Valve’s popular digital distribution and digital rights management platform Steam has been growing in size for awhile, and now the company has announced it is offering subscription-based titles on its platform, starting with Aventurine’s fantasy MMO Darkfall Unholy Wars.
“With Subscription Plans, Steam offers gamers the ability to sign up and manage payments for subscription-based games on Steam. The launch title for the new service is Darkfall Unholy Wars, with additional subscription-based games to follow,” the company writes. “Steam customers may now sign-up for, manage, cancel or renew game Subscription Plans at any time, online directly through Steam.”
The game – Darkfall Unholy Wars – can be purchased for $40 with a monthly $15 subscription fee. Importantly, the subscription can also be canceled or changed at a moment’s notice, although the subscription can’t be frozen.
As to the question of whether or not reactivating a subscription will give the user access to his old game history, the company says that it will depend on the game.
“In some cases, your game data will automatically be re-linked to your Steam account. If this has not happened, you will need to contact the publisher of the game and have them re-initiate your previous game account and link it to your Steam account,” Valve states.
Darkfall Unholy War, itself, is said to be an inspiring, real-time Sandbox MMORPG. Players will need to form clans and battle for control “across the seamless, zoneless, uninstanced open fantasy world of Agon. Recruit and train new warriors, conquer fortresses and clan cities, engage in epic land and naval battles with thousands of concurrent players to build and defend powerful empires.”
It is important to note that even before Steam started offering dedicated subscription-based gaming, a number of titles (like DC Universe Online) were hosted on Steam as subscription-based titles before the company decided to make them free to play.
