Free-to-play model and anti-pay-to-win stance

The recording describes Scars of Honor as a free-to-play MMORPG built around cosmetic monetization and a strict rejection of pay-to-win advantages. This position is tied both to the studio's business model and to its broader view of what modern MMORPGs need in order to earn player trust.

The speaker argues that a fair exchange between studio and community is more sustainable than monetizing power or progression shortcuts.

Cosmetic-first monetization

The intended revenue model centers on cosmetics rather than gameplay power. The recording argues that a free-to-play game can be profitable if the game is enjoyable and the cosmetic offerings are attractive enough to support the studio.

The preferred approach is to release new content on a regular schedule and pair that with new cosmetic items. In this model, players return for gameplay updates and may choose to buy cosmetics as support, rather than feeling forced to spend in order to remain competitive.

Rejection of pay-to-win

The recording repeatedly states that Scars of Honor should not allow players with more money to gain unfair gameplay advantages. This principle is used to explain several decisions:

• paid early access is rejected
• progress from any paid head start would be considered unfair
• monetized power is treated as incompatible with the game's identity

Character level boosts are also explicitly described as pay-to-win. The recording argues that paying to skip progression and gain immediate power over another player is still a gameplay advantage, even if some communities do not classify it that way.

Why paid early access is rejected

Paid early access is presented as especially problematic for a free-to-play MMORPG. Charging for access would create a paywall before launch, and any later reset would anger paying users. Allowing progress to persist would also create a fairness problem by giving paying players a head start.

For that reason, the only acceptable version of early access is free access for everyone, which the recording treats as functionally equivalent to launch.

Bot prevention and economy protection

A large part of the fairness discussion concerns bots and real-money trading. Because the game is free to play, the recording treats bot prevention as a top priority.

Gathering and fishing minigames are justified partly on this basis. They are intended to require timing, attention, and interaction so that automated scripts cannot easily farm resources and destabilize the economy. The speaker describes this as a substitute for more intrusive anti-bot friction such as captchas.

The broader goal is to prevent bots from generating gold and tradable materials at scale. If bots cannot gather efficiently, they are less able to support real-money trading.

Cosmetic pricing philosophy

The recording briefly comments on cosmetic pricing, favoring a larger number of lower-priced cosmetics over a very small number of extremely expensive items. The stated preference is for broader accessibility rather than relying on a few high-spending purchases.

Fair exchange with the community

The monetization philosophy is summarized as a recurring exchange: the studio provides meaningful content updates, and players who enjoy the game may support it through optional cosmetic purchases. This is presented as the intended long-term relationship between Scars of Honor and its player base.

Source

• Recording: Why MMoRPGs are keep on Dying? CEO/Creative Director of MMoRPG Studio speaks!
• YouTube: Watch on YouTube
• Published: Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 8:30 PM UTC