Minecraft introduces a paid subsciption service

• Hanna wrote on 2013-03-14 18:19
  www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/03/13/minecraft-to-introduce-subscriptions-yknow-for-kids/
  
  

  I think I’m right in saying that we all often worry about how Minecraft could possibly make any money. The poor folks at Mojang must be starving, freezing and wearing each other’s skin as thermal underwear by now. How many more developers must die before Notch comes up with a business model for his absurd, costly vanity project?
  
  But what’s this? Now there is a new way for Minecraft to earn a buck or two. Mojang are planning to introduce Minecraft Realms, a paid monthly subscription service which allows the easy creation of private, controlled servers. The main aim of this is apparently to help parents keep their kids safe when playing Minecraft together online. And for said parents to pay $10-15 a month, of course.
  
  They’re not making any bones about the latter, with Mojang biz-boss Carl Manneh telling GamesIndustry that he reckons Realms will be “Since we have about 10 million paying PC gamers and, soon, as many mobile gamers, there’s definitely potential. And yes, if we look ahead, I do think [Realms will] the biggest source of income in the future, and bring in more money in total than the game itself”. He’s probably not wrong, presuming of course that parents – if that is indeed the main audience – have a clear understanding of what Realms is and how it works. Infamously, a great many parents don’t seem to have a blind clue what their kids are and aren’t doing online and in games, after all.
  
  The idea is also that “Minecraft would become a huge MMO, a really vast universe consisting of very many small worlds. That’s kind of a dream we’ve had for a while.” Realms aren’t planned to big massively multiplayer individually, instead containing just a handful of friends, or perhaps private worlds rented by schools.
  
  Of course this does exist, in a fashion, already, as third-party Minecraft servers already abound. The idea is here is a) making it easier and b) making it profitable. The monthly fee isn’t fixed as yet, with that $10-15 being an estimate, but Realms is in Alpha already, with a beta being targeted for May.
  
  It’s a bit scary, but it’s also fascinating. If any game can resurrect the ailing subscription model, it’s probably Minecraft. Much as I do currently have my doubts about whether this is wisest step for the game, the little building game that could is a big-business trendsetter these days. If this works, publishers will be looking at Mojang with even more open jealousy than they already do.

• Excalibur wrote on 2013-03-14 18:21
  Oh, I got a bit scared by the title, which reminds me, WHERE'S MY FREE DLCs?
• Mentosftw wrote on 2013-03-14 18:22
  I was wondering how they even made money to begin with considering how everyone who paid for the alpha got everything in the beta and subsequent updates for free.
• RicochetOrange wrote on 2013-03-14 18:25
  Just hope they don't go overboard with the paid subscription thing.
• Osayidan wrote on 2013-03-19 13:16
  Doesn't sound much like a paid subscription so much as an additional service that many people are already paying for elsewhere.
  But the issue remains: no server-side mods, fuck off.
• Ninjam wrote on 2013-03-19 18:27

  Quote from Osayidan;1051509:

  Doesn't sound much like a paid subscription so much as an additional service that many people are already paying for elsewhere.
  But the issue remains: no server-side mods, fuck off.

  
  
  It's still in alpha, give it time. Mojang seems somewhat receptive to their playerbase's wants, so it's entirely possible that server sided mods will be in at a later point.
  
  It does seem like a good idea, hopefully it develops into something interesting.
• Shanghai wrote on 2013-03-19 19:04

  Quote from Osayidan;1051509:

  Doesn't sound much like a paid subscription so much as an additional service that many people are already paying for elsewhere.
  But the issue remains: no server-side mods, fuck off.

  
  
  I don't think a lot of kids who have their parents eventually pay for this would know anything about modding Minecraft though. Since that's technically the consumers they're shooting towards, server-side mods doesn't sound like much of a possibility.
• Kingofrunes wrote on 2013-03-19 19:11

  Quote from Shanghai;1051639:

  I don't think a lot of kids who have their parents eventually pay for this would know anything about modding Minecraft though. Since that's technically the consumers they're shooting towards, server-side mods doesn't sound like much of a possibility.

  
  
  They should really consider expanding their target audience. The audience they are shooting for I wouldn't think to be a very good audience to go for. It's their company though.
• Selithia wrote on 2013-03-20 02:02
  I do find it hilarious how on-edge everyone seems to be about Mojang offering what is effectively official server rental. :B
  
  ...Well, and access, sure, but there's already infinite other servers out there.
• Kingofrunes wrote on 2013-03-20 17:24

  Quote from Selithia;1051829:

  I do find it hilarious how on-edge everyone seems to be about Mojang offering what is effectively official server rental. :B
  
  ...Well, and access, sure, but there's already infinite other servers out there.

  
  
  I'm more interested in the pricing of it. Frankly, if they can't offer forge mod hosting services and do it at a cheaper price compared to other existing hosting services, then I'm not interested.
• Shanghai wrote on 2013-03-21 00:24

  Quote from Kingofrunes;1051642:

  They should really consider expanding their target audience. The audience they are shooting for I wouldn't think to be a very good audience to go for. It's their company though.

  
  
  You should come to my local library and see all the elementary kids hog the computers just to play Minecraft(along with Yu-Gi-Oh). It's pretty funny, but also annoying since I'm the computer aid that has to make them hush up for being too giggly.