The tiny little banner tossed into the middle of the front page went completely unnoticed by me. Fortunately, I caught this thread and got myself a key. Sweet promo is sweet. I almost tried the game before, then decided I wasn't set to buy another game myself... this just seals it up. If I like it I like it, if not.. nothing lost. Craziness, IMO.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde
Wooh grabbed one at once ! Made my friend get some too:P Any idea whether it's ok to subscribe and cancel the subscription the very next moment ? Just did it cause i'm not rly planning to play more than the free month if i don't find it interesting !
Wooh grabbed one at once ! Made my friend get some too:P Any idea whether it's ok to subscribe and cancel the subscription the very next moment ? Just did it cause i'm not rly planning to play more than the free month if i don't find it interesting !
It's better to wait a couple days, before hitting the cancel button.
If you cancel, when your transaction hasn't been processed completely, your account becomes invalid. Then you will have to go through customer support to correct it.
So just wait a couple days is my advice.
And it's not only theirs tho. I had it with another MMORPG and my account ended up banned, because they thought I was a gold farmer unlocking the account and doing a direct chargeback, as I canceled to quickly.
One of my friends had this game on release wasn't too impressed with it, so have been on the fence for a while - this basically pushed me into playing it. As many have said this could either boom or bust the game - it's a risk either way.
As for the 'it's a scam' ppl - use paypal at least then you can cut the subcription from the source if things get iffy, as for the 'cancel now and you don't get your 'free trial'' GOOD, why 'reward' people with a free copy if they aren't going to actally commit to at least giving the game a fair shot.
From everything I've read about the devs behind this they are risking a LOT on this and going about ways to combat the current issues of the genre the '$1 trial' thing to combat bots, brilliant! The only realthing that can hurt these guys longerterm is money, these guys could be in the running to be 'the newest CCP success' - With all the 'big name publishers' dealing us crap over these past years, finally we may have an indie with a hit title
On topic of the OP, while I also liek caek (but prefer pi(e)) and do agree that Einherjar should spend more time in-game (but then so should I, probably) this offer is jaw-droppingly amazing.
I don't care that I paid for a game others can have for free - today's offer meant I could snag a free copy for a mate of mine who expressed an interest, and if he doesn't want it, I've others lined up too.
As the admins have pointed out in all threads relating to this, that's $80k (!!!) worth of free games, and I reckon Icarus are pretty sure there will be a high retention rate among those who avail of their generous offer.
I know the game, flaws and all, hooked me in a way nothing has in a long loooong time.
I'm seriously tempted to roll an alt just to hang out in the starter towns with all the new players.
I'm a bit concerned that Icarus felt it necessary to make an offer as generous as this, less than six months after launch. Still, I would urge anyone who had been considering trying the game to grab a key.
I'm currently taking a break from the game myself at the moment but only because after 8 months playing the game in beta and release, I needed a break. It's only the third mmorpg I've ever played continuously for that length of time and I'm sure I'll go back again later when they have added some of the promised new content such as Sector 4 and housing.
It sure didn't take long for the trolls and band-wagoning doom-n-gloom crew to start trolling about how much they hate FE and how this must be a death knell for the game... You people need a new shtick, seriously, so unoriginal and transparent.
------------------------- "Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
I think it's an awsome promo. It can only be a good thing imo, there are a number of people out there who are undecided and now that Icarus are in a possition (financially) after initial box sales to show their game off to those who might otherwise never try it.
They're putting their money where their mouth is and standing up for a product which they believe can beat a lot of other out there. I happen to agree with them completely, I wonder if we'll see any of the bigger developers do this and have that much faith in their game, I very much doubt it.
----- The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
I got my key, just gotta pay some off my CC to use it lmao. This is a great move and many in my guild will be with me over here. Wouldn't have happened without this promo. This game's devs have a great touch for keeping their players happy and attracting new ones.
Tho I am playing swg again hardcore. So FE will prolly be my back up mmo.
It sure didn't take long for the trolls and band-wagoning doom-n-gloom crew to start trolling about how much they hate FE and how this must be a death knell for the game... You people need a new shtick, seriously, so unoriginal and transparent.
It wont take long.
But what I see is that the FE team is doing such a nice pr trick. Give away 2000 copys at this part of the internet is quite a good way to make a buzz .
Despite what the other thread states, I think this is great timing...
for me. I didn't manage to get the free offer, but I am going for the 50% discount.
Originally posted by nethaniah
Seriously Farmville? Yeah I think it's great. In a World where half our population is dying of hunger the more fortunate half is spending their time harvesting food that doesn't exist.
I really have to discount the people saying the game is about to die. I play FE regularly and there is a very healthy in game population at all hours. The /help chat channel for new players is scrolling so fast it's hard to keep up with it sometimes because there are so many new people trying this game and asking n00b questions.
The other reason, as others have already pointed out is that Icarus is financially able to pull this off. $80k isn't chump change, especially for an indie developer. It speaks volumes to me about Icarus' financial ability(doing well enough to make this offer) and their confidence in their product.
I will admit this game might not be for everyone and that's ok, no game is. What I have noticed is that many people that have tried it comment that it only took them a couple days into the trial to be hooked and sub. That says a lot to me about the draw of the game to the type of customers Icarus is trying to target.
As a current player, as I have already stated, I think this is an awesome deal from Icarus. Thanks again to Icarus/Fallen Earth and MMORPG for this offer. Many AAA developers could learn a lot from how Icarus has marketed and maintained their product. I can easily see Fallen Earth being the next Eve, steadily and quietly gaining a substantial following.
To all those new players taking advantage of the deal, welcome to the apocalypse, welcome to the wastelands!~ If you need any help or someone to group with, send me a PM and I'll send you my in game names and do what I can for you.
Einherjar_LC says: WTB the true successor to UO or Asheron's Call pst!
This offer is pretty awesome. Awhile back I was trying to decide between FE and LoTRO and subbed to LoTRO. The box price for FE was the barrier to entry for me. I got myself a key this morning and all's good.
The forum will almost certainly see doomer & gloomers and sensationalists. You could say that there's going to be some fall out (hyuk yuk), but whatever. Such is the nature of the beast. This offer should go over well in the long run.
This was an amazing promo from the Fallen Earth devs and thanks to MMORPG.COM for hosting it. Thirty whole days of free game time is very generous considering that 14 day trials are the standard.
They must be confident about their game to give-away that many keys and that much gametime in an effort to drum up interest.
I'll certainly be giving FE a try and posting what I think of the game here.
This was an amazing promo from the Fallen Earth devs and thanks to MMORPG.COM for hosting it. Thirty whole days of free game time is very generous considering that 14 day trials are the standard. They must be confident about their game to give-away that many keys and that much gametime in an effort to drum up interest. I'll certainly be giving FE a try and posting what I think of the game here.
I think it's a great offer I was planning on trying to convice the wife to buy this for my birthday later this month. Saw the promo and saunted over to her and said well got my birthday present early this year :P
With all the games recently launched in the last couple of years that seem to aim for a huge initial box sale and or pay to play beta promos giving the box out for free (in limited numbers addmitadly) is deffinatly something unexpected.
For the doomsayers think on this I believe giving the box away shows the devs have a great deal of faith that if you give the game 30 days trial your probably going to become a subscriber. Afterall they make no money at all if you quit before those 30 days are up. Taking no other costs into consideration they need you to subscribe for 2 to 3 months to recover the box price. To me thats not a sign of desperation thats a sign of we have made something great here have a go and enjoy.
The lesser of two evils is still evil.
There is nothing more dangerous than a true believer.
For the doomsayers think on this I believe giving the box away shows the devs have a great deal of faith that if you give the game 30 days trial your probably going to become a subscriber. Afterall they make no money at all if you quit before those 30 days are up. Taking no other costs into consideration they need you to subscribe for 2 to 3 months to recover the box price. To me thats not a sign of desperation thats a sign of we have made something great here have a go and enjoy.
Honestly? the only time a game tries something like this is when its about to flatline and die. Its probally their last ditch effort to get subscribers to keep the game open. Last time i tried fallen earth I had a massive lag issues, and their customer support had to have been the worse I have ever seen. The lag was odd, the website was fine, but I had 10-20 second lag on anything in game, couldn't figure out why, its not videolag either it was network lag, since even chat had a 10-20 sec delay from when I said something and when it showed, eventually in under 5 mins after i'd login i'd just lag out and dc. Might open a new trial acct to see if the lag is fixed for me, then open another to use the code I got from here at mmorpg.
This is a smaller company with a smaller overhead than most of the AAA titles out there. It at least APPEARS that they have the ability to run a bit leaner because of this. Most of the time I would agree with this statement scythe99, but I really don't think that's the case here.
FE has made some nice leaps since it released, and I'm please to say, at least for me, the game runs pretty well over all...and looks MUCH better than it did 6 months ago.
I bought this game about a month and a half ago, and I'm still having a great time and playing it for what it is (an original, yet nostalgic MMO experience).
Once they get player made cities and something more substantial to do at "end game," this will, IMO, be one of the best MMOs on the market.
We have run hundreds of promotions at MMORPG.com - nothing quite dropped my jaw like this one. I even had to read the initial email they sent us wanting to run this offer because I was looking for the catch - and there is none - they are just giving away $80,000 in free games! I can say in working with the Fallen Earth people that they are really sincere and they just want you to try their product...because they are confident in it. We are also going to be joining them in game for special events this month so make sure to stay tuned and perhaps we will share a virtual beer together within FE ;-) If you are even remotely interested in this game you are foolish to pass up on this one!
They really are a bunch of enthusiasts compared to the norm amongst a lot of other mmo companies. These folks are setting a new standard in customer service and support. I cannot say enough how impressed I am by this group.
There really are some lessons to be learned by some other companies out there by these folks far as how to provide customer service/support and develop a loyal customer fanbase.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
The way I see it as someone who bought the game, they obviously couldn't afford to run this promo at the begining. But due to those that did buy and have continued to sub they can now use that money to fund this. Now out of all the things they could do with my subs, improving the game (which they have done systematically) and and then with the remainder run this promo or hookers and beer (which it seems is the usual choice for many devs when their game breaks even or turns a profit) I'm glad they went with the promotion (if they could get a few hookers and beer as well, everyone happy).
----- The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
We have run hundreds of promotions at MMORPG.com - nothing quite dropped my jaw like this one. I even had to read the initial email they sent us wanting to run this offer because I was looking for the catch - and there is none - they are just giving away $80,000 in free games! I can say in working with the Fallen Earth people that they are really sincere and they just want you to try their product...because they are confident in it. We are also going to be joining them in game for special events this month so make sure to stay tuned and perhaps we will share a virtual beer together within FE ;-) If you are even remotely interested in this game you are foolish to pass up on this one!
Hey I just want to WARN you.....that if you go out for drinks at any of the in game pubs....beware of addiction to the poker machines and slots! Those pubs are hazardous to your virtual wallet-health.
Love the game too! I first heard of the game on this site, about the 10 day free trial, and after about 7 days I bought it and sub. Still loving the game, see alot of people in it. Don't feel bad that I could have saved a few bucks waiting for this deal. I hope this is a posative thing and not the beginning of the end like some other posts say.
We have run hundreds of promotions at MMORPG.com - nothing quite dropped my jaw like this one. I even had to read the initial email they sent us wanting to run this offer because I was looking for the catch - and there is none - they are just giving away $80,000 in free games! I can say in working with the Fallen Earth people that they are really sincere and they just want you to try their product...because they are confident in it. We are also going to be joining them in game for special events this month so make sure to stay tuned and perhaps we will share a virtual beer together within FE ;-) If you are even remotely interested in this game you are foolish to pass up on this one!
Hey I just want to WARN you.....that if you go out for drinks at any of the in game pubs....beware of addiction to the poker machines and slots! Those pubs are hazardous to your virtual wallet-health.
Yeah they are for sure. I was always broke when I played. I didn't craft anything at all and let me tell you bullets were hella expensive.
Honestly? the only time a game tries something like this is when its about to flatline and die. Its probally their last ditch effort to get subscribers to keep the game open. Last time i tried fallen earth I had a massive lag issues, and their customer support had to have been the worse I have ever seen. The lag was odd, the website was fine, but I had 10-20 second lag on anything in game, couldn't figure out why, its not videolag either it was network lag, since even chat had a 10-20 sec delay from when I said something and when it showed, eventually in under 5 mins after i'd login i'd just lag out and dc. Might open a new trial acct to see if the lag is fixed for me, then open another to use the code I got from here at mmorpg.
Me and others have had lag issues in the game too and still do in busy towns. But what you are describing is a problem at your end. Something within your network or your ISP throttling you and cutting you off in bandwith. This seems to happen a lot in the UK I've heard.
The game is doing very well healthy wise. For an indy game that is. They are just slowly growing.
Sure some disgruntled hardcore PVP'ers have left (mostly annoying l337 kiddies anyway), because ICARUS is trying to optimise the PVE aspect of the game first.
Luckily the vast majority are PVE oriented players and still having a blast.
Sure the game has it's issues and can use some more challenging PVE here and there. And some more group incentives. But they seem to be slowly working on that.
If you want to see a TRUE act of desperation. Have a look at the ATARI / Cryptic fiasco of last weekend. Now that was a true act of desperation.
This one is just a very good and clever promotion. As they also plan to host a ton of ingame events and activities this month to get these 2000 new potential players hooked to the game.
Comments
All I can say is thanks OP!
The tiny little banner tossed into the middle of the front page went completely unnoticed by me. Fortunately, I caught this thread and got myself a key. Sweet promo is sweet. I almost tried the game before, then decided I wasn't set to buy another game myself... this just seals it up. If I like it I like it, if not.. nothing lost. Craziness, IMO.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Oscar Wilde
thanks for the 30 days
Hopefully the game wont be flooded with the nasty mmo players that many of us are running from
I7@4ghz, 5970@ 1 ghz/5ghz, water cooled||Former setups Byggblogg||Byggblogg 2|| Msi Wind u100
Wooh grabbed one at once ! Made my friend get some too:P Any idea whether it's ok to subscribe and cancel the subscription the very next moment ? Just did it cause i'm not rly planning to play more than the free month if i don't find it interesting !
.
It's better to wait a couple days, before hitting the cancel button.
If you cancel, when your transaction hasn't been processed completely, your account becomes invalid. Then you will have to go through customer support to correct it.
So just wait a couple days is my advice.
And it's not only theirs tho. I had it with another MMORPG and my account ended up banned, because they thought I was a gold farmer unlocking the account and doing a direct chargeback, as I canceled to quickly.
Jer
One of my friends had this game on release wasn't too impressed with it, so have been on the fence for a while - this basically pushed me into playing it. As many have said this could either boom or bust the game - it's a risk either way.
As for the 'it's a scam' ppl - use paypal at least then you can cut the subcription from the source if things get iffy, as for the 'cancel now and you don't get your 'free trial'' GOOD, why 'reward' people with a free copy if they aren't going to actally commit to at least giving the game a fair shot.
From everything I've read about the devs behind this they are risking a LOT on this and going about ways to combat the current issues of the genre the '$1 trial' thing to combat bots, brilliant! The only realthing that can hurt these guys longerterm is money, these guys could be in the running to be 'the newest CCP success' - With all the 'big name publishers' dealing us crap over these past years, finally we may have an indie with a hit title
Bring on the WARRRRGGHH!
Here ya go Spooky: http://l3cdn.fallenearth.com/FallenEarth/FallenEarthInstall.torrent
On topic of the OP, while I also liek caek (but prefer pi(e)) and do agree that Einherjar should spend more time in-game (but then so should I, probably) this offer is jaw-droppingly amazing.
I don't care that I paid for a game others can have for free - today's offer meant I could snag a free copy for a mate of mine who expressed an interest, and if he doesn't want it, I've others lined up too.
As the admins have pointed out in all threads relating to this, that's $80k (!!!) worth of free games, and I reckon Icarus are pretty sure there will be a high retention rate among those who avail of their generous offer.
I know the game, flaws and all, hooked me in a way nothing has in a long loooong time.
I'm seriously tempted to roll an alt just to hang out in the starter towns with all the new players.
Yay Icarus!
You are a top lass Hopscotch, Ty v much:)
I'm a bit concerned that Icarus felt it necessary to make an offer as generous as this, less than six months after launch. Still, I would urge anyone who had been considering trying the game to grab a key.
I'm currently taking a break from the game myself at the moment but only because after 8 months playing the game in beta and release, I needed a break. It's only the third mmorpg I've ever played continuously for that length of time and I'm sure I'll go back again later when they have added some of the promised new content such as Sector 4 and housing.
It sure didn't take long for the trolls and band-wagoning doom-n-gloom crew to start trolling about how much they hate FE and how this must be a death knell for the game... You people need a new shtick, seriously, so unoriginal and transparent.
-------------------------
"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
Member Since March 2004
I think it's an awsome promo. It can only be a good thing imo, there are a number of people out there who are undecided and now that Icarus are in a possition (financially) after initial box sales to show their game off to those who might otherwise never try it.
They're putting their money where their mouth is and standing up for a product which they believe can beat a lot of other out there. I happen to agree with them completely, I wonder if we'll see any of the bigger developers do this and have that much faith in their game, I very much doubt it.
-----
The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
I got my key, just gotta pay some off my CC to use it lmao. This is a great move and many in my guild will be with me over here. Wouldn't have happened without this promo. This game's devs have a great touch for keeping their players happy and attracting new ones.
Tho I am playing swg again hardcore. So FE will prolly be my back up mmo.
It wont take long.
But what I see is that the FE team is doing such a nice pr trick. Give away 2000 copys at this part of the internet is quite a good way to make a buzz
.
I7@4ghz, 5970@ 1 ghz/5ghz, water cooled||Former setups Byggblogg||Byggblogg 2|| Msi Wind u100
Despite what the other thread states, I think this is great timing...
for me. I didn't manage to get the free offer, but I am going for the 50% discount.
Wow, I am astounded at the positive feedback!
I really have to discount the people saying the game is about to die. I play FE regularly and there is a very healthy in game population at all hours. The /help chat channel for new players is scrolling so fast it's hard to keep up with it sometimes because there are so many new people trying this game and asking n00b questions.
The other reason, as others have already pointed out is that Icarus is financially able to pull this off. $80k isn't chump change, especially for an indie developer. It speaks volumes to me about Icarus' financial ability(doing well enough to make this offer) and their confidence in their product.
I will admit this game might not be for everyone and that's ok, no game is. What I have noticed is that many people that have tried it comment that it only took them a couple days into the trial to be hooked and sub. That says a lot to me about the draw of the game to the type of customers Icarus is trying to target.
As a current player, as I have already stated, I think this is an awesome deal from Icarus. Thanks again to Icarus/Fallen Earth and MMORPG for this offer. Many AAA developers could learn a lot from how Icarus has marketed and maintained their product. I can easily see Fallen Earth being the next Eve, steadily and quietly gaining a substantial following.
To all those new players taking advantage of the deal, welcome to the apocalypse, welcome to the wastelands!~ If you need any help or someone to group with, send me a PM and I'll send you my in game names and do what I can for you.
Einherjar_LC says: WTB the true successor to UO or Asheron's Call pst!
This offer is pretty awesome. Awhile back I was trying to decide between FE and LoTRO and subbed to LoTRO. The box price for FE was the barrier to entry for me. I got myself a key this morning and all's good.
The forum will almost certainly see doomer & gloomers and sensationalists. You could say that there's going to be some fall out (hyuk yuk), but whatever. Such is the nature of the beast. This offer should go over well in the long run.
This was an amazing promo from the Fallen Earth devs and thanks to MMORPG.COM for hosting it. Thirty whole days of free game time is very generous considering that 14 day trials are the standard.
They must be confident about their game to give-away that many keys and that much gametime in an effort to drum up interest.
I'll certainly be giving FE a try and posting what I think of the game here.
i missed it omg
i wnan get one for my friend who is interested
i played FE and i love it
I think it's a great offer I was planning on trying to convice the wife to buy this for my birthday later this month. Saw the promo and saunted over to her and said well got my birthday present early this year :P
With all the games recently launched in the last couple of years that seem to aim for a huge initial box sale and or pay to play beta promos giving the box out for free (in limited numbers addmitadly) is deffinatly something unexpected.
For the doomsayers think on this I believe giving the box away shows the devs have a great deal of faith that if you give the game 30 days trial your probably going to become a subscriber. Afterall they make no money at all if you quit before those 30 days are up. Taking no other costs into consideration they need you to subscribe for 2 to 3 months to recover the box price. To me thats not a sign of desperation thats a sign of we have made something great here have a go and enjoy.
The lesser of two evils is still evil.
There is nothing more dangerous than a true believer.
QFE, I agree wholeheartedly.
This is a smaller company with a smaller overhead than most of the AAA titles out there. It at least APPEARS that they have the ability to run a bit leaner because of this. Most of the time I would agree with this statement scythe99, but I really don't think that's the case here.
FE has made some nice leaps since it released, and I'm please to say, at least for me, the game runs pretty well over all...and looks MUCH better than it did 6 months ago.
I bought this game about a month and a half ago, and I'm still having a great time and playing it for what it is (an original, yet nostalgic MMO experience).
Once they get player made cities and something more substantial to do at "end game," this will, IMO, be one of the best MMOs on the market.
Joined - July 2004
They really are a bunch of enthusiasts compared to the norm amongst a lot of other mmo companies. These folks are setting a new standard in customer service and support. I cannot say enough how impressed I am by this group.
There really are some lessons to be learned by some other companies out there by these folks far as how to provide customer service/support and develop a loyal customer fanbase.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
The way I see it as someone who bought the game, they obviously couldn't afford to run this promo at the begining. But due to those that did buy and have continued to sub they can now use that money to fund this. Now out of all the things they could do with my subs, improving the game (which they have done systematically) and and then with the remainder run this promo or hookers and beer (which it seems is the usual choice for many devs when their game breaks even or turns a profit) I'm glad they went with the promotion (if they could get a few hookers and beer as well, everyone happy).
-----
The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
Hey I just want to WARN you.....that if you go out for drinks at any of the in game pubs....beware of addiction to the poker machines and slots! Those pubs are hazardous to your virtual wallet-health.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
Love the game too! I first heard of the game on this site, about the 10 day free trial, and after about 7 days I bought it and sub. Still loving the game, see alot of people in it. Don't feel bad that I could have saved a few bucks waiting for this deal. I hope this is a posative thing and not the beginning of the end like some other posts say.
Hey I just want to WARN you.....that if you go out for drinks at any of the in game pubs....beware of addiction to the poker machines and slots! Those pubs are hazardous to your virtual wallet-health.
Yeah they are for sure. I was always broke when I played. I didn't craft anything at all and let me tell you bullets were hella expensive.
Me and others have had lag issues in the game too and still do in busy towns. But what you are describing is a problem at your end. Something within your network or your ISP throttling you and cutting you off in bandwith. This seems to happen a lot in the UK I've heard.
The game is doing very well healthy wise. For an indy game that is. They are just slowly growing.
Sure some disgruntled hardcore PVP'ers have left (mostly annoying l337 kiddies anyway), because ICARUS is trying to optimise the PVE aspect of the game first.
Luckily the vast majority are PVE oriented players and still having a blast.
Sure the game has it's issues and can use some more challenging PVE here and there. And some more group incentives. But they seem to be slowly working on that.
If you want to see a TRUE act of desperation. Have a look at the ATARI / Cryptic fiasco of last weekend. Now that was a true act of desperation.
This one is just a very good and clever promotion. As they also plan to host a ton of ingame events and activities this month to get these 2000 new potential players hooked to the game.
Jer