Heimlich, still und leise… *cough*
Well, Rift is apparently in the process of reactivating inactive accounts for free for 7 days (that is, if your account was already inactive prior to June 23). You can see the announcement here. I got the link by email but haven’t seen it anywhere otherwise. Still, it’s real.
Unfortunately, when players wanted to take advantage of the offer, they were in for a disappointment: “You need to resubscribe in order to play”. :o( Elrar soon answered on the forum saying that they’re reactivating the accounts at the moment and they’ll make an announcement once they’re all working. So… stay tuned!
I will definitely return and have a look at the game again. It’s a great game if you ask me. But before I even think about resubscribing, I’m very glad I get the chance to test it again and have a look at what they’ve added in the meantime. My cleric will definitely run to the bank and grab the outfit she stored in there for the appearance system!
Nerdy Bookahs 
This type of offer from a game that is less than a year old… smacks of desperation. Have they changed, or improved, anything that would cause those folks who have already unsubscribed from their game to re-subscribe? If the answer to that is no then… what is the point of the “free reactivation?”
Perhaps I’ve simply missed something obvious… I haven’t been keeping up with that particular game for a couple of months now…
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I do not think it’s desperation. Aion has done the same and it seems to be doing just fine. WoW, too. And I wouldn’t say either of those games are desperate for customers. ;)
Yes, both Aion and Rift lost subscribers after release (and WoW lost subscribers after the addon). But that seems to be the norm now with MMOs and their tourists. Rift seems to be aggressive and proactive when it comes to their marketing strategies and why not offer former subscribers a chance to have a look at the game again?
Last week, some of Rift’s servers had queues for login. Does that sound like a dying game?
I don’t know what they’ve added… An appearance tab which is something that makes me happy. Apart from that, their focus seems to be more on raids (which I don’t like at all). So it’s probably not a game for me. But I think it’s a nice and solid game nonetheless. The world is beautiful, the rifts are fun, I love the class design,… I just greatly dislike the monthly sub fee thanks to me having a lifetime account for LotRO which offers more for my playstyle. ;)
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Well, there is the answer to the “what have they added” question; appearance tab and more focus on raids.
Like you, the “raids” part of that doesn’t do much for me personally. I raided for years in EQ and WOW, and I’ve pretty much had my fill of raiding in a trinity-based game. Been there, done that, got the T shirt and the baseball cap.
The appearance tab is a nice new addition, and will likely draw at least a few folks back in to check it out, and there are many players out there who haven’t already reached the point of terminal exhaustion with raiding and would welcome that addition also.
Personally, I feel almost “sad” about RIFT. It is an extremely well constructed game, and it’s clear that the DEVs are working hard for it’s success and it’s players entertainment. In my opinion, RIFT is the most well executed “version” of the same game I’ve been playing for a little over a decade. But, that’s the problem… I guess, I’ve been spoiled by just the thought of GW2, and even though RIFT executes what it does so well, it just doesn’t bring enough “new” to warrant a subscription payment for me. I wish I was new to MMO gaming, and RIFT was my first experience with that style of game… I know I would be able to enjoy it more.
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I’m sure there are other additions as well. More non-combat pets, for example. :) And I really like their events. And rifts in general, as I’ve already said. It’s just nice and a change to the other MMOs that when I “hearth” back to my quest hub, I don’t know what’s waiting there for me. Earlier today, when I did that, I arrived in the middle of a fight with all NPCs around me involved. Or another time where I was eating lunch while logged on and stopped eating twice to fight off NPCs. The dynamic feeling is great.
Of course, what it does most of all is make me wait for GW2 impatiently because I hope it’ll be an even better dynamic event system there. ;)
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