www.looper.com Open in urlscan Pro
13.33.60.108  Public Scan

Submitted URL: http://lnk.ozy.com/click/gb01-2ihjga-wzqse6-frp2xge4/
Effective URL: https://www.looper.com/339732/the-most-expensive-in-game-purchase-in-gaming-history/?utm_term=OZY&utm_campaign=daily-do...
Submission: On March 14 via api from SE — Scanned from CA

Form analysis 1 forms found in the DOM

<form>
  <div class="gdpr" style="opacity: 1; x: 1px; y: 0px; transform: translateY(0px) scale(1, 1);">
    <div class="EUCookieNotice__close"><span class="icon icon-x">×</span></div>
    <span class="gdpr-info">Cookies help us deliver our Services. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies.<!-- -->&nbsp;<a href="/privacy-policy" target="_blank">Learn More</a>.</span>
  </div>
</form>

Text Content

×
 * NEWS
 * EXCLUSIVES
 * MOVIES
 * TV
 * GAMING
 * COMICS
 * REVIEWS
 * FEATURES
 * 
 * About
 * Privacy Policy
 * Terms of Use

© 2022 Static Media®. All Rights Reserved

The Most Expensive In-Game Purchase In Gaming History
NEWS EXCLUSIVES MOVIES TV GAMING COMICS REVIEWS FEATURES




×
Cookies help us deliver our Services. By using our Services, you agree to our
use of cookies. Learn More.



THE MOST EXPENSIVE IN-GAME PURCHASE IN GAMING HISTORY


By Jenna Inouye/Feb. 23, 2021 10:05 am EDT

Take a look into the most expensive in-game purchases in gaming history and you
will quickly be pointed toward Entropia Universe. 

Entropia Universe is an MMO realm with a currency that has a fixed 10:1 exchange
rate with USD. Colonists are able to join for free, perform real work, make real
money, complete trades, and even purchase real estate with actual money. You may
have thought spending $100 on Candy Crush was a lot, but purchases for digital
real estate can go into the millions. Over the years, many of the planets that
comprise Entropia Universe have been sold for real cash.

Powered By

10



Why Batman's Costume Actually Makes No Sense


Share

Next
Stay

3




The most famous of Entropia Universe planets is Planet Calypso — but there's
also Planet Arkadia, Rocktropia, Next Island, Planet Cyrene, and Planet Toulan.
Each of these planets has its own theme and, importantly, finite geography and
resources. Real estate and items within the game are able to be traded for
real-world currency because there's a functioning in-game economy. 

And that economy can lead to some pretty big sales.




IN 2011, SEE PURCHASED PLANET CALYPSO FOR $6 MILLION

Entropia Universe

Planet Calypso was initially developed by MindArk as a the first planet
in Entropia Universe. But in 2011, another company — SEE Virtual Worlds —
purchased Planet Calypso from MindArk for $6 million, making it the largest
in-game purchase ever. While $6 million for a digital planet may seem like quite
a lot, Planet Calypso's real estate was already booming before this sale went
through. In 2010, a player had sold a single Planet Calypso resort for
$635,000. 



Real estate in Entropia Universe operates just like real estate in the real
universe, with deeds to malls, shops, houses, and apartments. Because there's a
finite amount of space, homes and commercial spaces within Planet Calypso can
appreciate in value. And because there's a locked exchange rate between Entropia
Universe and the real universe, people know they have a specific amount of
currency in real, US dollars. People can even run retail businesses, such as
malls, buying and selling digital items. 

In fact, players can even invest in shares of digital companies in Entropia
Universe. The Crystal Palace Space Station was sold for $330,000 in 2009 — and
as of 2019, players are able to purchase their own portion of it.






BEYOND PLANET CALYPSO AND ENTROPIA UNIVERSE

Second Life

With values in the millions, it may seem like cheating to use Entropia
Universe as the only example of high dollar in-game purchasing. But Entropia
Universe isn't alone in selling digital goods and real estate.



Back in 2007, Wired reported that a Second Life player had sold their
painstakingly recreated digital version of Amsterdam for $50,000 through eBay.
Similarly, Star Citizen has sold 4km-by-4km plots of land in its game (a
microtransaction that some people think is shameful). Both of these pale in
comparison to the massive purchase of Planet Calypso, but they are still
noteworthy investments.

Apart from real estate, a Pink War Dog Skin from Dota 2 once sold for $38,000 —
making it the most expensive skin ever sold at that time. It was later dethroned
when a rare weapon from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive sold for $61,000, after
being previously purchased for half that price. In other words, there are big
bucks to be made when trading virtual real estate and collectibles.







Recommended
Video Games You Should Never Play in Front of Your Kids
These Twitch Streamers Are Stunning Without Makeup
The Tragedy Of Markiplier Is So Utterly Sad
Payday 2: Ghost And Fugitive Explained