Browser MMO DarkOrbit makes €2 million from €1000 virtual item

By Robert Purchese Published 23 November, 2011

You can say that again.

In a free browser-based spaceship MMO, how many people would pay €1000 for a single item?

In the case of DarkOrbit, 2000 people in four days - for a total of €2 million.

DarkOrbit creator Bigpoint confirmed the numbers to Gamesbrief. The numbers were calculated as of 16th November.

The €1000 DarkOrbit item was the 10th Drone, the Zues Drone. This is the top ranked combat drone - things that support your spaceship in battle. You need all nine previous drones and the blueprints for the 10th Drone.

Bigpoint's business revolves around selling virtual goods in free MMOs. It's the free-to-play, micro-transaction model. This year, Bigpoint expects to make €200 million from a registered player base of 215 million people, Gamesbrief reported.

Startlingly, 97 per cent of people playing Bigpoint games apparently don't pay anything on a month by month basis. So when they do, it needs to count.

This phenomenon is referred to as whaling, where one catch reaps big rewards. Trion's Scott Hartsman talked to Eurogamer about it when we quizzed him about MMO Rift turning free-to-play.

Bigpoint's most notable MMO is Battlestar Galactica Online - a product of considerable funding. Browser games have come a long way. Go take a look, if you have a spare 10 minutes.

Battlestar Galactica Online - a new generation of browser MMOs.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or getting whupped at FIFA.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 12min ago

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  • Powerstreak #1 1d ago

    2000 people with more money than sense.

  • Ka-blamo #2 1d ago

    http://i.imgur.com/7GF7c.gif

  • SheffAl #3 1d ago

    Shocking. This gaming future disgusts me.

  • Scopeh #4 1d ago

    registered player base of 215 million people

    lol what! if they have a registered player base that big why not offer something for a £1 and every person will buy it...

  • gotyourmoney #5 1d ago

    Startlingly, 97 per cent of people playing Bigpoint games apparently don't pay anything on a month by month basis. So when they do, it needs to count.

    This phenomenon is referred to as whaling, where one catch reaps big rewards.
    Is this perhaps a bit like how casinos are happy to leave grannies spend their pennies on the slots but when a 'rich Texan oil baron'-type shows up they plaster them with free booze and other luxuries in an effort to take as much of their money as possible? Except I guess the online equivalent doesn't involve free booze and escourts and cocaine.

    Well maybe cocaine. But not for free.

  • toythatkills #6 1d ago

    If they said they'd sold 8million of these, would you ask for proof then? Why are you just reporting this without questioning it?

    Did journalism about videogames die, or was it never alive in the first place?

  • dutzan #7 1d ago

    Zues drone? Or Zeus? Cause it better make you feel god like if you pay that much for it.

  • captain_Carl #8 1d ago

    @SheffAl Why? If these people have money to burn, let them burn it. If it means you don't have to pay anything for the MMO you should be thankful that these idiots exist.

  • knocker #9 1d ago

    @Scopeh It would be better, and funnier, if they reduced the 'Zues thingammy' to 99p. A joke you can only play once mind.

  • havoc2011 #10 1d ago

    Post deleted at 13:18:41 24-11-2011

  • digitalash #11 1d ago

    This is why I have no interest in free-to-play anything.

  • artheb #12 1d ago

    @gotyourmoney The funny thing is that casino's make most of their money out of slot machines

  • romelpotter #13 1d ago

    I do simply not believe that 2000 people paid 1000 euro (or £858) for ONE virtual in game item; not in the context of which the story implies.

    Who the fuck, in our ecanomic climate has a spare bucket of cash to spend on DLC? I would need significant evidence to believe that figure, and even if presented, I would look at exactly who the people were and whether they had any relationship with Bigpoint!!!

    Load of Arse!

    My concearn is that this STORY could set a seed in some wacko's head that its ok to release DLC at such high price points, and that by having 2000 people apparently pay such outlandish charge, it's in any way, an acceptable ammount to pay for DLC, by real gamers.

    Ban this Sick Filth!

    Edited by 2 at 24/11/11 @ 10:54

  • Wildsleven #14 1d ago

    oh the humanity -_-

  • Ahskay #15 1d ago

    @romelpotter

    Jealous that they have cash to spare or something? Possible overreaction? No, it's very certain!

  • bobfish09 #16 1d ago

    @Scopeh That is the registered userbase of Bigpoint, not the MMO. They offer hundreds of games through their gaming portal.

  • dagas #17 1d ago

    They are either stupid rich or just stupid.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #18 1d ago

    I don't think calling them stupid is in any way justified. If they have the cash to spare then let them spend it on whatever they want. Reading through the story and the requirements it sounds like you have to spend a lot of time with the game to even get to the point - more than enough so that everybody can make up their minds about whether to get such an item or not.

    Besides, I am pretty sure that the amount of people who have spent more than 1000€ on World of Warcraft will absolutely dwarf the numbers of people who have spent such an amount of money on DarkOrbit. The game has been out for 7 years, the subscription fees alone add up to more than that. Add the cost of the game, the three expansions and maybe buying a bit of gold here, a couple of items there, maybe even a fully leveled character and you are way over the 1000€.

    Whatever makes you happy. Besides, if that means that 97% of gamers get a game completely for free without the developer going bust that can only be a good thing, right?

  • sourc0r #19 1d ago

    well, they should release an 11th drone then so all these people go like

    fffffuuuuuu

  • PatTheMav #20 1d ago

    Post deleted at 00:51:55 24-11-2011

  • redbarony #21 1d ago

    There's gunna be some PISSED OFF parents when they get their credit card bills.

  • PatTheMav #22 1d ago

    @Ka-blamo :D

  • Shikasama #23 23h ago

    @Der_tolle_Emil A rather redundant argument. For your warcraft example you would have to look at someone who has subscribed for years, bought every expansion and every piece of available in store crap over a long period of time to reach that 1000.

    This is 1000 on a single transaction for a virtual item that can be deleted tomorrow.

    I'm skeptical. I simply don't see how anyone would justify such a ridiculous purchase to themselves. Even you spend 15k on a gold plated playstation 3, you still have some physical goods to show for it. This is spending money on nothing.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #24 17h ago

    @Shikasama: Even you spend 15k on a gold plated playstation 3, you still have some physical goods to show for it.

    Well, some people don't feel the need to show off :)

    I don't think the WoW example is that extreme though. I am sure there are millions of people who bought the game and all of the three expansions; Of course it is a totally different question whether they were indeed subscribed from day 1. However, the market for virtual goods is definitely real. You can still buy characters, level up services, items or gold en masse, there are tons of sites for these things. People do spend a lot of money for virtual items; Maybe not 1000€ for a single item but eventually I think it is pretty much the same.

  • redbarony #25 17h ago

    @Shikasama

    But all gaming achieves no physical reward.

  • Zomeguy #26 16h ago

    Bitching on a gaming forum about people spending money on useless (while people are starving) stuff is hilarious. Please keep up the comedy guys.

  • romelpotter #27 14h ago

    @Ahskay grow up. When I started gaming, you would pay 7.99 for a cassette. This story if true, is outrageous and can only damage a hoby that I have spent years enjoying. Personal fortunes are irelavent.

  • butler` #28 11h ago

    @redbarony erm, google esports

  • uninspiredcup #29 2h ago

    Oh lawdy! Well shhh.........................

  • redbarony #30 12min ago

    @butler`

    That's not really relevant.