Earlier this week, Cryptic stocked STO's real-money store with playable Klingon and Ferengi characters, stirring up a heated debate. But seriously, what's the big deal?

Thousands of Trekkers finally took their first steps toward the "final frontier" in Star Trek Online yesterday. Developed by Cryptic Studios and published by Atari, the long-awaited MMO hit retail shelves and digital distribution yesterday, coinciding with its public server launch. Despite many of the fan community's qualms during Star Trek Online's beta-testing phase, the official release of the MMO was fairly well-received. Nonetheless, yesterday opponents of Cryptic's dual-revenue model fueled the flames of discontent once again, after learning about the first couple of items offered in STO's "C-Store" (Cryptic's in-game, micro-transaction-based storefront).

As we reported shortly after the news broke, the first two items available for purchase are the "Federation Klingon Playable Species" and "Federation Ferengi Playable Species," priced at 240 and 80 Cryptic Points (Cryptic's RMT currency) each, respectively. Some players were irritated with the move, stirring up the forums and blogosphere once again with long-winded rants about customer loyalty and false advertising. Are these claims really justified, or is Cryptic paving the way for future MMOs by creating a balanced and innovative dual-revenue model?

Months ago, the fan community predicted that Star Trek Online would probably feature the same multiple-revenue model that Cryptic utilized for Champions Online; the initial "box purchase" and a monthly subscription fee, supplemented by micro-transactions via its recently-launched C-Store. Prior to Champions Online's release, Cryptic received a bit of backlash from its fan community, similar to this week's events.

Back then, Cryptic attempted to stave off any misconceptions about the types of items that players would be able to purchase in Champions Online via "real money" by releasing a statement; "[The MMO will] support micro-transactions, but contrary to the concerns of some people, the game is not ‘based' on them." Cryptic executive Bill Roper explained that most items in the C-Store would be "aesthetic items, such as costume pieces, action figures and emblems," along with a few account-level management tools that provide services like character renaming.

Many fans later expressed that Cryptic didn't follow through on its promises that C-Store items "should never limit your ability to enjoy the game […]" and "any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play." This is the main point of contention fueling the recent backlash among Star Trek Online fans; throughout the beta-testing phase, the inability to play as a Federation Klingon (among other various species) was a major drawback, according to proponents.

Cryptic later responded in various announcements by saying that the developers will continue to be receptive to major community issues and requests; the most common mantra was that if it's important enough to players, Cryptic will seriously consider adding new features in later game patches.

That's one of the main reasons why fans erupted with discontent in massive forum threads like this one, after the first C-Store items were discovered to be exclusive Federation character species, similar to the previously-requested content. (If a link to one, single forum thread seems like we're misleading you when we call it an "eruption," just Google a simple phrase like "Star Trek Online C-Store Klingon" and browse through the results.)

The opinion shared by most of these upset fans seems to be that they feel Cryptic blindsided them—promising character content like the Federation Klingon and other species, without revealing it as purchasable content until after the official launch. More to the point, many fans are spooked by the thought of what's to come, based on the items offered in the C-Store at launch.

But is the issue truly as under-handed as many fans are claiming? Are these two Federation races really that important when it comes to actual gameplay? Many fans don't think so. In response to the hornet's nest of forum and blog activity yesterday, some fans were quick to point out that players can still create a distinctive alien species with STO's diverse character customization system.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that the C-Store characters don't influence gameplay, in the strictest sense; they feature an exclusive look and provide the ability be a Federation officer, but they don't offer unique gameplay mechanics. Others suggest it was a smart move for Cryptic to offer these races only in the C-Store, from a lore standpoint; the Federation is at war with the Klingon Empire, so it wouldn't be realistic to see thousands of Klingons running around in Starfleet uniforms.

It's also important to remember that the MMO just launched yesterday. As much as Cryptic—or any MMO developer—would love to reap steady profits from its micro-transaction shop, player retention will always be paramount with subscription-based MMOs. If the developers begin to notice that players are getting pissed off with the types of items in the C-Store, the might change their strategy rather than risk losing subscribers.

Even if Cryptic continues to offer exclusive Federation characters in the shop, it's more than likely that most of its contents will eventually include vanity and convenience-oriented wares; retcon tickets, uniforms, ship skins, pets…basically, the usual stuff we've already seen in Champions Online. Despite what many forum threads would have you believe, the marketing and sales retention heads at Cryptic/Atari aren't fools; when it comes to keeping its subscribers playing (i.e., paying), the company will eventually submit to the will of its fan base.

Last summer, we explored the emerging trend of Western MMOs featuring dual- or multiple revenue models in an editorial, when players were still trying to get used to the idea of paying a monthly fee for an MMO that also features a cash item shop. Inevitably, many players' initial reaction wasn't too kind; companies like Cryptic took a lot of flak from the community, accused of being too "greedy" and profit-hungry.

But once the dust settled, it became clear that the Western MMO market is undergoing the initial stages of a major change. For years, publishers in the U.S. watched in envy as the Asian MMO market flourished by using multiple revenue models; it was only a matter of time before Western publishers adopted similar strategies.

However, we're still in the early stages of witnessing the refinement of multiple-revenue models here in the U.S. Like anything else, it will take a bit of time and trial-and-error for Cryptic and other publishers to "get it right," offering customers a reasonable balance between monthly fees and micro-transactions. In the mean time, community feedback—even harsh criticism—plays a vital role in keeping MMO publishers in-check; it's always important to remind them what they can and can't get away with, ultimately influencing the shape of things to come.