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What??? A F2P MMO publisher is closing its doors.

IsturiIsturi Member Posts: 1,509

No Way!! you say This is a joke right?? Unheard of your making this up OP Nope i am not. "Outspark, the San Francisco-based publisher that was one of the earliest western companies to specialize in free-to-play MMOs, has apparently shut its doors.
Founded in 2006 published the popular Fiesta Online and Secret of the Solstice MMOs, both of them free-to-play games.

European MMO publisher Gamingo has taken over operations of Fiesta Online, though it has no plans to continue any of Outspark's other titles."

Question If you are a DEV and you decide to go to F2P as your payment requirment for play and your game still failied. Does that mean maybe you should of produced a better game?? Maybe so.

I dont know if this will be just a bum rap for Outspark or perhaps it could be a domino effect on F2P MMO's? Guess time will tell.

I took the liberty to look up Gamingo and thier biggest MMO if you call it that is Golfstar. Yes Gamingo is a F2P publisher. Handwrtting on the wall?

 

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Comments

  • muffins89muffins89 Member UncommonPosts: 1,585
    why do you seem so surprised?  businesses fail all the time.
  • WraithoneWraithone Member RarePosts: 3,806
    Originally posted by GwapoJosh
    [mod edit]

    F2P costs only as much as you *choose* to spend.  Unless Dear Leader issues some dictate or other,  you only play games that you make the choice to play.  F2P is simply another business model. If you don't like it, don't play games that use it.

    "If you can't kill it, don't make it mad."
  • KenFisherKenFisher Member UncommonPosts: 5,035

    Interesting.  I'm not finding anything on bankruptcy of the corporation.  I'm wondering if it might have been a strategic selloff of assets, and shuttering operations on unprofitable games.

     

    The current CEO only took over 18 months ago.  reference


    Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security.  I don't Forum PVP.  If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident.  When I don't understand, I ask.  Such is not intended as criticism.
  • muffins89muffins89 Member UncommonPosts: 1,585
    Originally posted by Wraithone
    Originally posted by GwapoJosh
    [mod edit]

    F2P costs only as much as you *choose* to spend.  Unless Dear Leader issues some dictate or other,  you only play games that you make the choice to play.  F2P is simply another business model. If you don't like it, don't play games that use it.

    this.

     

    also it seems free to play is turning a corner.  pay to win is such a 4-letter word nowadays that more developers are realizing they don't need to nickel and dime customers to turn a profit.    selling virtual hats seems to very lucrative http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/02/01/top-tf2-item-makers-making-500k-a-year-we-cannot-compete-with-our-customers/?ns_campaign=article-feed&ns_mchannel=ref&ns_source=steam&ns_linkname=0&ns_fee=0.

  • cronius77cronius77 Member UncommonPosts: 1,652
    i hate to sound like the dick here but i REALLY hope Gpotato , Aeria, Webzen, and the rest of the free to play garbage shuts down. Perfect World is ifffy to be on that list as well. Im just so sick of seeing companies create these pay to win asian grinder games that do absolutely nothing but clog up the market and give good companies a very bad rap when a quality free to play actually releases. These companies will take on any game out of asia and try whatever they can to nickle and dime the customer. I know some free to play titles are very good games , but majority of them coming out of asia are utter crap and not even of indie quality.
  • jusomdudejusomdude Member RarePosts: 2,706

    Well there's only so many players to support f2p games, and only a real small percentage actually buy anything... The market is saturated as all hell...Someone's gotta go down.

     

  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by Isturi

    No Way!! you say This is a joke right?? Unheard of your making this up OP Nope i am not. "Outspark, the San Francisco-based publisher that was one of the earliest western companies to specialize in free-to-play MMOs, has apparently shut its doors.
    Founded in 2006 published the popular Fiesta Online and Secret of the Solstice MMOs, both of them free-to-play games.

    European MMO publisher Gamingo has taken over operations of Fiesta Online, though it has no plans to continue any of Outspark's other titles."

    Question If you are a DEV and you decide to go to F2P as your payment requirment for play and your game still failied. Does that mean maybe you should of produced a better game?? Maybe so.

    I dont know if this will be just a bum rap for Outspark or perhaps it could be a domino effect on F2P MMO's? Guess time will tell.

    I took the liberty to look up Gamingo and thier biggest MMO if you call it that is Golfstar. Yes Gamingo is a F2P publisher. Handwrtting on the wall?

     

    Holy cow! One of the 350 free to play MMOs is closing? Oh wait... the games are still running. Just Outspark closing.

    The Sparkplayer engine and Earth Eternal died years ago. Outspark hasn't created anything new since.

     

    Dude, do some research before you start this threads. Not for us, but for your own sake.

     

     

     

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
    "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre

  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by jusomdude

    Well there's only so many players to support f2p games, and only a real small percentage actually buy anything... The market is saturated as all hell...Someone's gotta go down.

    You know that the games didn't close down, right?

     

     

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
    "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre

  • IsturiIsturi Member Posts: 1,509
    Originally posted by Loktofeit
    Originally posted by Isturi

    No Way!! you say This is a joke right?? Unheard of your making this up OP Nope i am not. "Outspark, the San Francisco-based publisher that was one of the earliest western companies to specialize in free-to-play MMOs, has apparently shut its doors.
    Founded in 2006 published the popular Fiesta Online and Secret of the Solstice MMOs, both of them free-to-play games.

    European MMO publisher Gamingo has taken over operations of Fiesta Online, though it has no plans to continue any of Outspark's other titles."

    Question If you are a DEV and you decide to go to F2P as your payment requirment for play and your game still failied. Does that mean maybe you should of produced a better game?? Maybe so.

    I dont know if this will be just a bum rap for Outspark or perhaps it could be a domino effect on F2P MMO's? Guess time will tell.

    I took the liberty to look up Gamingo and thier biggest MMO if you call it that is Golfstar. Yes Gamingo is a F2P publisher. Handwrtting on the wall?

     

    Holy cow! One of the 350 free to play MMOs is closing? Oh wait... the games are still running. Just Outspark closing.

    The Sparkplayer engine and Earth Eternal died years ago. Outspark hasn't created anything new since.

     

    Dude, do some research before you start this threads. Not for us, but for your own sake.

     

     

     

    Good advise for posting is doing research. I did and the link is all that is said on the closing of Outspark. So not much to go on for research by all means if you find more feel free to post. image

    image

  • thinktank001thinktank001 Member UncommonPosts: 2,144
    Originally posted by cronius77
    i hate to sound like the dick here but i REALLY hope Gpotato , Aeria, Webzen, and the rest of the free to play garbage shuts down. Perfect World is ifffy to be on that list as well. Im just so sick of seeing companies create these pay to win asian grinder games that do absolutely nothing but clog up the market and give good companies a very bad rap when a quality free to play actually releases. These companies will take on any game out of asia and try whatever they can to nickle and dime the customer. I know some free to play titles are very good games , but majority of them coming out of asia are utter crap and not even of indie quality.

     

    Funny you should mention those.  Gpotato just sold their US and EU assets to Webzen.    

  • cronius77cronius77 Member UncommonPosts: 1,652
    yeah Im not trying to sound like the jerk about it all here but those companies all remind me of used cars salesmen seriously. I remember allods with Gpotato was nothing but pay to win and still is with runes. You had to buy death charms for cash so when you died you didnt lose an item being cursed.... that kind of crap is just as shady as shady can be and i do not feel one bit sad when those companies go under and people lose their jobs for supporting that sort of shady policies.
  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by Isturi

    Good advise for posting is doing research. I did and the link is all that is said on the closing of Outspark. So not much to go on for research by all means if you find more feel free to post. image

    These games change hands a lot more often than you think. Aeria picked up IJJI's titles not that long ago. K2 Networks (Gamers1st) built an empire on buying up games in their entirety or just to localize for a region.

     

    "Question If you are a DEV and you decide to go to F2P as your payment requirment for play and your game still failied. Does that mean maybe you should of produced a better game?? Maybe so.

    I dont know if this will be just a bum rap for Outspark or perhaps it could be a domino effect on F2P MMO's? Guess time will tell."

     

    None of their current  games failed. There is no domino effect.  Surprisingly, the sky isn't falling. 

     

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
    "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre

  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by thinktank001

    Funny you should mention those.  Gpotato just sold their US and EU assets to Webzen.    

    Not just gPotato but the whole Gala-Net shebang.

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
    "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre

  • IsturiIsturi Member Posts: 1,509
    Originally posted by Loktofeit
    Originally posted by Isturi

    Good advise for posting is doing research. I did and the link is all that is said on the closing of Outspark. So not much to go on for research by all means if you find more feel free to post. image

    These games change hands a lot more often than you think. Aeria picked up IJJI's titles not that long ago. K2 Networks (Gamers1st) built an empire on buying up games in their entirety or just to localize for a region.

     No Domino effect?? OK if that is not then I dont know what is??

    I shutter to think just how often they do change hands, Kind of reminds me of a defaulted student loan or a bad debt go figure.

    image

  • azzamasinazzamasin Member UncommonPosts: 3,105
    Originally posted by GwapoJosh
    [mod edit]

    Nope F2P indies can go do that, Triple-A F2P's are here to stay.

     

    Seriously did anyone even play those games?  I never heard of them so good riddance to rubbish I say, go big or go home.

    Sandbox means open world, non-linear gaming PERIOD!

    Subscription Gaming, especially MMO gaming is a Cash grab bigger then the most P2W cash shop!

    Bring Back Exploration and lengthy progression times. RPG's have always been about the Journey not the destination!!!

    image

  • boxsndboxsnd Member UncommonPosts: 438

    Never heard of those MMOs. Maybe that's why they failed? 

     

    Face it, P2P fans, P2P is dying a quick death. F2P and B2P is the present and future.

    DAoC - Excalibur & Camlann

  • IsturiIsturi Member Posts: 1,509
    Originally posted by boxsnd

    Never heard of those MMOs. Maybe that's why they failed? 

     

    Face it, P2P fans, P2P is dying a quick death. F2P and B2P is the present and future.

    I dont think P2P will go anywere soon until WoW completly dies. With that being said. I would have to also say yes you are right about B2P games sticking around. But it seems hard to say with F2P to many directions atm guess time will tell.

    image

  • RossbossRossboss Member Posts: 240
    F2P games will exist from now on, despite your views of them. You can't say they all suck and are dying because you don't like the idea of paying for things in specific as opposed to paying a monthly fee. That would be like aliens coming to Earth, finding a newspaper from the 1940's and assuming all human beings were destined to be like Adolf Hitler.

    I played WoW up until WotLK, played RoM for 2 years and now Rift.
    I am F2P player. I support games when I feel they deserve my money and I want the items enough.
    I don't troll, and I don't take kindly to trolls.

  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601

    One more time for all the f2p haters.

    f2p with a cs has been here longer than p2p.  It has allready shown it's longevity.  It is not going anywhere.

    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • thinktank001thinktank001 Member UncommonPosts: 2,144
    Originally posted by VengeSunsoar

    One more time for all the f2p haters.

    f2p with a cs has been here longer than p2p.  It has allready shown it's longevity.  It is not going anywhere.

     

    Is this a joke?   Until a company actually proves with some financial statements that current cash shop based games can "shoulder the load" it isn't much more than a gimmick that will run it's course.

     

    Take a look at the poster child Zynga.  How much longer before they disappear?  

     

    I think cash shops can have a place in games, but the current implementation is not the way of the future.

  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 22,818

    No matter what your financial model MMO's are now a dog eat dog market where any sort of success is extremely hard to achieve. I do think F2P is not based on a solid revenue foundation so that can hardly help, subscription is better.

    Games which were originally subscription games also last years longer or are still going compared to their F2P at launch counterparts. But nearly all of them now have a hybrid revenue model with F2P elements.

    The writing is on the wall for all MMO’s, F2P once touted as the solution to MMO problems is a dead end.

  • BanaghranBanaghran Member Posts: 869

    Well, i played Luvinia, it was very entertaining and surprisingly polished for a free game, BUT i found extremely annoying, that from level ~40 (with max of 150) you basically had to use cashshop currency for crafting (ON TOP of normal mats) and dungeon crawling...

    Probably good that this kind of business is curbed, but sad for the game, which was good...

    Flame on!

    :)

  • ice-vortexice-vortex Member UncommonPosts: 960
    The MMORPG market is becoming more competitive in the US. The only thing these Asian MMOs had going for them was their f2p model. Now that western developers are pushing forward with f2p, there are going to be shifts in the market. Companies like Perfect World are adapting by purchasing and publishing games from western developers like Cryptic.
  • VengeSunsoarVengeSunsoar Member EpicPosts: 6,601
    Originally posted by thinktank001
    Originally posted by VengeSunsoar

    One more time for all the f2p haters.

    f2p with a cs has been here longer than p2p.  It has allready shown it's longevity.  It is not going anywhere.

     

    Is this a joke?   Until a company actually proves with some financial statements that current cash shop based games can "shoulder the load" it isn't much more than a gimmick that will run it's course.

     

    Take a look at the poster child Zynga.  How much longer before they disappear?  

     

    I think cash shops can have a place in games, but the current implementation is not the way of the future.

     A joke?  Once again f2p games have been around since BEFORE p2p games and are still running.  Furcadia is one of them, a f2p game with a cs since before UO.  This proves longevity of the model, more so than p2p.

    F2p will not save a bad game or bad a bad companybut the model itself is very stable.  One company or even a few is not indicative of the model, just look at wolfpack studios. 

    Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
  • DibdabsDibdabs Member RarePosts: 3,203
    Originally posted by GwapoJosh
    I hope they all shut down.. F2P costs more that B2P and P2P.. 

    Only if you're idiot enough to actually spend money.  I have never spent money in a F2P game and never will.

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