (3 months)
• Instead of €71.71 you pay $86.95 from May (6 months)
• Instead of 131.40, the full year of EVE will soon cost $149.90 (12 months)

But there is a “new” 2-year subscription for $270.00: If you get it, you pay a little more than the “old price” for the one-year subscription.

With the purchase currency “PLEX”, players will now receive less Plex for the same price as all the time:

• Instead of 110 Plex in the $5 bundle, there are only 100 in it.
• Instead of buying 15,400 Plex for $500 (3.2 cents per Plex), you can now buy 20,000 Plex for $650 (3.2 cents per Plex). So players make a higher “commitment” here, buy even larger packs.

How’s that for Europeans? The conversion formula for euros is 1:1. From a European point of view, this is an unfriendly type of conversion. Because one euro is actually worth 1.07 dollars. But the Icelanders from CCP do not take the 7 cents into account.

So the European players pay more on average.

After 18 years, a price increase is needed to further develop EVE

This is how CCP justifies the price increase: The developers say that in order to keep the development and growth of EVE going, you need a price adjustment. It is the first since 2004.

The idea is that players can save a lot of money by buying large amounts of PLEX or Omega time.

Prizes count from May 17th.

What’s the reaction? The reaction is mostly negative:

• Players think the price increase from $15 to $20 is “too steep” – one suggests increasing the price gradually
• Another user says: A subscription for $20 – what other MMORPG has that? The $15 is the “standard for the industry”
• Above all, it is criticized that the price collection comes in a phase in which it is not clear how exactly EVE Online will be further developed. It is said that they are investing in the further development of EVE – but you don’t see that right now
• A player advises: It would have been better to really hype the players with a new announcement for the game festival and only then exceed the pain threshold with the subscription price
• A user says that instead of “EVE Online” he will play “LEAVE Online” in the future, so he will stop playing – others are also threatening to let their booked tickets for the fan festival go back

The EVE Player Advisory Board says it has spoken out against raising prices. But CCP did not allow himself to be talked about.

A member of the Council says: A price increase without additional content is very difficult to justify. He requested at least one discount for players with multiple accounts:

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MMORPG standard of $15 per month is broken for the first time

What is the price cap? Since the dawn of time, the limit of $14.99 for a month’s subscription in paid MMORPG has been:

• That’s the price both World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV are asking for 30 days.
• Also, games like The Elder Scrolls Online charge $15 a month for the premium membership.

EVE Online is now the first of the major Western MMORPGs to cross that line. RuneScape is also increasing subscription prices this year, but will remain below $15 for both games combined.

After 18 years, this seems to be a small step for EVE, which is probably also necessary because of the raging inflation. Nevertheless, this is an unusual process for MMORPGs, which causes excitement.

He here will probably be able to afford the 5 € a month:

Nasty space tyrant survives $3 million World War in EVE Online, vows revenge