Champions offers $200 lifetime subs

By Oli Welsh Published 4 August, 2009

Pre-order only, Star Trek beta access too.

Cryptic is offering lifetime and six-month subscription deals to people with pre-order codes for its imminent superhero MMO, Champions Online.

Not counting the cost of the game itself, lifetime subs cost $199.99, and six months of gameplay costs $59.99. The cost in euros or sterling isn't confirmed, but at current exchange rates would be around £120 / €140 for the lifetime susbcription and £35 / €40 for six months.

These deals are only available until the end of August - just before the game launches - and come with a number of incentives. Both lifetime and six-month subscribers get guaranteed access to the Star Trek Online closed beta and an exclusive art deco costume set.

The lifetime package also comes with an even more exclusive retro future costume set, a unique mirror universe outfit for Star Trek Online at that game's release, an in-game action figure and eight additional character slots.

Champions Online launches in Europe for PC on 4th September. More at the Champions Online gamepage.

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dizzy #1 3 years ago

    If it is 140 euro I am in. 200 maybe not. I hope they will share accounts with the 360 version so I can play in couch if I feel like it.
    Edited by 1 at 04/08/09 @ 10:04

  • Eraysor #2 3 years ago

    £35 for 6 months isn't bad, but I don't think I'd ever go for a lifetime subscription on any MMO except WoW.

  • optimusprym8 #3 3 years ago

    wow that's a lot of money for 12 months

  • viper_h #4 3 years ago

    £70 is a lot of money for 12 months? What? idiot.

  • Krusty #5 3 years ago

    Hmm, tempted now... the lifetime offer is what got me into LOTRO and still there :)

  • kestral #6 3 years ago

    A common mistake with the lifetime wording is that it's the lifetime of the game not the person playing it that we are talking about ;)

  • DFawkes #7 3 years ago

    Damn you Cryptic! As good as Champions Online is, I was just going to wait for Star Trek Online and dedicate my MMO time to that. But now if I want beta access & extra stuff I NEED (actually need, like I need food and air. Okay, not really need, but intensely want) to get a lifetime sub to CO. Smart move Cryptic. You win this round.
    To be honest, if I didn’t enjoy CO I wouldn’t get a lifetime sub even if it gave stuff for STO, but it’s a really good game that I’d love to be able to come back to without worrying about a sub ticking cash out of my account every month. That first big outlay of cash will be a bit painful to my bank balance, but after that it’ll be nice to know that’s it for subs. I think in general lifetime subs are a nice option.

  • Optimaximal #8 3 years ago

    After the Hellgate London Lifetime-sub clusterfuck, i'm surprised anyone has the balls to try this again.

    Granted, it'll probably last longer than Hellgate and have significantly more content, but people are definitely likely to approach it with their guard up.

  • Bleh #9 3 years ago

    Haven't I read something like micro payment and Champions online? Or am I mixing something up here.

  • DanForinton #10 3 years ago

    Hmm... Bill Roper on board, lifetime subscriptions - these are not encouraging signs.

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #11 3 years ago

    @Dan oooo 'bill roper onboard = bad' you might as well say DON'T USE YOUR PCS BILL GATES WAS ON BOARD WITH WINDOWS!, considering the guy disigned Diablo and help build WoW - why is it only HGL people hang him up for?

    Sorry but With DDO and LOTRO Turbine offer lifetimes and they were worth it considering Champs IS a proper MMO unlike Hellgate, coupled with the fact Cryptic THEMSELFS without Bill ARE good devs, and with STO comming they aren't going anywhere any time soon.

    £120 (which is the convertion atm which may change before the end of the offer) is just about a little over a year worth of subs to Champs - If you do infact play for that whole year the rest of 'forever' is free, it's quite tempting.

    Bit of advise tho, take off those damn tinfoil hats, at this rate there isn't one game that in players eyes isn't 'doooooooooomed' before it's started, we might as well go back to PnP D&D.
    Edited by 1 at 04/08/09 @ 12:37

  • kosigan #12 3 years ago

    Any game requiring a monthly subscription - on top of an initial purchase price, at that - will not be added to my collection.

  • Charlie789 #13 3 years ago

    Sounds good, I was waiting for Stargate Worlds but now thats gone tits up I might give this a shot instead! Potentially £120 for a lifetime account isn't bad considering the Prestige Edition of COD:MW2 costs the same, what would you prefer a set of NV Goggles or the ability to waste a few years of your life....good bye life, champions here I come! :D

  • ObiChrisKenobi #14 3 years ago

    Looking back at all the games that offered lifetime deals with pre-orders they didn't last very long, well, a few years, but their overall community didn't last very long (Matrix Online, LoTR, Conan,etc).

  • Markusdragon #15 3 years ago

    For the consumer, this is gambling, pure and simple.

  • JohnnyFireBlade #16 3 years ago

    Anyone know how the server arrangement's going to work? I don't want to get suckered into a US server account to claim the lifetime subscription and then find I can't play with mates in the UK because of it.

  • swills #17 3 years ago

    Any game requiring a monthly subscription - on top of an initial purchase price, at that - will not be added to my collection.

    Right on! Why spend $1 for an hour's gameplay of a great game when you could be paying $4 or $5 for the same thing! Buying more new games that give less value for money makes far more sense.
    Edited by 1 at 04/08/09 @ 15:03

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #18 3 years ago

    Jonny theres only one server - like eve

  • teamHAM #19 3 years ago

    nice deal, shame about the game

  • Dizzy #20 3 years ago

    "but their overall community didn't last very long"

    LOTRO???

    You have no clue.

  • JohnnyFireBlade #21 3 years ago

    Thanks, Kremlik. :)

  • WinterSnowblind #22 3 years ago

    I can't believe anyone would spend this much money on any one game.. I've been in the beta for a while, and it's a pretty good game, but I'm just not willing to pay a subscription for it. I'd much rather just be able to buy new content as DLC add ons.

  • DFawkes #23 3 years ago

    @JohnnyFireBlade

    I can't speak for the full game, but the beta had at least 3 servers on the go on the most recent one. Of course I can't be 100% sure how that'll translate to the Euro region, but going by the load testing they've been doing I'm guessing there'll be more than one. It is admittedly just a guess though, so I'm prepared to eat my hat when I'm wrong :) I wear cakes on my head.

  • Jaymz #24 3 years ago

    As if paying $60 for Halo 3's beta wasn't bad enough, now we have to pay $200 for Star Trek online? blah.

    Do we have to actually buy Champions or could we save on the $50?

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #25 3 years ago

    @jay well if you've bothered going to the site and actally finding out stuff before flaming you'll actally find out this ISN'T the only way to get into the STO beta, they've thrown keys out in their irc channel, forums, and twitter, this only just gives you a 100% chance of getting in, but still this ISN'T a 'you don't pay you don't get in scam' like Halo is

  • Jaymz #26 3 years ago

    @Kremlik

    Actually, Crackdown wasn't the only way to get into the Halo 3 beta. Either way, i'm not flaming, just being sarcastic. I was never one to think that Crackdown wasn't worth the $60 on it's own.
    Edited by 1 at 04/08/09 @ 18:25

  • ObiChrisKenobi #27 3 years ago

    "but their overall community didn't last very long"

    LOTRO???

    You have no clue.

    Howay man, sub numbers dwindled way faster then they'd have liked, sure it has its core community, but I bet thats the people who paid life subscriptions.

  • organica #28 3 years ago

    @ObiChrisKenobi

    Non-lifetime subscriber who plays a shiteload of LOTRO right here. Know quite a few people who play it, none of them have lifetimes either. Constant stream of n00bs on the servers when I log on too.

    So I will have to respectfully disagree there.

  • Dizzy #29 3 years ago

    >Howay man, sub numbers dwindled way faster then they'd have liked

    LOTRO subs are going up you peanut.

  • Spekingur #30 3 years ago

    Any MMO subscription numbers always 'dwindle' after the first initial month. That's how it normally works with one or two exceptions.

  • Vepr #31 3 years ago

    After AoC and WAR I will have to pass. I am not saying this game might not be great and even worth it but I am not willing to gamble that much money and be disappointed. I was angry enough at spending 49.99 on AoC.