Psst, don’t tell anyone, but the Station Exchange launched today.

  • During the two week trial period, each participant spent an average of more than $14 per player on various auctions. Considering that the community was very small and the entire service is new, this is a healthy indicator of how quickly the service will pick up once it goes live.
  • Hot auction items included Pristine Teak Box, Pristine Strengthened Leather Backpack and a Queynosian Small Wooden Barrel. These items were big sellers because they provide players with lots of extra storage space on their character to collect loot.
  • Nearly one fourth of all the auctions begun on Station Exchange ended in a sale.
  • Our highest price item during pre-launch was a stack of money (20 platinum, 35 gold, 40 silver) that went for $315.
  • The average price for 1 platinum piece: $20.41
  • Average price for characters: $65.92.
  • Total amount of virtual cash auctioned during the two weeks, across multiple sales: 117 plat, 74 gold, 78 silver, 14 copper.

End of the world? Will all games go this way? I actually think that some games will pursue this model and others will stick with the tried and true. There are very clearly gamers with time and gamers with money — maybe these really are customers for different games altogether.