The value of game accounts from seven years ago has surged by 100%, leaving netizens stunned by NetEase's textbook-level strategy!

As game functions keep advancing, trading accounts has long become a normal phenomenon. For many players, instead of painstakingly developing a character from zero, it’s preferable to purchase an account they like and enjoy the game right away.

Players are keen on buying accounts mainly because of “value for money,” as secondhand accounts typically lose worth over time, much like used cars. However, there are exceptions—sometimes old accounts become highly sought after. Recently, the prices of seven-year-old accounts for “Justice Online” have been soaring continuously, with some accounts doubling in price within just two or three days—a truly thrilling phenomenon.

The reason behind the price surge of these old “Justice Online” accounts is the game developer’s textbook-style “rebate” operation.

It is well known that NetEase’s “Justice Online” launched a special Gold Server this January, designed for career players and wealthy elites, which achieved unexpectedly great success. This model, which sells no stats and encourages players to freely trade items priced by market scarcity and supply-demand, allowing players to earn money while playing, strongly attracts veteran MMO enthusiasts. Within a few months, it drew millions of core MMO players.

However, the Gold Server’s tremendous success also set demanding conditions for its future growth—such as launching new servers. Since the MMO community is shrinking, if the game cannot break barriers and attract high-quality core players, the balance between consumer and producer players will be disrupted, degrading the gaming experience and tarnishing the Gold Server’s prestigious reputation.

To operate the Gold Server more steadily and with higher quality, the “Justice Online” team continuously launched initiatives like the Evergreen Plan, Economic Special Zone, and Partner Recruitment that directly pay players a salary. Through precise system tweaks and generous benefits, they stabilized the game ecosystem, ensuring players receive steady and lasting income with remarkable results. The “historical recharge super rebate” event was also created for the upcoming “Phoenix Soaring Nine Skies” server opening on September 26.

Besides inheriting the successful rules of the Gold Server’s Economic Special Zone and offering a grand gold-grabbing event with over 3 million cash rewards, the “Phoenix Soaring Nine Skies” server’s biggest feature is an irresistible offer for former “Justice Online” players—a massive historical recharge super rebate. Players who have previously played can get rebates based on their past recharge records, with extremely high rates, and single accounts can receive up to 3 million bound ingots as rebate.

These bound ingots can be used in the Hundred Treasures lottery, where players can obtain rare appearances, hairstyles, and auspicious mounts, among other things, plus a wish list and a guaranteed minimum reward system. Considering the large amount of rebate ingots, players can enjoy extensive lottery draws and fully indulge in a “luxurious” gaming experience.

The new Gold Server was already highly attractive to players, and combined with the historical recharge super rebate event, it became irresistible. Consequently, after the announcement of the “Phoenix Soaring Nine Skies” server, many players eager to join started hunting for old accounts with long histories and high rebate amounts to better start their new server experience. The overwhelming demand caused the prices of old “Justice Online” accounts to soar, with many accounts doubling in value.

Offering super rebates on old accounts is not just a benefit but also a way to directly activate core users with spending power through preferential welfare. Undoubtedly, NetEase’s move with “Justice Online” is a classic masterstroke—truly a divine tactic.

So, what are your thoughts on the dramatic price surge of “Justice Online” game accounts? Share your opinion with us.