Monetization in gaming is, at times, seemingly out of control. From feeling nickel and dimed at every turn in some free-to-play titles to companies charging for head-start access and beta testing, it feels like there is no limit to the ways a major game company will try to get us to crack open our wallets.
EVE Online is itself a free-to-play game that has multiple ways to crack open those wallets to support the development. From buying PLEX to either pay your monthly sub of Omega time to buying skins and even, at times, bundles with in-game items, EVE’s monetization isn’t one of the more egregious models out there. Yet its current plan to monetize its upcoming FPS module, EVE Vanguard, is a refreshing take on the part of the industry that feels somewhat out of control.
EVE Vanguard was officially revealed last week during EVE Online’s semi-annual fan convention in Iceland, EVE Fanfest. The FPS module takes place in the EVE universe and, from day one, will directly impact the world of EVE Online through the player's actions on the ground.
Yet to gain entry into the world of EVE Vanguard is surprisingly simple: be an EVE Online Omega account, and you’re good. It ties into the overall “one game, one team” approach CCP Games is taking with Vanguard. This isn’t a separate title like you might traditionally think - it’s simply an expansion of the EVE Online universe. It’s, ultimately, at its core, part of the whole. This means that EVE Vanguard is not free-to-play, but rather packaged as a value-add on top of the regular Omega account perks.
As a result, the way it’s initially being monetized is the same: Omega subscriptions. Because of this, the dev team doesn’t have to worry about monetization strategies getting in the way of the gameplay - or adjusting the development of Vanguard to adhere to an ever-evolving monetization goal. They can focus in on creating the best FPS experience possible without that sword of Damocles hanging over the development.
“When we fold in [that] you just get access to this game with Omega, then it’s automatically monetized,” EVE Online Game Director Snorri “CCP Rattati” Anarsson told me in an interview during EVE Fanfest 2023. “Now we don’t have to solve loads of things on Vanguard like, ‘What is the monetization? What’s the progression, like all that stuff. It’s taken care of and we all benefit. We just have more players playing EVE.”
Develop Vanguard first, monetize later
I oftentimes wonder just how much the development of a game revolves around the monetization strategy. How does the gameplay evolve in development to enable certain monetization models, whether it’s selling in-game items, selling character boosts, a season pass, and more. With the model Vanguard is proposing, simply using EVE Online’s existing subscription for access frees up the dev team to focus less on monetization and more on creating the most compelling game possible.
EVE Online’s creative director Bergur “CCP Burger” Finnbogason called it a “relief” when the team realized the monetization model could be baked into EVE Online’s existing subscription.
While the initial monetization is coming from EVE Online Omega subs, that’s not going to be the end goal for Vanguard. Of course, there will need to be more monetization on top of the sub to keep the development afloat long-term. But by having this baked-in system from day one it frees the studio to focus on building the best game now and worry about more monetization strategies down the road. It means it can build a compelling progression and gameplay loop that is fun and satisfying to play without needing to shoehorn in a battle pass or seasonal pass as part of the development. It means progression won’t be locked by monetization; rather, players will be able to play how they want and define their role within Vanguard based on their actions, not based on what they can buy.
“Let’s not start with monetization,” Burger told me at EVE Fanfest. “Let’s start with a good progression system. Let’s start with a healthy, battle-tested core gameplay loop. And then [we look at] convenience or whatever fits best. That is the thing, of course, it needs to be monetized at the end. Absolutely. But this revenue relieves us from that pressure until the time’s right.”
While what the final monetization strategy looks like in the end remains to be seen, such as whether the company will keep it as a value add for an Omega subscription or if we’ll start to see the same kind of model that EVE Online uses, it is refreshing to not have to worry about the nickel and dime approach nowadays. When EVE Vanguard’s upcoming test drops in December, there won’t be any friction to join up other than making sure your Capsuleer is an Omega clone. And with the dev team doing promotions giving out Omega time to players, there is a chance you won’t even need to sign up initially to test things out.
Either way, it’s refreshing to hear a studio not focus solely on how a game is monetized, especially in today’s AAA gaming climate. Instead, we can focus on what the game is going to be. EVE Vanguard is an ambitious successor to the legacy of Dust 514, and that should be the focus of the conversation today. Just like the developers, we players don’t need to worry about monetization.
At least not yet.
