NCsoft has unveiled the new NCcoin system that will allow players to purchase in-game items with real world money. This new program will make its debut with the mech fighting game Exteel.

Austin, Texas, April 16, 2008 – NCsoft® Corporation, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, unveiled today the details of a new micro-transaction system called NCcoin™. This system will allow customers to use real-world money to purchase in-game items and upgrades.

NCcoin, debuting in the action-packed game Exteel™, was designed so that each dollar spent (US$1) equates to 100 NCcoin, which can be used to acquire in-game items and for upgrade purchases. NCcoin is part of NCsoft’s continuing efforts to offer a variety of business models while giving customers easier access to NCsoft games.

“NCsoft’s goal is to bring more and more people into the online gaming market, and part of achieving that goal is to continue to diversify how customers can pay and play,” said Chris Chung, NCsoft North America’s president. “This system will offer our customers much greater flexibility and convenience in paying for content. Micro-transactions are a growing part of the online gaming industry and NCcoin will allow us to support micro-transaction based games efficiently, allowing developers and players to quickly enjoy the benefits of those systems. We will soon be rolling out more contents that leverage the flexibility of NCcoin.”

In addition to Exteel, NCcoin is expected to be incorporated globally into many of NCsoft’s existing and upcoming games.

NCoin is currently available in 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 denominations for $1, $5, $10 and $20 amounts, respectively. For more information about NCcoin go to: http://www.plaync.com/us/nccoin/.

Quotes from Chris Chung, President of NCsoft-North America, regarding NCcoin:

ON IMPLEMENTATION

“With the release of Exteel and NCcoin micro-transaction system, we at NCsoft North America are taking this opportunity to really focus on improving our game infrastructure, service and overall customer experience.”

“NCsoft has grown its game catalogue to the point where we are now not just offering individual products, but a service. NCcoin will serve as an important part of making NCsoft’s service easier to use by our customers and more efficient for NCsoft to add new content.”

ON WHICH GAMES FIT NCCOIN

“NCcoin will not be retrofitted in games that have business models that do not work with a micro-transaction system. We will, however, work to have NCcoin incorporated in as many of our games as possible, and what role NCcoin will play with our future console offerings have yet to be determined. NCcoin does fit perfect for some of the free-to-play and download games we are developing, and gives players choice on how they want to play these games.”

ON SAFE USAGE

“We have built redundant systems to help make NCcoin as safe and secure to use as possible. We are fully aware that any time a new system is put in place that there will be those who will try to cause problems. The good news is that we have been using NCcoin in Exteel and it has proven to be quite secure.”

ON REVENUE

“We don’t really know how much NCcoin will generate, but we do know that this sort of system has been successfully proven overseas. We also know that NCcoin has been well received by players in Exteel and is generating revenue for the game that has put it on firm footing. NCcoin will be a valuable source of development funds for our free games, and will help support the creation of new content.”

ON NCSOFT BUSINESS MODELS

“NCcoin is just one of many elements that make up the variety of business models NCsoft has to offer. We have grown to the point where if you are a MMOG player and you like the traditional subscription-based game, we have those. If you are an MMOG player seeking a free to play and download game with microtransactions, we have that. If you just want to pay for software and have lifetime play, we have that too. The bottom line for NCsoft is that we want to be able to offer a variety of business models to meet the needs of the different customers out there. NCcoin is another way to make it easier for customers to access the kind of game they want to play.”

Read more here.

Absolutely disgusting,

-Jive

I will never play a MMOG that approves of RMT.

Sigh.   

LOL

If you can't beat the farmers...join them.  Nothing like being able to print your own money though.

I am so very disappointed

NCsoft has and always will suck.

The only good thing they have ever done is Guild Wars.

And if they touch GW1 or 2.....that would rly rly rly rly be sad that I would have to stop playing one of my hands down fav. mmo's of all time

Excellent! This makes it a lot easier to know which games to never play: look for the games which use NCcoin!

Exteel is a great game to play for 15 minutes at the end of the work day.  You can play for free, but NCcoins get you some extras.  These extras aren't really necessary, but I decided that buying $10 worth of NCcoins was a good way to contribute toward the game's development.  That was a couple of months ago and I still haven't spent them all.

Ohneos...not such a good idea.

Given a choice between $15/mo and *optional* micro-payments for the same game, I'd prefer the micro-payments, especially if I didn't play the game all the time.

Oh whine, whine, WHINE!   The did the intelligent thing.  After all the bot farmers were scooping up money and selling on the black market; they took a page out of the criminal's book. 

It may really chap your butts that they're doing this.  But now players who like the game, and are not necessarily K-RAD KEWL ELITISTS!, and are willing to drop some of their hard earned real coin on a game they love, can now do so!  Without fear of some kind of retaliation by NCSoft!  Some of us like to play at our own pace, and if this helps us do so, I'm all for it!

Yes, this will allow the rich kids who have Daddy's/Mommy's money at their command to one up everyone else (at least in terms of raw spending power) but who cares!  In a real test of skill the poorer players are gonna stall where they are with their superbly equiped but poorly led heros! 

I would also like to mention that people trade up all the time.  I knew one player who got a killer build for destroyer cores in EoTN and he would sell the cores to players who had a lot of cash out of EoTN, but didn't want to work for the build that allowed him to get the cores (and all this to get a bloody bandana!).  How, ethically, is this different from being able to buy coin that would allow you to rune out your troops and get them good weapons?  None, nada, zip, zilch!

Plus, dammit, if it's a game I play.  I WANT to have the option to drop real money on it, if I see fit to do so.  Also I'm well aware that this probably won't be instituted for GW; but it may be for GW2.  And if it is, you've just got another sale, NCSoft! 

Again, I also want to point out that if I buy weapons that are far above my level in GW2, I won't be able to use them until I (presumably) level grinded my way up to do so.  So it won't really be an advantage until I've gotten to the point where I would have gotten (presumably) a drop that amounted to pretty much the same thing! (Either that or saved up enough plat to buy the weapon from another player which still amounts to the same thing!)

I see that I've gone into diatribe mode.  Sorry 'bout that.  Whining brings that out in me.

Nacon4

GW-Finished Prophecies, Finished Factions

Originally posted by elondor

mmo's will realize that the mmo population will die down when they start doing this.  i for one will never play a game that charges me real [MOD EDIT] money for [MOD EDIT] items.  how [MOD EDIT] ignorant.

The exact opposite has proven to be true which is why more and more companies are adopting this model.

I can agree with the principals of micropayments, ONLY if the game itself is free to play...

If NCSoft attempt to charge us a monthly fee AND micropayments for games such as CoH/CoV then I shall cancel my account immediately...

Originally posted by Player_420

NCsoft has and always will suck.

The only good thing they have ever done is Guild Wars.

And if they touch GW1 or 2.....that would rly rly rly rly be sad that I would have to stop playing one of my hands down fav. mmo's of all time

NCSoft didn't make Guild Wars... ArenaNet did, NCSoft is just the publisher and takes care of the billing and that sort of thing.

....c'mon NCsoft, there are better ways to pay for rocketfuel

Originally posted by Ralsar

 

Originally posted by elondor

mmo's will realize that the mmo population will die down when they start doing this.  i for one will never play a game that charges me real fucking money for god damn items.  how fucking ignorant.

 

The exact opposite has proven to be true which is why more and more companies are adopting this model.

The entire payment model is different in Asia.  The way people play is different.  The reasons people play are different.

This is a bad idea for a game that wants to be successful in North America.

I know I certainly won't play a game with micro-transactions.  Ever.

By doing this, they are only driving more and more people to WoW.

Originally posted by Nacon4

Oh whine, whine, WHINE!   The did the intelligent thing.  After all the bot farmers were scooping up money and selling on the black market; they took a page out of the criminal's book. 

It may really chap your butts that they're doing this.  But now players who like the game, and are not necessarily K-RAD KEWL ELITISTS!, and are willing to drop some of their hard earned real coin on a game they love, can now do so!  Without fear of some kind of retaliation by NCSoft!  Some of us like to play at our own pace, and if this helps us do so, I'm all for it!

Yes, this will allow the rich kids who have Daddy's/Mommy's money at their command to one up everyone else (at least in terms of raw spending power) but who cares!  In a real test of skill the poorer players are gonna stall where they are with their superbly equiped but poorly led heros! 

I would also like to mention that people trade up all the time.  I knew one player who got a killer build for destroyer cores in EoTN and he would sell the cores to players who had a lot of cash out of EoTN, but didn't want to work for the build that allowed him to get the cores (and all this to get a bloody bandana!).  How, ethically, is this different from being able to buy coin that would allow you to rune out your troops and get them good weapons?  None, nada, zip, zilch!

Plus, dammit, if it's a game I play.  I WANT to have the option to drop real money on it, if I see fit to do so.  Also I'm well aware that this probably won't be instituted for GW; but it may be for GW2.  And if it is, you've just got another sale, NCSoft! 

Again, I also want to point out that if I buy weapons that are far above my level in GW2, I won't be able to use them until I (presumably) level grinded my way up to do so.  So it won't really be an advantage until I've gotten to the point where I would have gotten (presumably) a drop that amounted to pretty much the same thing! (Either that or saved up enough plat to buy the weapon from another player which still amounts to the same thing!)

I see that I've gone into diatribe mode.  Sorry 'bout that.  Whining brings that out in me.

Nacon4

GW-Finished Prophecies, Finished Factions

omg seriously your FREAKING ME OUT

If they implemented this is GW2 the game will be ruined PERIOD

IT RUINS THE POINT OF WORKING FOR SOMETHING

NCsoft just turned into a pathetic company, they really hurt themselves on this one.

Im rly hoping arenanet changes publishers ASAP

Please people encourage them to find a new publisher, otherwise our beloved GW2 might be ruined

Originally posted by Raunu

 

Originally posted by Player_420

NCsoft has and always will suck.

The only good thing they have ever done is Guild Wars.

And if they touch GW1 or 2.....that would rly rly rly rly be sad that I would have to stop playing one of my hands down fav. mmo's of all time

 

NCSoft didn't make Guild Wars... ArenaNet did, NCSoft is just the publisher and takes care of the billing and that sort of thing.

That is true Raunu, I guess im just freaking out :(

Originally posted by Ralsar

 

Originally posted by elondor

mmo's will realize that the mmo population will die down when they start doing this.  i for one will never play a game that charges me real fucking money for god damn items.  how fucking ignorant.

 

The exact opposite has proven to be true which is why more and more companies are adopting this model.

So you may ask why would an MMO company want to go this route? Because a few companies who have tried it, and the biggest Western name SOE, have proved that although there is a small market for it, the players who do play and pay for items, actually pay more money than a $15 per month subscription fee. Just Google the John Smedly interview on the Station Exchange and you'll see what I'm talking about.