â??Sony and Microsoft keen on subscription-MMOsâ??

Seattle-based startup studio Undead Labs has revealed its new zombie MMO game for consoles will “almost certainly” employ subscription charges.

And according to the studio’s founder Jeff Strain, Sony and Microsoft are keen on the idea.

“There are still hurdles to jump with both Sony and Microsoft. But people will make it much easier to jump the hurdle if people can come to the table and say ‘we’re making a console-only MMO from the ground-up’”, Strain said.

Strain told Develop that discussions with platform holders have been positive, “but there’s a lot of negotiation to do with Sony and Microsoft.”

Said Strain: “I’ve been talking to them for years and I think they very much want to see this. There are lots of sticking points to get through. The questions will be how billing works, how the revenue is recognized and who gets what.”

Sony and Microsoft are still “feeling their way through the whole MMO business model”, says strain.

Elsewhere in Develop’s two-part interview, Strain discusses the flaws of free-to-play, and also the potential of motion control in the MMO genre.