Shroud of the Avatar adds $18 and $27 monthly subs to offset the costs of development
By
Chris Neal
-
September 3, 2024 1:00 PM
17
Catnip Games has admitted that the free-to-play
Shroud of the Avatar isn’t exactly making the studio a lot of money. That’s one of the primary takeaways from
the MMORPG’s latest update post, which opens with word of some new subscription tiers that were added in last week’s update that cost more in order to address the cost of developing the game.
“The current subscription model is not enough to keep up with increasing costs due to inflation and our small player base,” the announcement confirms. “To help us increase income to allow for continued development and to resume marketing, we have added two additional tiers to the subscription model.” The studio further confirms that subscriptions are the primary source of revenue, since sales of cosmetics from the game’s store have not been enough to pay the devs, handle operating costs, and fund further development.
There are now two additional subscription tiers that cost $18 a month and $27 a month on top of the per-existing $9 a month price (all before taxes). The two extra sub tiers grant more monthly cash shop currency stipends and increased numbers of monthly
stat-boosting potions, while all three tiers provide the usual benefits like titles, monthly rewards, and dye packs.
The Release 129 update otherwise features the fourth anniversary of the Bug Brigade and another round of polish and adjustment to several features and functions of the MMO, just know that it now also grants
the option to spend more on a sub if one is so inclined.
source:
official site
Longtime MOP readers will know that
Shroud of the Avatar is a controversial game in the MMO space. Kickstarted in 2013, the project has been criticized for cutting promised features,
crowdfunding excessively,
delaying Kickstarter rewards,
obfuscating its corporate leadership and
office status, and neglecting
SEC filings legally required by the game’s equity crowdfunding. In 2019, Richard Garriott company Portalarium
sold SOTA to its lead dev and all but exited the game. Press inquires were met with
stonewalling and insults, and equity crowdfund investors were
abandoned without notice or
any semblance of
accountability; moreover, the execs began touting a (
failed?)
blockchain MMO and a
battle royale.
SOTA itself
does still have a tiny playerbase and is technically still receiving minimal development.
