If you’re hungering to get your Zerg rush on and you live in Central or South America, you’ll have the option to go with the cheap-at-first subscription model for StarCraft II.
Last month, we learned that Blizzard was considering an optional subscription-based pricing model for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, but only in Russia. As it turns out, it won’t be only in Russia – the Latin American versions of the game will have the option to operate under this model as well.
According to GI.biz, the Spanish-localized version of StarCraft II in Mexico will cost 299 pesos ($23), the Argentinian version will run for 119 pesos ($31), and the Chilean version will be priced at 13,900 pesos ($26).
The lower-priced Latin American versions will come with six months worth of play (Battle.net and single-player); to play beyond that you’ll need to pay every 30 or every 60 days – specific pricing hasn’t been announced yet. Presumably, you’ll be able to upgrade to the unlimited game at any point (as with the Russian version), and if you don’t feel like doing that can just buy the full-priced game right off the bat and skip all of the hassle.
“One of our design goals for StarCraft II was to make it accessible to a wide range of players, from beginners to veterans,” said Blizzard boss and founder Mike Morhaime. “The same is true with regard to our pricing options – we want to make sure players have the flexibility to experience the game according to their own preferences and play style.”
If you turned your nose up at the word “subscription,” then hold on a second – this isn’t a bad thing at all. I’ve gone on the record as being quite in favor of this before, and my opinion hasn’t changed: Giving players different pricing models that they can choose from is a very good thing.
If you think you’ll be playing SC2 for years to come, get the full-priced version right off the bat and never hear a word about “subscription” ever again. If you’re looking forward to it but not sure it’ll capture your attention for more than six months, pick up the cheap version and enjoy a great game for half the cost – if you turn out to like it, pay the difference and upgrade.
Giving players options is a very, very good thing, whether for their play style or for their wallet.
(GI.biz)
