Ubisoft will be releasing a new Trackmania game on July 1. Trackmania Nations reboot, as it is called, will be launched as a free to play game. Free players can access single and multiplayer races with 25 tracks being rotated in and out. Free players can test out track and skin editors but will not have full access to those features. Trackmania Nations reboot will have two tiers of subscriptions. For $10 a year, players can get full access for both editor modes along with daily competitions and the track dubbed “Official” will become a permanent feature instead of being rotated with the other tracks. Club Access or the top tier can be acquired for $30 a year or $60 for three years. Players with Club Access can race in the Open Grand League and a chance to qualify for Trackmania Grand League along with special campaigns, and full access to the editors.
Naturally, potential players complained that paying full price upfront was more desirable over the yearly subscriptions, and permanently getting every feature of the game. The track and skin editor were cited as highly desirable and worth purchasing the full game. Ubisoft did respond on different forum. “Actually it’s not a subscription model but an access to the game for a limited time. You pay for having access to the game for one period and that’s it. When the time is over, you have to buy the game again for the time that you want to access it again,” a Ubisoft representative commented.
Ubisoft explanation, which is close to describing a subscription, has led to more criticism from potential players and fans, equating the comment to Electronic Art’s calling their loot boxes surprise mechanics when asked about gambling in their games. There is some confusion on the free tier and what the subscriptions offer as the editor modes are under the $10 tier but when responding to questions about pricing, it was stated that the editor was in the free tier. It is also unclear how the servers will be restricted for free players despite the listing claiming the restriction.