Ever since Microsoft bought Minecraft for $2.5 billion we have wondered what the company planned on doing with it and now, part of its plan has been revealed. Today, Microsoft announced Minecraft Education Edition, a subscription-based version of the game intended for schools. The education edition will launch this Summer …
Read More »WhatsApp is dropping its subscription and will be ad-free
It has almost been two years since Facebook purchased WhatsApp for a massive $19 billion but since then, the company hasn't really done anything with it or changed the way it operates at all. However, one big change is finally happening- WhatsApp is dropping its annual subscription entirely. WhatsApp's subscription …
Read More »NBC executive not concerned about Netflix, Amazon, Youtube
If you look back to the late '90s, early '00s, there were a lot of people claiming that the internet wasn't a threat to their business and wouldn't change the way we do things. That's why it feels like deja vu when head of NBC's research and media development, Alan Wurtzel, claims …
Read More »EA Access is expanding from Xbox One to PC
EA Access is finally branching out from the Xbox One and will launch on the PC soon though under the slightly different name ‘Origin Access'. There will be 15 games in ‘The Vault' at launch for subscribers with more to be added over time. Origin Access is a subscription service …
Read More »Google launches YouTube Red paid subscription service
We have been hearing about it for many months but now it has finally happened, Google has officially launched YouTube Red, the paid, ad-free subscription service for the world's most popular video on demand platform. YouTube Red will offer everything on the site right now with no adverts, the subscription …
Read More »It looks like YouTube’s paid subscription option is finally arriving
We have been hearing about YouTube's potential plans to put a subscription option in place for months now but it looks like it will finally arrive as soon as next month. According to new reports, Google is planning to launch paid subscriptions at the end of October, with an email being sent …
Read More »Apple halves its iCloud storage prices
Apple had a big day yesterday, launching the new Apple TV, iPad Pro, iPad Mini and the iPhone 6S. There were so many announcements last night that this one may have slipped under the radar. Yesterday, Apple went ahead and halved the prices for its iCloud storage. As a standard, …
Read More »WildStar free to play closed beta launches
Earlier this year, it was announced that WildStar would be ditching the subscription model in favour of going free to play, in hopes that this would bring a surge of new players and keep the game alive. The switch to free to play is due to happen ‘this fall' but …
Read More »Google pushing ahead with plans for paid service
It seems that Google is pushing ahead with its plans to launch a paid YouTube service some time this year. So far, the company has signed up partners that make up around 90 percent of YouTube views, though apparently Google's efforts on getting TV networks involved are falling a bit …
Read More »Amazon wants to pay book authors based on how many pages are read
Amazon has been causing a stir in the ebooks scene for years now and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. Now the retailer has plans to introduce a new payment system that will make it so that some authors are paid based on how many pages of a book …
Read More »YouTube has a paid subscription service on the way
News broke earlier this week that YouTube's long rumored paid subscription service is finally on the way. The new service will let monthly subscribers watch videos without ads and a cut of that revenue will be split between YouTube and content creators. The idea is to boost revenue for everybody, …
Read More »Amazon now offers unlimited cloud storage
Amazon has announced its new subscription tiers for its online storage service, ‘Cloud Drive’, with one of the options offering up unlimited storage. Those with Amazon Prime or owners of an Amazon Fire device will already have access to unlimited photo storage, but now two extra tiers are available to …
Read More »Blizzard’s new WoW token will arrive in-game soon
Blizzard recently announced the Wow token, a new in-game item that players can trade for free subscription time, allowing players to pay for their game time using gold made from playing the game. It’s a system that we have seen before, in games like Eve Online, which lets you use …
Read More »The Elder Scrolls Online no longer requires a subscription
The day has finally arrived, The Elder Scrolls Online has now transformed and re-launched as ‘The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited’, dropping the required subscription fee, meaning that you can now play the game as much as you want after buying it, without paying any extra. Much like DC Universe …
Read More »YouTube may launch premium subscription service
YouTube may soon launch its own premium subscription service for access to its own original content. The platform will be similar to the company's new Music Key streaming service, allowing users to watch ad-free videos for a monthly fee, according to a Variety report. This rumor comes from an unnamed …
Read More »You’ll soon be able to pay for your WoW subscription with gold
Soon you will be able to play World of Warcraft without spending any real world money as Blizzard is going to start accepting in-game gold for subscription time, something that Eve Online has been doing for a while and has proven successful. A new in-game item will also be coming …
Read More »Unreal Engine 4 has dropped its subscription, will now be free for all
Last year, Unreal Engine 4 launched a $19 per month subscription model in an effort to try and win indie developers back from Unity. Cryengine followed with a similar business model. However, Epic Games has now decided to just make Unreal Engine 4 free for all developers instead. You can …
Read More »Would you pay for YouTube? Google think so
It's no secret that YouTube is the go to source for instantly watching online videos these days, with YouTube access being a consideration when people are buying anything from tablets and phones, to consoles and TVs, let alone PCs. But now that YouTube is in such a dominant position, as …
Read More »The Elder Scrolls Online will no longer require a subscription from March
It has finally happened, the business model for The Elder Scrolls Online has been revised. The game will be re-launched on the PC and Mac on the 17th of March as The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, requiring a one-time game purchase and then no subscription fee after. Those who …
Read More »PlayStation Now to get $19.99 subscription option this month
Sony's video game streaming service, PlayStation Now, is finally getting its long awaited subscription option over in the US. The subscription plan launches later this month with two different options. PS4 owners can choose a 1 month subscription plan at $19.99 or a three month one, which will set you …
Read More »Could Windows 10 and beyond be a subscription service?
Following remarks made at the Credit Suisse Technology Conference by Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer, there has been some speculation that Windows 10 could be released for free, or at least at a very low price while being backed by some subscription services. Here's what Turner had to say: “We’ve …
Read More »World of Warcraft to go on for at least another decade
World of Warcraft is now ten years old and Blizzard is fully expecting it to still be around when it turns twenty, according to lead designer, Ion Hazzikostas. With Blizzard's recently cancelled MMO, Titan, now out of the picture, it looks like to publisher is throwing its resources back in …
Read More »Amazon launched eBook subscription service in the UK
Amazon has officially launched its eBooks and audiobooks subscription service in the UK. The service is called ‘Kindle Unlimited' and allows customers to pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to a pre determined library. In the UK, the service will cost £7.99 a month, Amazon Kindle EU Vice President, Jorrit …
Read More »Sony reaffirms stance on EA Access
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe CEO, Jim Ryan, has reaffirmed the company's stance on EA's new subscription program, EA Access, stating that the $5 a month gaming service doesn't quite “fit into the framework of everything we do and everything that we offer.” “We don’t have anything against EA Access, we …
Read More »Electronic Arts unveils $4.99/month subscription offering for Xbox One
Electronic Arts on Tuesday unveiled a new offering for Xbox One gamers. For $4.99 (£2.94, €3.72) a month, or for $29.99 (£17.68, €22.36) a year, subscribers in the U.S. will get access to a collection of EA’s most popular games. Initially the offering only works in the U.S., but eventually …
Read More »The Elder Scrolls Online has around 770,000 subscribers
There's a lot of negativity towards The Elder Scrolls Online floating around the web but the game must be doing something right as it still has around 770,000 active subscribers according to a report published by SuperData Research. Neither Bethesda or Zenimax have shared exact sales or subscriber figures but …
Read More »Amazon launches unlimited eBook subscription service
If Amazon wasn't already considered in all out war with the traditional book sale industry, it is now. Extending its Kindle dominance over eBooks even further, Amazon has now launched a subscription service for the platform, offering some half million plus digital books for unlimited viewing, for just $9.99 a …
Read More »Netflix to raise subscription price for new customers
Netflix has announced that it is going to be raising its subscription prices slightly for new customers within the next two to three months. It isn't going to be a huge increase though, Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, said that the company's goal is to do “a one or two dollar increase, …
Read More »Bethesda explains why TESO has a subscription fee
Over the last couple of years several MMO's have started off as a subscription based affair only to end up going free to play later down the road. Upon playing the beta, many gamers expect the same thing to happen to The Elder Scrolls Online, causing Bethesda Vice President, Pete …
Read More »Virgin getting into the subscription gaming business
An interesting trend in gaming at the moment, is the simultaneous rise and fall of subscription based services. MMO's using that business model are disappearing or converting over to the free to play model, but companies offering gaming packages as part of a monthly charge are growing. Microsoft's Xbox Live …
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