I would assume that the cost to produce the next patch for AH2 is included in the $14.95 you shell out each month.
With this product you pay for a month in advance each time, so over the years a good sense of vendor/consumer trust builds up. I pay because i know the game will be running 99.9% of the time whenever I want to play.
If anyone even remembers, HTC even gave us free, online, unrestricted use of their software before idiots ruined that for everyone.