Elder Scrolls Online Director Explains Opting For Subscriptions

[UsefulPlayer 1]

He should have been honest and said something like "The MMO business is as expensive as shit and we still want to make a ton of freaking money. This franchise has a large and dedicated fanbase, so this is the best chance we're gonna get to enslave them in a subscription based system."

I wonder if it ever occurred to them that the Elder Scrolls games probably have the best Content vs. Dollar ratios ever.

Anyway, we are just trying to you out. At $15 a month, gamers would have to believe that there are massive additions or improvements to the game every month. At $15 a month, you would also have to expect us to be massively invested in that game to experience all that shit day in and day out.

And we both know those things aren't gonna be fucking true so stop trying to do it. Scale back the subscription fee, offer some other freemium player friendly options for other revenue options, and release new content on budget with what you're getting.

Because no one is gonna be on board long enough at $15 a month. If anything, I recommend those people just end their subscription every month and hop back on when new/really good stuff hits the ESO.

Again, it'd be different if you were releasing a Knights of the Nine every month. But you probably aren't and nobody probably wants to keep playing that much consistently every month anyway. Every two months wouldn't be so much worse.

 

[Vrach]

The subscription model also keeps out quite a lot of trolls and griefers. People tend to be less of a dick when they have a monetary investment in a game.

Of course, EVE Online would be the exception to that... ;P

Also WoW. So, basically, the two working PPM games.

 

[Vrach]

Also WoW. So, basically, the two working PPM games.

WoW is subcription-based, but it's pretty easy to play it for free (up to a point).

There's been some recent talk (last month) about it going completely F2P though.

I really don't enjoy the "F2P" business model though. Then again, I don't play much multiplayer.

How do you play it for free when it requires a monthly payment? And my point was that despite being subscription based, it's another (completing the full set of two working) MMO that has a predominant collection of dickbags.

 

[Vrach]

snipparoo

Yeah, but that's more of a demo than a FTP option.

But it's beside my point, even when that didn't exist (ie. several years back when I was playing), most of the people you met were douchebags of some variety. I've played with a ton of different people, but every time I was meeting someone new, there was an 80% chance they were assholes.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Unless you your WoW or Eve, you can't survive on subscriptions anymore.

Or FF11, it's been chugging along nice and quiet like with a subscription model in the background of all the MMO hullabaloo. Its successor, FF14:ARR, will be following the same model.

The FF MMOs are a bad example of surviving on subscriptions considering they almost destroyed Square Enix. Especially FF14. Even so, WoW, EVE, and FF are the only games to have any success with a subscriber system. Everyone else either went F2P or went bankrupt.

"Square Enix president Yoichi Wada announced in June 2012 that Final Fantasy XI had become the most profitable title in the Final Fantasy series."

I kind of doubt it ruined square. Though XIV 1.0 almost did, XI subscriptions helped it survive to even attempt ARR.

A GOOD game that votes for Subscriptions, can help hold a company well. A bad game, however, can cripple it.

To be fair Final Fantasy 11 took 10 years to become Final Fantasy's "most profitable installment". In the scope of MMOs, its still chugging way behind most subscription based MMOs. And I never said FFXI almost ruined Square. That achievement goes to FF14.

 

[Zac Jovanovic]

...Are there pay gates or pay worlds? I was under the understanding that the F2P model had things you can purchase but didn't restrict access to areas/portions of the game.

It varies from game to game, LOTRO has pay-gates, as does DDO Online, I believe SWTOR does too, the only F2P game I can think of that doesn't is Rift, but you can't access the expansion content without paying sooo?

What? No. All content in Rift is free, zones, pve, pvp, endgame and all. Only thing you get from the expansion is one additional soul per class (on top of the 8 souls per class that are free).

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

I used to want to play Elder Scrolls Online. I wonder if they realize that they lost many potential buyers when they made this announcement.

Why do they seem to think it's either "Subscription fees" or "Free to Play with microtransactions"? There is a third model which i imagine people would've been happy to go for: The Guild Wars 2 model.

 

[Whytewulf]

I am happy, whether I am in the minority or not, that it's a subscription model. F2P is too scattered. Why does everyone think and compare it to GW2? GW2 is successful, maybe but it has only been out for a year and I know tons of people stopped playing, due to content. With that said, subscription worked fine for a while and if they actually intend to take some WOW players, those people are used to a subscription.

Most people who stopped playing GW2 due to content did so because they were expecting your standard end game dungeon/gear grind. GW2 does not provide that, and the publically stated plans they released prior to the game even coming out confirmed that they weren't really ever planning to. Instead, GW2 players get a series of storyline and activity oriented releases every two weeks (not to mention content additions and patches). It's apples and oranges, really.

I agree for the most part. Different games.. But it appears everyone compares it to GW2, which is a different game and a different mind set of player. I truly think there can be various types of games and payment models. Just like cell phones, you can get pre-pay, pay as you go and subscriptions, not everything works for everyone. I am willing to give them a chance. Again, you can start Sub and move to f2p, but can't go the other way. Will they lose some early adopters? Probably but there is always that set that wait anyway. It's not so much that people criticize a business model it's a huge flame war. Running a business is tough and sometimes you make wrong decisions, but sometimes it works out. I have been looking for a PVE grind game, this may not be it, but alas, you never know!

 

[darron13]

Guild Wars managed it without being intrusive with being buy to play. If they did that I don't think anyone would have had a problem...

 

[prpshrt]

Played the beta and it didn't feel like an elder scrolls game to me. Nor did it feel like a very interesting game either. GW2 held my attention until I had at least two level 80s and I still go back every now and then. I'm shocked that they aren't going to make it a one time purchase... Certainly feels like a lot more people would buy it. It's not good enough to have a $15 sub. I wish you good luck on this journey Bethesda. There's a part of me that really wants to see you go f2p a year down the road so I can laugh but I like you so there's a part of me that never wants that to happen to you.