$60 With A $15 Monthly Subscription... Why Isn't Ship Of Heroes Just Free-To-Play!?

After nearly a decade of development, Ship of Heroes finally launched on September 22. Developed by Heroic Games, the indie superhero MMORPG was designed as a spiritual successor to the beloved free-to-play MMORPG City of Heroes. Unfortunately, the launch has been met with frustration, skepticism, and disappointment.

The problem is not simply the theme, the mechanics, or the polish of the game, though those aspects also have detractors. The true issue lies in the price. Ship of Heroes costs $60 up front, followed by a $15 monthly subscription. If a subscription fee is going to be charged, why not make it optional, as RuneScape does, and allow the base game to be free-to-play?

As expected, the results are devastating. The Internet has already mocked the game’s low population. Launch day should represent the height of player activity, yet Ship of Heroes reached a peak of only 89 players, according to Steam Charts. Not even 100 people tried it out. A free-to-play launch could have generated curiosity, raised population numbers, and given the game a fighting chance to prove itself before asking for money. I mean, for crying out loud, $60 entry places Ship of Heroes in the same category as AAA titles.

Heroic Games likely had its reasons, though. Developing an MMO for nearly a decade is costly, and the team may have felt the need to secure reliable revenue in order to keep servers running and development moving. But $60 is asking a lot. Sure, a loyal base of paying subscribers could, in theory, provide stability. However, the calculation feels out of touch with today’s market. The studio bet heavily on nostalgia for City of Heroes and on the appeal of a community-driven narrative to convince players to pay premium rates. This backlash suggests a serious miscalculation, though.

Also, early reviews and community feedback have leaned negative as well. The game currently sits at 33 “Mostly Negative” reviews on Steam. Players say there are bugs, clunky animations, and a lack of polish in areas that should have been refined after so many years of development. Others criticized the limited mission variety and shallow progression, arguing that Ship of Heroes feels unfinished. Still, some defenders pointed to the character creator, which does provide impressive customization, and the combat system, which mirrors City of Heroes in ways that spark nostalgia. 

The irony is that the very community most likely to support the game would have willingly spent money anyway. Fans of the genre are accustomed to supporting MMOs they love through cosmetic purchases, expansions, or optional memberships. A free-to-play launch with a fair cash shop and voluntary subscription model could have created goodwill and sustained revenue. Instead, the developers erected an astronomical barrier to entry that has overshadowed everything else.

After almost a decade of development, Ship of Heroes should have been a testament to persistence and community passion. Instead, it has become yet another cautionary tale. The game now remains locked behind a paywall that too few are willing to climb.