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Kotaku
It looks like the Land Wars might be heading online too.
Linden Labs today rolled out a new pricing system for ownership of the game's private islands, bumping the price of a 16 acres island by 34 percent and the monthly maintenance fees by about 52 percent.
The price hike will not effect current owners of private islands or mainland land purchasers, just those interested in buying up new digital island land masses.
News of the uppage has lead to some angry words from gamers and at least one major land baron to give up the ghost and leave the world.
"I'm sure you can appreciate that (the price changes) will have a huge effect on the rental market," wrote Hiro Queso, an owner and landlord of a number of "Second Life" islands. "With great sadness, I hereby give you notice that I will no longer be offering rentals and all (islands) will be cleared" within a month.
Others say they will just pass the cost on to their renters, effectively becoming slumlords. Actually, I made the slumlord part up, but it's endlessly fascinating to watch how Second Life doings so closely mirror the real world. So much for virtual utopia.
