Guild Wars 2

After just reading a post in which it was suggested people can save up for Hot easily I thought an alternative finance model could be lease to own. Simply it would be monthly installments that give access to HoT until the full expansion price is paid off when the player would own the expansion.

Sure like every finance model there will be pros and cons and I don’t know how difficult this would be to put in to practice or how this would turn out. You may find many people only pay one installment and decide they don’t like it. On the other hand many people who are a little cash strapped and have decided they cant afford it may be able to afford to dip their toe in to the water and like it enough to continue the installments as in the end to be able to continue to progress in GW2 HoT will be necessary I am led to believe.

Just throwing this idea out int to the vicious wild of the GW2 forums where I’m sure there will be beasts snapping at my idea and trying to ravage it.

You already can utilize this finance model by youself. Just start saving up 5 or 10 bucks every month until HoT releases or get a loan from a bank, friend or family member to pay for it outright and then pay them back in installments in the coming months.

If it’s hard to put money in a piggy bank or an envelope, maybe a reloadable prepaid card, where you put in a few dollars each paycheck until you reach what they say the expansion will cost, then use that card to buy it.

The problem with your suggestion OP is that you will be asking ANet to act as a gatekeeper to the game, closing off game privileges whenever the person doesn’t pay. They aren’t set up to do that since they aren’t a subscription model game but a buy to play forever model game.

If money is that tight then simply play Guild Wars 2 until you can afford the expansion.

If this was a few years ago I would have been one of the people worrying I wouldn’t be able to afford HoT when it comes out. (I actually got very lucky with the timings of GW2, got a tax refund and an offer of a seasonal job just before pre-purchase, and a permanent job just before launch.)

I wouldn’t have taken this offer if it was available.

I would much rather save up the money in my own account and buy it when I had enough, even if it meant not getting it right away. The main reason is because although I was never completely broke (otherwise I wouldn’t even be considering buying games) I was very much living month to month and if anything unexpected happened, if the fridge broke or I had to travel for a job interview or whatever I could change my plans and put that money towards the higher priority things. If I was already in a contract with Anet for a payment plan I wouldn’t have that option.

But also if I’m saving up myself I can put whatever I have towards it whenever I have it. If I have a little more one month I can put more in, if the next month is a bad one I can skip paying all together.

Basically saving up yourself gives you more control over how and when you do it. Sure it doesn’t get you access to the expansion right away, but that’s the sacrifice you have to make. Plus that’s the advantage of it being announced early. You can start saving now and cut down on the time you’re ‘missing out’, maybe even get it as soon as it’s released.

“Good evening sir, how may i help you?”
“Evening ma’am, i need a loan for a specific purchase.”
“Of course sir. What particular amount of money do you need?”
“Around 40 bucks.”
“Sir..are you sure you want to loan that much? Loans like this are usually given only under mortage…”