Coming from Wikipedia themselves:
Prepaid refers to services paid for in advance. Examples include tolls, pay as you go cell phones, and stored-value cards such as gift cards and preloaded credit cards. Prepaid accounts are assets, and they are increased by debiting the account(s).
Prepaid services and goods are sometimes targeted to marginal customers by retailers. Prepaid options can have substantial cost reductions over postpaid counterparts because they allow customers to monitor and budget usage in advance.
Unlike postpaid or contract based services, prepaid accounts can be obtained with cash. As a result, they can be established by people who have minimal identification or poor credit ratings. Minors, immigrants, students, defaulters, and those on low incomes are typical prepaid customers.
Prepaid services and goods are sometimes targeted to marginal customers by retailers. Prepaid options can have substantial cost reductions over postpaid counterparts because they allow customers to monitor and budget usage in advance.
Unlike postpaid or contract based services, prepaid accounts can be obtained with cash. As a result, they can be established by people who have minimal identification or poor credit ratings. Minors, immigrants, students, defaulters, and those on low incomes are typical prepaid customers.
I thought that blizzard will provide pre paid stuff for guys that couldn't afford the full game (since I saw the play as guest) Since some people really can't afford the game but would like to play it why don't they provide pre-paid cards or something? Like for five dollars you can play for around 20 hours.
This is just a suggestion, since I felt that there wasn't enough SEA players in-game. Mostly Australians, New Zealand, Singaporeans and Malaysians. But not enough Thailand, Indonesians and Philippines as well.
I think the suggestion will help out LAN centers owners who are whining that the game cost too much.
check out this website: ONLY for SEA players since most of us are cheap bastards!
http://qisahn.com/blog/2010/10/starcraft-ii-just-got-a-wee-bit-cheaper/
Full press release to follow.
Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com
IRVINE, Calif. – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that a range of prepaid game card options for the English version of its record-breaking real-time strategy game StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™ will be available to players in Hong Kong/Macau, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand beginning 18 November, 2010.
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty game cards provide an additional, flexible payment option alongside the existing boxed version of StarCraft II, which includes unlimited access for the life of the game. They are available in 3-day, 7-day, and 30-day pass versions, and can be used on the Southeast Asian Battle.net® server for StarCraft II single-player and multiplayer play. A DVD starter kit will also be available, allowing players to install the game client quickly and conveniently without the need to download it. The DVD starter kit will contain a 7-day pass along with a guide to creating a Battle.net account and installing the client. Suggested retail prices for the game cards and starter kit in each region are listed below:
Region 3-day pass 7-day pass 30-day pass DVD Starter Kit With 7-day Pass
Hong Kong/Macau 8 HKD 16 HKD 55 HKD 30 HKD
Indonesia 10,000 IDR 20,000 IDR 70,000 IDR 35,000 IDR
Malaysia 3.50 MYR 7 MYR 25 MYR 12 MYR
Philippines 50 PHP 100 PHP 350 PHP 170 PHP
Singapore 1.50 SGD 3 SGD 10.50 SGD 5 SGD
Thailand 35 THB 70 THB 250 THB 120 THB
The prepaid game cards and DVD starter kit will be distributed across Southeast Asia in select Internet gaming cafes, convenience stores, and gaming retail shops. For more information about the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty passes and where to buy them, visit the info page at http://blizzard.iahgames.com.
Launched globally on July 27, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty achieved a day-one sales milestone of more than 1 million copies sold worldwide, making it the bestselling PC game of 2010 within its first 24 hours of availability. The game went on to sell a total of more than 1.5 million copies in its first 48 hours, setting the record for fastest-selling strategy game of all time, and more than 3 million copies in its first month.*
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed by players and critics worldwide as one of the top real-time strategy games of all time. Sporting a vibrant 3D-graphics engine, StarCraft II once again centers on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side deploying legions of veteran, upgraded, and new unit types. Unparalleled online play for StarCraft II is available through a new version of Battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment’s world-renowned gaming service. Battle.net has been redesigned from the ground up to be the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard gamers, with several enhancements and new features, such as voice communication, cloud file storage, leagues and ladders, achievements, stat-tracking, and more.
For more information on StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, visit the official website at http://sea.battle.net/sc2.
Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com
IRVINE, Calif. – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that a range of prepaid game card options for the English version of its record-breaking real-time strategy game StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™ will be available to players in Hong Kong/Macau, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand beginning 18 November, 2010.
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty game cards provide an additional, flexible payment option alongside the existing boxed version of StarCraft II, which includes unlimited access for the life of the game. They are available in 3-day, 7-day, and 30-day pass versions, and can be used on the Southeast Asian Battle.net® server for StarCraft II single-player and multiplayer play. A DVD starter kit will also be available, allowing players to install the game client quickly and conveniently without the need to download it. The DVD starter kit will contain a 7-day pass along with a guide to creating a Battle.net account and installing the client. Suggested retail prices for the game cards and starter kit in each region are listed below:
Region 3-day pass 7-day pass 30-day pass DVD Starter Kit With 7-day Pass
Hong Kong/Macau 8 HKD 16 HKD 55 HKD 30 HKD
Indonesia 10,000 IDR 20,000 IDR 70,000 IDR 35,000 IDR
Malaysia 3.50 MYR 7 MYR 25 MYR 12 MYR
Philippines 50 PHP 100 PHP 350 PHP 170 PHP
Singapore 1.50 SGD 3 SGD 10.50 SGD 5 SGD
Thailand 35 THB 70 THB 250 THB 120 THB
The prepaid game cards and DVD starter kit will be distributed across Southeast Asia in select Internet gaming cafes, convenience stores, and gaming retail shops. For more information about the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty passes and where to buy them, visit the info page at http://blizzard.iahgames.com.
Launched globally on July 27, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty achieved a day-one sales milestone of more than 1 million copies sold worldwide, making it the bestselling PC game of 2010 within its first 24 hours of availability. The game went on to sell a total of more than 1.5 million copies in its first 48 hours, setting the record for fastest-selling strategy game of all time, and more than 3 million copies in its first month.*
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed by players and critics worldwide as one of the top real-time strategy games of all time. Sporting a vibrant 3D-graphics engine, StarCraft II once again centers on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side deploying legions of veteran, upgraded, and new unit types. Unparalleled online play for StarCraft II is available through a new version of Battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment’s world-renowned gaming service. Battle.net has been redesigned from the ground up to be the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard gamers, with several enhancements and new features, such as voice communication, cloud file storage, leagues and ladders, achievements, stat-tracking, and more.
For more information on StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, visit the official website at http://sea.battle.net/sc2.