Today, we, Durin and Steve, are writing to you to inform you about an upcoming change in Tibia's pricing structure. As we do not want to beat around the bush, we will get straight to the point: We have to raise the prices of Tibia Premium Scroll packages as well as extra services in April. We know that a price increase is not welcome news so we would like to explain why this is a necessary, albeit unpleasant, step.
Since 2005, we have kept the prices for premium status in Tibia the same. Our community has always been a passionate one, showing great enthusiasm and dedication since the early days of Tibia. This commitment allowed Tibia to grow from a hobby project into a flourishing game and is a constant inspiration for all of us here at CipSoft. In appreciation of our loyal community, we have always felt it crucial to do our best to keep prices reasonably low, and we tried to hold off any kind of increase for as long as possible.
For over nine years, we managed to operate and develop Tibia without having to raise our prices. Our costs, however, have increased over time. From 2005 until 2013, the cumulative inflation rate in Germany amounted to approximately 16%. As you can probably imagine, this had a significant impact on our costs. Also, like many other independent developers nowadays, we have to face the challenges of a more competitive market.
As soon as it comes into effect, the price of one single Premium Scroll will be EUR 8.95. Of course, you will still benefit from savings if you buy larger Premium Scroll packages. For example, a package of 6 Premium Scrolls will cost EUR 53.70 and will grant you an additional Premium Scroll for free. So you will receive 7 Premium Scrolls at the price of 6.
Keeping prices as affordable as possible is one of our prime concerns. Therefore, we are pleased to be able to also offer you a lower-priced way to get premium status. We will reintroduce the possibility to buy different units of Premium Time which are activated automatically on your account after purchase. Premium Time bought this way cannot be transferred into the game as Premium Scrolls. The price of 30 days of direct Premium Time will be EUR 8.45. If you buy larger units, you will receive further savings in comparison to Premium Scroll packages. For example, 90 days of direct Premium Time will cost EUR 22.35 which corresponds to the current Premium Time price of EUR 7.45 per month. For more information on prices and savings, please check the new price list. You can also find the new prices for extra services there. In addition, we have prepared a short FAQ in the Auditorium.
Together with the new pricing structure, we are going to release a new payment system which will offer additional payment options and simplify the whole payment process to make it more convenient. Unfortunately, this brings along some technical changes which prevent us from continuing subscriptions. This means that all active subscriptions will be set to expire with the implementation of the new prices and payment system. Thus, no further recurring payments will be deducted once the already paid period ends. We plan to reintroduce subscriptions at a later time but they will have to be set up anew then.
The new pricing structure and the new payment system are scheduled for release in April 2014. Rest assured that we will inform you as soon as we can provide you with a specific date.
Of course, you can continue to buy Premium Scroll packages and extra services for the current prices until the new pricing structure goes into effect.
We truly appreciate your continued support and we hope that you will understand the necessity for our decision. We are committed and eager to develop and improve Tibia further to offer an enjoyable game experience in the years to come.
Thank you for being a part of Tibia!
Ulrich "Durin" Schlott and Stephan "Steve" Vogler
Managing Directors of CipSoft
