There are times when a spokesman for a company opens their mouth, and one could be forgiven for charitably assuming that there has been an honest and harmless linguistic faux pas, a turn of phrase or word choice which evokes the quaint notion of something being “lost in translation.”
Then there are times where a spokesman for a company opens their mouth and spews forth something utterly ridiculous, a turn of phrase which leaves people wondering just how dumb the speaker in question thinks the audience is. The last time we heard something like this, it was EA being grilled in the British Parliament and declaring loot boxes to be “surprise mechanics.”
Now, a spokeswoman for Nadeo, the developer for racing game Trackmania, has gone on record in a forum post stating that the annual pricing levels for increased access to the game are not a subscription.
For those who haven’t played, Trackmania is a racing game where players can race on and build out astoundingly complex tracks. Many of these tracks would be impossible outside of a slot car kit, which adds to the fun.
In an announcement last week, Nadeo indicated the game would be released on July 1 and that there would be three “distinct racing experiences,” with Starter Access being free to all players who bought the game, Standard Access for $9.99 per year (which grants players the ability to save player-made tracks as well as “Track of The Day” tracks), and Club Access for $29.99 per year or $59.99 for three years (which allows players to join clubs, customize skins, and participate in Nadeo-organized racing leagues).
Once the paid access period runs out, players are automatically shifted back to the Starter Access level unless they re-up. If you’re wondering, one of the dictionary definitions of the word “subscription” is this: the right to receive a service or access text online for a specified period. That sounds pretty much like what Trackmania is going to be doing.
