StarCraft II fans in Russia will pay for the game differently than the rest of Europe.
Blizzard previously told us they would adapt the monetising of StarCraft II to each region and Russians have obviously been deemed more accepting to monthly fees than other parts of Europe.
In Russia, the game will be sold at a much lower price than elsewhere, but will come with restrictions. Players will not be able to connect to other Europeans, and they will only be able to use the multiplayer mode for a limited number of days. The DVD version will cost 999 ruble (£20 GBP or €25 EUR) and allow one year Russia-limited multiplayer access, and a jewel-case version will cost half that and allow limited multiplayer access for 120 days.
When the initial term has run out, a monthly fee will have to be paid to continue to play online. Blizzard has not confirmed exact price range, but StarCraft: IncGamers reports it would be around €3 EUR per month.
From purchase, players will be able to upgrade their game for an unconfirmed amount (possibly £25 GBP, €30 EUR) in order to play multiplayer forever and also play with other Europeans.
In essence, it’s allowing Russians to buy half the game at a time. If the above prices should turn out to be right, however, the total price for the Russian game would be higher than the standard European version.
Blizzard has only specifically confirmed this will not happen in Poland, where information first arose. However, it’s unlikely to affect many other European countries than Russia but it clearly shows Battle.net is already well adapted to handle monthly fees, if the need for them should arrive at a later date.
For reference, StarCraft II will be sold in the US for $59.99 USD (£38.90 GBP, €44.16 EUR), and a Collector’s Edition will also be available.
More details will likely soon be made available. Check StarCraft: IncGamers for all your latest StarCraft news.
Published: Apr 13, 2010 10:29 am