Concerning 'subscription' online games.

[Reed Spacer]

Does anyone besides me think the cost of these games are unfair?

Let's use the latest Final Fantasy game as an example: the monthly subscrition to play is around $20, but the game itself (which is completely useless unless you're playing online) costs you about $40.

I think in the case of these games, the game itself should be at a low cost or even free, since the game itself literally can't be played without a subscription as there is no 'offline' mode..

Does anyone else follow this belief?

 

[krazykidd]

No .

First it comes with a 1 month free with the game . So substract that from the asking price.

Second , you have to realise what the subscription fee is for. The sub is for maintenance and servers ( and a little profit).

Third the retail ( or digital) price is for the game. This is for the work that the developpers did.

 

[tippy2k2]

I don't know if "Fair" or "unfair" would be the right words here. The company will charge what it can until it's not profitable, in which case they will then drop the price. Frankly, I have to assume that minds smarter than mine have figured out that threshold.

With that said...

I always thought it would be a smarter business move to make them free. Once MMOs, not unlike crack, get their hooks into you, many stick with it because they've sunk that much time/effort/whatever into it. Like a good drug dealer, MMO makers should give out the little stuff for free (like WoW has started doing, allowing you to play up to level 20) to get them hooked. Once hooked, they start jonsing for more and more and more until finally, you have them dead to rights.

 

[Foolery]

First off, Final Fantasy XIV is 12 to 15 bucks, not twenty. Personally, I'm okay with it. Free to play rarely does MMOs any favours. You just end up with a paywall in other areas of the game. Secondly, there's nothing unfair about it. Their game, their rules.

 

[Reed Spacer]

I don't have an issue the subscripction cost - my issue is you have to pay as much as you would for a game just to get the software to play it.

Wouldn't you think it more of a draw if this disk was cheap?

 

[BQE]

I really, honestly don't mind. I make more than enough for the price to never be an issue.

Besides, I would take a subscription any day over constant advertisements and microtransactions.