If I recall correctly, wasn't British Legends, in the days of CompuServe, also effectively pay-to-play? I don't remember precisely if there was an hourly charge to play the game itself, but there certainly was a charge to use CompuServe and get access to that game.
So, yes, I guess the pay-to-play phenomenon has been around since at least the mid-1980s.
And, I have to wonder: Does it really make sense to begrudge pay-to-pay multiplayer games when we're not equally incensed by the Infocoms, the BioWares, and all the other companies that have ever "corporatized" single-player games? No one seems to be crying foul over the beloved single-player games that cost money.
If a game's bad, the market will put it out of business. If a game's good, it will succeed. That's whether it's pay to play or free.
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