APB not using traditional MMO Fee Pricing

APB not a using typical subscription fee

"Basically, you have to buy the client. It's a traditional game that you buy...We're not going the normal ‘you have to subscribe to play the game every month' route. What we haven't said is which route we are going, and in some respects we're still looking."


APB (All Points Bulletin) is being developed by Realtime Worlds the maker of the original Crackdown. After Crackdown they moved on to develop APB while Ruffian Studios took over the development of Crackdown 2.

I really hope they adapt the same system used by AION: Tower of Eternity in China. They use a playtime subscription system which you pay a fee equal to a certain amount of hours.

5 dollars- 62.5 hours
9 dollars- 104 hours
16 dollars-208 hours
32 dollars-416.5 hours

I personally love this system just because of how I play MMOs. I could totally pay the 9 bucks for the 104 hours and probably take 2 or 3 months to get through it all especially with school inbetween. Also since there is no limit when you buy these hours you have them for as long as the game works. So if I take 3 months off from the game I still have my time when I comeback. Instead of wasting 45 dollars worth of monthly subscription fees. A problem most WoW players have felt at one point or another. There's no guilt in wasted time here. You pay for exactly what you play and put into the game. I'm not sure APB is doing this but if they did I'd be SOOOO happy. I also hope Star Wars: Old Republic works like this but I doubt that and guess that will be the traditional 14.99 a month fee.