Star Trek Online Cuts Lifetime Sub Cost By $100 Until April

Remember lifetime subscriptions to MMORPGs? They were a way to get you to pony up a huge chunk of cash up front -- around two years' or so worth of sub fees -- so you wouldn't have to worry about subscription fees ever again.

We don't see them around much more for a few reasons: One, most games are free-to-play and people resist paying for a sub; two, people generally lost confidence that a game, or their interest in it, would last long enough to justify the cost; and three, there were often enough other fees, microtransactions, and the like to make a "lifetime subscription" much less of a good deal than was initially pitched.

Star Trek Online's been around for eight years now, most of it free-to-play, so it's at least got the longevity issue solved. With all its loot boxes, though, you might feel a little iffy about that last part. Nonetheless, Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios still offer a lifetime sub to the free-to-play game, and that sub is cheaper for a limited time.

From now until April 5, the cost of a lifetime subscription to Star Trek Online will be $100 cheaper, down to $199.99 from its usual price of $299.99. That gets you access to all three factions, playable Talaxians and liberated Borg characters, nine exclusive spaceships, and access to the members-only area the Captain's Table. You'll also get a unique Lifetime Badge costume piece and title, Career Officer -- and, of course, the freedom to never have to worry about your sub running out again.

Learn more about the benefits of a lifetime subscription on the official Star Trek site or the STO wiki.