If you're not doing it like GW2 (price model), you're doing it wrong. WoW is still able to operate under the dinosaur model because they snowballed such a huge userbase back when large-scale MMOs were still in their infancy. Now it's the players who can't bear to give up years of dedication that are still playing it. GW2 has the perfect model of making it both easy to leave AND to come back.
Final Fantasy XIV Subscriptions Aim to Regain Player Trust
- Thread starter Marshall Honorof
- Start date
yes we are.Formica Archonis said:
Plenty of people on XI still, but the prospect of starting over again in a new world with wtf graphics and being a "noob" again seems fun. I'll likely give it a shot, at least until the next XI expansion comes out (already in development and scheduled for next year as well.)
I agree with the overall sentimentality that it's nice to see a developer actually try to repair damage to it's name rather than just bury the game in obscurity and pretend it never happened.
You know, the subscription model does not really impact profitability (that statement is supported by stats) short-term (though a larger player base can lead to a more profitable game long-term).
However, making a good game does. Try starting with that, Square.
However, making a good game does. Try starting with that, Square.
So they want to regain our trust by not going free to play? They also don't want to go free to play because they don't have to pay back investors and FTP would generate a lot of money quickly and they don't want to do that?
Sounds like a load of BS.
Sounds like a load of BS.
No one is gaining my trust when they mention subscriptions. For anyone who says you can't have a good free-to-play without restricting content, I point you to League of Legends http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Legends
It is also the most played PC game in the world. I would call that successful.
[small] http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2012/07/11/riot-games-league-of-legends-officially-becomes-most-played-pc-game-in-the-world/
^I saw your comment after I posted this, so i thought I would make an edit to draw your attention to this.
It is also the most played PC game in the world. I would call that successful.
[small] http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2012/07/11/riot-games-league-of-legends-officially-becomes-most-played-pc-game-in-the-world/
^I saw your comment after I posted this, so i thought I would make an edit to draw your attention to this.
[/small]Magichead said:
Odds are almost entirely against demos helping sales.oldtaku said:
I'd be surprised if Square didn't pitch a free week's game time sort of project, but that's not exactly a demo.
Asking for a monthly subscription lets Square market a completely different game than if it was a freemium game.
Still, the real question folks developing MMORPGs need to be asking is how they can put the community back in it, and how they can put the RPG back in it. Ever since WoW everyone's suddenly got it in their heads that levels, classes, and gear means you're playing an RPG.
How is F2P "restricting" content? Plenty of MMOs that have gone F2P have included 100% of the content available to everyone at any time. Lineage 2 is currently one of those games I'm playing that ditched the subscription fee and puts zero barriers between you and the rest of the game. Guild Wars 2 is obviously a quality F2P title. Star Wars: Old Republic's F2P option is appreciated by many.
Can we cut the BS out and jump straight to the real reason? FF14 needs subscriptions to offset the millions wasted on it already. They're banking on a few, but loyal, people to fork over monthly fees over the long-term to eventually balance out all their prior wasteful spending, and they're too proud to admit that F2P is a viable model of MMO now. There is NO Square Enix MMO that has gone F2P, and they are not about to do so for the customer's benefit at this point. These are the same people charging $30 for 10 year old ports of their games on iPhone, after all.
Frankly, I think that's a mistake. FF14, despite their admittedly heroic attempts to fix it, still has the stench of failure around it and the stigma of upsetting millions of fans with a crappy game. Two years later, asking people to literally PAY to find out if it still sucks isn't going to make a lot of people happy. A few will take the plunge, and they may even enjoy it...
... But it would be like if Bioware asked me to pay $20 to see if the Extended Cut of Mass Effect 3 still sucked. If it's free, sure, I'll try it out and maybe even walk away impressed. But it's going to take more than that to make me pay them another cent, and FF14 has nearly two years of bad press, irate gamers, and broken promises bogging down the relaunch.
The relaunch could be great... but I'm not about to pay $15 to see if one of the worst games ever has miraculous become worthy of supporting. ESPECIALLY not when so many other superior games are sharing shelf space with it and don't have monthly subscription fees to get between me and the game.
For those that never played the game before, will you really pay $60-75 to see if the game everyone told you was awful has stopped sucking?
Can we cut the BS out and jump straight to the real reason? FF14 needs subscriptions to offset the millions wasted on it already. They're banking on a few, but loyal, people to fork over monthly fees over the long-term to eventually balance out all their prior wasteful spending, and they're too proud to admit that F2P is a viable model of MMO now. There is NO Square Enix MMO that has gone F2P, and they are not about to do so for the customer's benefit at this point. These are the same people charging $30 for 10 year old ports of their games on iPhone, after all.
Frankly, I think that's a mistake. FF14, despite their admittedly heroic attempts to fix it, still has the stench of failure around it and the stigma of upsetting millions of fans with a crappy game. Two years later, asking people to literally PAY to find out if it still sucks isn't going to make a lot of people happy. A few will take the plunge, and they may even enjoy it...
... But it would be like if Bioware asked me to pay $20 to see if the Extended Cut of Mass Effect 3 still sucked. If it's free, sure, I'll try it out and maybe even walk away impressed. But it's going to take more than that to make me pay them another cent, and FF14 has nearly two years of bad press, irate gamers, and broken promises bogging down the relaunch.
The relaunch could be great... but I'm not about to pay $15 to see if one of the worst games ever has miraculous become worthy of supporting. ESPECIALLY not when so many other superior games are sharing shelf space with it and don't have monthly subscription fees to get between me and the game.
For those that never played the game before, will you really pay $60-75 to see if the game everyone told you was awful has stopped sucking?