The 'Black Crown' is a narrative game that makes players pay to continue reading. The online story-game is free to play but uses micropayments to reveal additional story lines and other elements. According to Random House, players can "unlock story strands, expedite the narrative and acquire items and status within the world."
The interactive novel runs on the StoryNexus platform and works like a choose-your-own adventure novel. Readers can make decisions that affect the story. The 'Black Crown' hopes to draw users in with its apocalyptic setting in a dystopian world.
Created by Random House UK, the game is a step towards innovating in pricing models for the publisher. With literature moving towards the digital realm, 'Black Crown' may just be the beginning of pay-to-read products. Whether or not this pricing model is superior to the traditional one remains to be seen.
Digital Pay-as-You-Go Literature
The 'Black Crown' Story-Game Charges Users to Unlock Storylines
Trend Themes
1. Pay-to-read - The 'Black Crown' story-game introduces a pay-to-read model, creating opportunities to monetize digital literature.
2. Interactive Storytelling - The 'Black Crown' game utilizes interactive decision-making to engage readers, opening up possibilities for immersive storytelling experiences.
3. Micropayments in Gaming - The 'Black Crown' game implements micropayments to unlock storylines and acquire in-game items, highlighting the potential of this monetization strategy in the gaming industry.
Industry Implications
1. Publishing - The 'Black Crown' story-game challenges traditional publishing pricing models, paving the way for innovative approaches to selling digital literature.
2. Gaming - The 'Black Crown' game combines literature and gaming mechanics, suggesting opportunities for hybrid experiences and new revenue streams in the gaming industry.
3. E-commerce - The use of micropayments in 'Black Crown' highlights the potential for e-commerce platforms to explore new monetization methods and enhance user engagement.