Tue, Apr 13, 2010 | 14:34 BST
Russian StarCraft II players to be charged online fees
Those that live in Russia and want to play StarCraft II’s multiplayer online will be required to pay a monthly fee for the service along with adhering to some connection restrictions.
Because of certain restrictions and the cost of going online, the game will cost less out of the box than it does in Europe. The DVD version will cost 999 ruble (£20/€25) and allows for one year Russia-limited multiplayer access, while the standard game cuts that price in half and comes with 120 days worth of limited access.
Players will not be able to connect to other Europeans.
After the initial time expires, Russian players will be required to pay around €3 a month, according to IncGamers.
Another option on the table, is for players to upgrade the game to play multiplayer into infinity, which allows them to play with Europeans as well.
Currently, there is no announced price for this option, but again, Inc reports that it might run around £25/€30.
Ultimately, this means the game will end up costing Russian players more in the long run if the pricing turns out to be correct.
There’s a Yakov Smirnoff joke in there somewhere, but we’re not too good at those.
Blizzard confirmed that Poland will not be charged extra fees.
A date for StarCraft II is expected “soon” and will run you $99.99/€89.99 for the Collector’s Edition and $60/€59.99 for the standard.
Newbies to the series have been counseled by Blizzard to play it for up to 60-hours before trying out 1v1 mode.
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Posted in: Activision Blizzard, Development, Hot, PC, Russia, Strategy
Tags: in soviet russia game plays you, starcraft, starcraft II, starcraft II fees
13 comments
#1
Syrok
13/04/10, 2:36 pm
Why would they charge for it in one country but not in others?
#2
mojo
13/04/10, 2:40 pm
koticks dick-sucking was semi-successful.
#3
S0meRand0mN00b
13/04/10, 2:44 pm
how about a fuck you! blizzard for this discrimination
#4
Erthazus
13/04/10, 3:03 pm
It’s not a discrimination. They are doing this because there is a problem with sites like Playground that enable to play for FREE somehow.
There will be a standard edition too, it’s just Activision is trying to sell this game cheaper as they can, so Russian gamers could not use playground site or whatever to play for free.
There will be a standard edition and simple edition for people who play singleplayer only and will forget about the game after few months or… 5 bucks.
#5
dr
13/04/10, 3:06 pm
you have some faults there
first, there will be 2 different versions on sale here in Russia: one for 500 RUR (12,5 EUR) and another one for 1000 RUR
the one for 500 RUR will allow it’s owner to play on the Russian Battle.net servers for 120 days
the one for 1000 RUR will allow the same for a year
once this time is up you may pay up for another 1 or 4 months of online play
plus you’ll have to pay extra if you want to play on European Battle.net servers
the costs of the latter two options (subscription options and European servers access) are unknown at the moment
#6
subversus
13/04/10, 3:11 pm
yes, people above are right, see @5 post for news update.
#7
endgame
13/04/10, 3:50 pm
ownd u f**king idiots. that’s what u get when u scream “I have a sh1t load of money and I want to give it to u!”.
#8
And_Boy
13/04/10, 4:30 pm
Been in Russia several times. You just can’t imagine how MANY STARCRAFT FANS THERE ARE!
#9
Gekidami
13/04/10, 4:43 pm
I’d have thought that in Soviet Russia, the players charge Blizzard a monthly fee. But i guess not.
#10
Stephany Nunneley
13/04/10, 5:11 pm
@5 Blizzard was emailed for comment and clarification earlier this morning and we’ve yet to hear back.
Therefore, as it stands, the only source we have is IncGamers and the information they provided, and since they are the original source — if the figures are wrong, it’s on them. Hopefully, Blizzard will provide the correct figures soon.
#11
dr
13/04/10, 7:33 pm
@11 You may put Russian press release from 1C in an online translator if you want: http://www.games.1c.ru/starcraft2_wl/?type=news
#12
[TD]
13/04/10, 8:16 pm
Actually, it’s not just about online play, either.
>>В стоимость первого комплекта (999 руб.) войдет год игры в одиночном и сетевом режиме на русскоязычных серверах модернизированной службы Battle.net
“Cost of the first edition (999RUR) includes a year of play in single and online modes on russian servers of upgraded battle.net”
(afterwards, it states that the same services are applicable for the other, 499 RUR edition)
Basically, it says that we will ONLY be able to play the game for 120 days if we buy the cheap one, and afterwards, we’ll have to pay more to enjoy the singleplayer mode as well.
And yes, it’s the official press release.
#13
OlderGamer
13/04/10, 8:19 pm
Maybe tweeking this type of thing is a model that should be looked at. MP games of course, but give the game away for free, but sell time cards/subscriptions that are verified and needed to play.