WildStar’s Purchase and Subscription Methods Laid Out

NCSoft and Carbine Studios have revealed the various ways that players for the upcoming sci-fi MMO Wildstar can pay to play.

When you purchase the game, either via retail or digital download, you get to play it for free for 30 days. You’ll also have three guest passes which can be gifted to friends, each promising a week of playtime. After the 30 days is over, you can either opt for a Game Time card, go for a monthly subscription or use in-game gold to purchase C.R.E.D.D. (Certificate of Research, Exploration, Destruction and Development), which can then be redeemed for game time.

C.R.E.D.D. is purchased from other players and can also be purchased using real money. You can also sell C.R.E.D.D. for in-game gold if you’d like through the Commodities Exchange.

Upon purchasing WildStar through a retail outlet or digital download, players will receive 30 days free game time, plus three guest passes to give to friends for a week of galactic adventure. Players can then either opt to pay a standard monthly subscription, purchase a Game Time card, or use gold earned in-game to purchase C.R.E.D.D. from other players and avoid paying a subscription fee altogether.

Executive producer at Carbine Studios Jeremy Gaffney states that, “Gamers have strong opinions when it comes to business models and monetisation in MMO games. In combining a classic subscription model with C.R.E.D.D. we think we’ve struck a good balance. We definitely want to support players who appreciate the value of high-quality subscription-style game. Meanwhile, C.R.E.D.D. gives gamers who don’t like monthly subs the option to just play to pay and enjoy the same content.”

Feel spoiled for choice yet? WildStar will be playable at Gamescom 2013 and sees release in Spring 2014 for PC.