Sparring for Customers

On the Internet, the mantra chanted by consumers around the world is access should be free, free, free.

This is a problem that plagues most online ventures, especially in the computer gaming industry, where the trend has been to charge people to play against each other. America Online users pay for the service’s new line of interactive entertainment. And companies such as Total Entertainment Network and Mpath Interactive charge monthly and hourly fees above and beyond a customer’s bill for Internet access.

But Virgin Interactive in Irvine, hoping to build product loyalty, is breaking with that pattern. Last week, it announced that “SubSpace” fans can battle online for free.

Consumers buy the intergalactic shoot-’em-up at a software store, then log on to a computer network where as many as 250 other people are playing the game.

“We’ve watched the game community, and fans do not like paying after-market fees,” said Brett Sperry, president of publishing for Virgin Interactive and chief executive of its subsidiary, Westwood Studios.

“If you force them to pay, you could alienate them down the road. The game industry is so competitive, we can’t afford to lose anyone.”

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P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com