I have never, ever, ever heard a suggestion that we would start having a monthly fee. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Period.
As to Taiwan, I was told that recently, the full product was made available again in Taiwan. I don't know this personally, but I saw an email pass by that mentioned more product was on shelves there now. I think it was the "1280 box" and that's the full version, yes?
We want to give players choices. There isn't even a monthly fee option here in the US because the request for such a thing is very small, so players simply purchase the game. But in Asia, we wanted to allow people to buy or to pay as they played because both are popular there. It was mentioned that for many spots in Asia, the cyber cafe is popular, and that is why an hourly fee is a good choice to offer. But yes, it's a choice, and unless the full-purchase package was a limited release -- like the Collector's Edition -- then that package may become more widely available again. And yes, SAQ, I understand that purchasing the game is less expensive. What I came to understand is that cyber cafes are a business that needs to be supported, too, and therefore the player could choose to buy or pay-to-play. I never had the impression that there was a plan to limit one or the other but to continue to have options for both. I will ask and see if I can learn more about this.
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Gaile Gray
Support Liaison
ArenaNet
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