Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Pure speculation.. Surprise expansion at Christmas?

2»

Comments

  • tiefighter25tiefighter25 Member Posts: 937

    I think there will be a mini-expansion that coincides with the Freemium launch tenatively schedeuled for November.

    For lackof a better name, let's call it Makeb.

    I believe right now Bioware is finishing converting the mini-expansion from the originally intended P2P model to the new FTP model.

    I believe that the vast majority of HK, the new warzone, cathar, and Makeb were completed before the two round of lay-offs.

    I don't think some people appreciate just how large the Austin layoffs probably were (I say probably because there was never an official announcement.)

    From the LA TImes article, it was speculated that 800 people were working on SWTOR's development.

    The first round of Bioware layoffs late spring were estimated to be 200 people (Rumored of course: https://twitter.com/georgeb3dr/status/205007250765520898 as an example.)

    Whether this layoff was all staff, a combination of staff and contractors, all staff and contractors not being recontracted, I don't know; but in any case it is a large number.

    Then there was a second round of layoffs about a month and a half later. (Also Bioware Ireland has been restructured to EA Galway, not just a SWTOR customer service center anymore.)

    I believe Bioware was earnest in it's original claim to start putting out new content on a monthly basis, but in the Spring EA had different ideas, and decided to switch the game to FTP (along with the severe layoffs.)

    I believe that's why the content has been coming out at such a meager rate since the spring. EA is saving up content to coincide with the FTP launch. The stored up content has been slowly meted out at a trickle to just keep enough subscribers interested in the game.

    That is why the Chevrin scavenger hunt felt so unfinished, because it was unfinished.

    That is why 1.4 sis not include the new war zone.

    That is why HK-51 and the Cathat, which have been teased forever, have still not been released. (HK-51's quest chain was actually in the Beta as some of you may recall.)

    Right now, Bioware's biggest decision is not whether or when to release Makeb, but whether or not to charge their current subscribers for it. (FTP players will have to purchase it in the cash shop if they want to play up to the new level cap, whatever it is that Bioware has decided.)

    Before you say I'm talking out of my ass, here's a marketing survey Bioware conducted in May to try and gauge how much their subscribers would be willing to pay for various combinations of the Makeb mission, the cathar race, the Kowakian monkey that has been "revealled" recently, etc. packaged as an expansion pack.

    https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw6sp6dpJKRcaDdKTHFnQlp6Wjg/edit?pli=1

    Despite being a skeleton crew, I fully expect their to be a small expansion pack before Christmas.

    Furthermore, I believe that Christmas is also the drop dead date that EA wants this game to go to FTP, to both catch some holiday sales, but more importantly, to get this game in the FTP mode before the next quarter begining in January so they don;t have to announce anymore subscription numbers, and further push SWTOR news to the back burners of their earnings confrence calls.

  • gervaise1gervaise1 Member EpicPosts: 6,919

    Agree. End of October will be a reporting period and then end of Jan. Having something for people to buy so that EA can say something comforting about revenue in January would fit the bill (so they could stretch the release date into early January).

    At the end of the day though F2P makes it very easy, imo, for people to unsubscribe and play the new content as and when there is enough to bring them back. And when not playing SWTOR they can play Assassin's Creed: Liberation; Skyrim DawnGuard - whatever. No need to pay the monthly sub just stop by on an occasional basis. 

  • DraronDraron Member Posts: 993
    Originally posted by tiefighter25

    I think there will be a mini-expansion that coincides with the Freemium launch tenatively schedeuled for November.

    For lackof a better name, let's call it Makeb.

    I believe right now Bioware is finishing converting the mini-expansion from the originally intended P2P model to the new FTP model.

    I believe that the vast majority of HK, the new warzone, cathar, and Makeb were completed before the two round of lay-offs.

    I don't think some people appreciate just how large the Austin layoffs probably were (I say probably because there was never an official announcement.)

    From the LA TImes article, it was speculated that 800 people were working on SWTOR's development.

    The first round of Bioware layoffs late spring were estimated to be 200 people (Rumored of course: https://twitter.com/georgeb3dr/status/205007250765520898 as an example.)

    Whether this layoff was all staff, a combination of staff and contractors, all staff and contractors not being recontracted, I don't know; but in any case it is a large number.

    Then there was a second round of layoffs about a month and a half later. (Also Bioware Ireland has been restructured to EA Galway, not just a SWTOR customer service center anymore.)

    I believe Bioware was earnest in it's original claim to start putting out new content on a monthly basis, but in the Spring EA had different ideas, and decided to switch the game to FTP (along with the severe layoffs.)

    I believe that's why the content has been coming out at such a meager rate since the spring. EA is saving up content to coincide with the FTP launch. The stored up content has been slowly meted out at a trickle to just keep enough subscribers interested in the game.

    That is why the Chevrin scavenger hunt felt so unfinished, because it was unfinished.

    That is why 1.4 sis not include the new war zone.

    That is why HK-51 and the Cathat, which have been teased forever, have still not been released. (HK-51's quest chain was actually in the Beta as some of you may recall.)

    Right now, Bioware's biggest decision is not whether or when to release Makeb, but whether or not to charge their current subscribers for it. (FTP players will have to purchase it in the cash shop if they want to play up to the new level cap, whatever it is that Bioware has decided.)

    Before you say I'm talking out of my ass, here's a marketing survey Bioware conducted in May to try and gauge how much their subscribers would be willing to pay for various combinations of the Makeb mission, the cathar race, the Kowakian monkey that has been "revealled" recently, etc. packaged as an expansion pack.

    https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw6sp6dpJKRcaDdKTHFnQlp6Wjg/edit?pli=1

    Despite being a skeleton crew, I fully expect their to be a small expansion pack before Christmas.

    Furthermore, I believe that Christmas is also the drop dead date that EA wants this game to go to FTP, to both catch some holiday sales, but more importantly, to get this game in the FTP mode before the next quarter begining in January so they don;t have to announce anymore subscription numbers, and further push SWTOR news to the back burners of their earnings confrence calls.

    Agree with all of this besides the skeleton crew part. 

Sign In or Register to comment.