Rumor: Zynga To Charge Monthly Fee For FarmVille

Another rumor is making its’ way around player statuses this past weekend – this one directed at Zynga’s FarmVille. Here is a sample of a typical status we have seen:

ATTENTION: Zynga has announced that as of March 31, 2010 FarmVille will no longer be available in it’s Beta version. The game will be available for a subscription fee of $5.99 per month and will include additional levels above 70.

The rumor is simply untrue. There has been no announcement of this kind from Zynga, nor has there been any indication that the Beta version will no longer be made available.

However, that is not to say that a paid version of the game won’t become a reality. A large number of multi player games use a dual membership business model. This allows for a free membership plan, offering all the basics we have accessible to us know when playing FarmVille, and an upgraded monthly membership; giving us additional perks not granted to free members.

This would be a sound move on Zynga’s part, but it still doesn’t change the fact that the rumor of Beta being over and the game changing to paid membership only, is completely untrue.