Dominion Online returns, with a subscription model for expansions

If you’re a fan of Donald X. Vaccarino’s seminal deckbuilding game Dominion, you may also know of its troubled history on digital platforms.

Back in 2012, a mobile game developer named Goko launched an official version of the 2008 hit on iOS. The launch was somewhat of a disaster and the app was quickly pulled from the App Store, leading to a three year wait for Dominion to reappear on phones and tablets.

In late 2015, a different studio, Making Fun, surfaced with a new digital take on the game – which also turned out to be pretty terrible, and disappeared not long after launch following widespread criticism over the high pricing of its many expansions, which were in line with the physical Dominion add-ons rather than adopting a digital-friendly cost.

Now, once again, a new virtual version of Dominion has come back around. This time, it’s switched developer to Shuffle iT and, for the moment, is limited to browsers only – although mobile versions are said to be planned for future release.

Once major change is that Dominion Online’s healthy selection of expansions are available through a subscription model, rather than being offered for purchase separately. There are two annual tiers – Silver and Gold – with the former €25.90 option grabbing Intrigue, Prosperity, Cornucopia, Hinterlands, Guilds and Seaside and the latter adding Alchemy, Adventures, Empires and Dark Ages for €36.95 each year. If you opt to buy monthly instead, the price equals out to be either €0.07 or €0.10 a day to play with the add-ons.

Those who previously picked up a digital expansion for Making Fun’s 2015 release of the game will be granted a free subscription for the whole of 2017, meaning you won’t have to pay until next year.