The games doing better subscriber wise than swg ever did and swg never was going to go free to play. I honestly would stop playing if the game went free to play. Free to play = even less content updates and pay for power. Don't want that.
I played in some of the beta and thought it was a decent game and had potential for a fun single player RPG but was not worth the sub. It also seemed like I would get bored after a few months and stop playing. So I never bought it. If this happens I will play it just to see what the single player storyline is like, but I will be surprised as hell if it actually happens.
There was an article on Gamebreaker.tv either about this game or perhaps TERA where I believe Mike B. suggested that it's a good idea for all MMORPGs to start out with a sub fee, moving to the F2P cash shop model once subscriptions decline. In essense, you get all the revenue from massive box sales and the first couple months worth of sub fees then you can drop the subscription and implement a cash shop. The initial influx of players purchasing from your cash shop brings you even more money. From a business standpoint, it's brillliant.
Even from a player's standpoint, as long as the cash shop doesn't totally unbalance the game (aka force you to purchase from the cash shop to stay competitive), it's a great move. Even for games like LotRO and EQ2 which have content restricted F2P models, the content that does exist can be seen as a sort of endless free trial.
FTP is the going trend with most MMOs on the market these days and even wow aka blizzard is noticing this so it is expected that swtor will go ftp. Personally themepark MMOs lifespan has been estimated between 1-5 years with the exception to WoW whereas Sandbox MMOs lifespans are estimated between 5-10+ years which is why alot of Themepark MMOs are now trying to implement sandbox concepts oh which most are failing. If a decent true sandbox game were to come onto the market there would be no denying that it would kill all of the current MMOs out there even WoW.
No one noticed that GamesTM pulled the article now did they? If you read all the comments, what was said was more along the lines that Bioware/EA were keeping their options open FOR THE FUTURE. Nothing was said as to any sort of F2P scam scheme being implemented anytime soon.
If the game had been a success they would still be sticking with monthly subs and a cosmetic shop for armor/pets/vehicles. The game did a fat man, red belly flop, so they're looking at the cosmetic shop now. Everyone saw it coming except the die hard BW/Star Wars Fans.EA doesn't do free to play...look at Ultima Online, it's still a subscripted game. EA is out for the most money it can make from it and whatever is the most profitable that's what they will go with. It's just a business.
I know many people think this is a true statement, but it is patently false. Most F2P models have a higher income than subscription model. The idea that a game must fail in order for the company to consider a model that makes more money than the one they are currently using is something that would only make sense to someone with no knowledge of money and the desire that corporations have for making more, more, MORE!
I'm speechless about the amount of money spent on this game, and at the end of the day it it was a Wow clone with a 4th pillar as they call it, that was good but almost can never be expanded on due to the amount of cash and time it takes to create interactive cut-scenes with voice.
You might see a new class chapter when the first expansion comes out. but really man, who the hell decided this needed to be a Wow clone? thats shows how shallow the developers are.
the game was clearly designed by suits who thought we should never try anything new. in fact they have so many restriction in their design it boggles the senses.
Whats going to happen next might cause them to loose a great many of people that are left. sure they will be flooded with new players but the quality of the people will descend to the 666th abysal plane of sub humans who speak leet and talk about how they banged their companion and she loved it.
I'm still amazed these people never studied the debacle sony did with SWG? how can a designer not look back at that moment in time and not learn anything?
The lesson they could have learned is:
1. You never launch until it's ready with all the features you said would be in at release.
2. You never make a starwars game without a valid space simulation
3. you never let EA or in SWG's case lucas arts force you to launch early until you have tested everything twice!
4. You never create an MMO that had less innovation then Wow has/had
5. You never make a starwars MMO becuase true starwars fans the most wretched hive of scum and villainy you ever to want to atrract to an online world and i'm one of them I should know.
Not much else to say but I think if they're smart they will wait until 2012 is over before they tell subscibers they wasted their money and now it fully free.
I don't think that providing a F2P option with level restrictions is that compelling for players. The reason that TOR is capping its free to play at 15 is because characters get a starship at level 16 or so.
The problem is every update they lose more people then they get with updates its like a civil war person who there trying to cut a limb off but the civil war person says stop cutting and they say ok then cut a little bit more lol.
I waited 6 months for open world pvp and when i saw the E3 presentation that was it for me. That ceo has no idea about his own game saying 1.2 was the biggest content patch in history? lol all 1.2 added was stuff that was supose to be in the game already I.E custom ui and other features standard in an mmo.
Also to see that other dev at some game expo showcasing a lfg tool? Seriously do they not realize how bad that looks for them lolz.
James ohlen and gabe have done more dmg to that game than any sith inquistor or jedi consular do even if they critted.
James ohlen doesnt even know the difference between game content and game features lol
Gabe should have been straight out fired with the mass layoffs hes destroyed swtor pvp more then he did warhammers.
The other issue is they can seem to get enough bad pr going constantly i notice its 24/7 look at us were talking about things we dont have! nothing like shoulda woulda coulda interviews = /
Maybe SWTOR will be a good example to devs to not build games for the short term, but for the long haul...... I'd be willing to bet that TSW suffers the same fate here in a few months too.
Comments
The games doing better subscriber wise than swg ever did and swg never was going to go free to play. I honestly would stop playing if the game went free to play. Free to play = even less content updates and pay for power. Don't want that.
I played in some of the beta and thought it was a decent game and had potential for a fun single player RPG but was not worth the sub. It also seemed like I would get bored after a few months and stop playing. So I never bought it. If this happens I will play it just to see what the single player storyline is like, but I will be surprised as hell if it actually happens.
There was an article on Gamebreaker.tv either about this game or perhaps TERA where I believe Mike B. suggested that it's a good idea for all MMORPGs to start out with a sub fee, moving to the F2P cash shop model once subscriptions decline. In essense, you get all the revenue from massive box sales and the first couple months worth of sub fees then you can drop the subscription and implement a cash shop. The initial influx of players purchasing from your cash shop brings you even more money. From a business standpoint, it's brillliant.
Even from a player's standpoint, as long as the cash shop doesn't totally unbalance the game (aka force you to purchase from the cash shop to stay competitive), it's a great move. Even for games like LotRO and EQ2 which have content restricted F2P models, the content that does exist can be seen as a sort of endless free trial.
FTP is the going trend with most MMOs on the market these days and even wow aka blizzard is noticing this so it is expected that swtor will go ftp. Personally themepark MMOs lifespan has been estimated between 1-5 years with the exception to WoW whereas Sandbox MMOs lifespans are estimated between 5-10+ years which is why alot of Themepark MMOs are now trying to implement sandbox concepts oh which most are failing. If a decent true sandbox game were to come onto the market there would be no denying that it would kill all of the current MMOs out there even WoW.
The past speaks for itself
No one noticed that GamesTM pulled the article now did they? If you read all the comments, what was said was more along the lines that Bioware/EA were keeping their options open FOR THE FUTURE. Nothing was said as to any sort of F2P scam scheme being implemented anytime soon.
Let's party like it is 1863!
I know many people think this is a true statement, but it is patently false. Most F2P models have a higher income than subscription model. The idea that a game must fail in order for the company to consider a model that makes more money than the one they are currently using is something that would only make sense to someone with no knowledge of money and the desire that corporations have for making more, more, MORE!
-=ZG=-
I'm speechless about the amount of money spent on this game, and at the end of the day it it was a Wow clone with a 4th pillar as they call it, that was good but almost can never be expanded on due to the amount of cash and time it takes to create interactive cut-scenes with voice.
You might see a new class chapter when the first expansion comes out. but really man, who the hell decided this needed to be a Wow clone? thats shows how shallow the developers are.
the game was clearly designed by suits who thought we should never try anything new. in fact they have so many restriction in their design it boggles the senses.
Whats going to happen next might cause them to loose a great many of people that are left. sure they will be flooded with new players but the quality of the people will descend to the 666th abysal plane of sub humans who speak leet and talk about how they banged their companion and she loved it.
I'm still amazed these people never studied the debacle sony did with SWG? how can a designer not look back at that moment in time and not learn anything?
The lesson they could have learned is:
1. You never launch until it's ready with all the features you said would be in at release.
2. You never make a starwars game without a valid space simulation
3. you never let EA or in SWG's case lucas arts force you to launch early until you have tested everything twice!
4. You never create an MMO that had less innovation then Wow has/had
5. You never make a starwars MMO becuase true starwars fans the most wretched hive of scum and villainy you ever to want to atrract to an online world and i'm one of them I should know.
Not much else to say but I think if they're smart they will wait until 2012 is over before they tell subscibers they wasted their money and now it fully free.
The game should have been buy to play from the start.
I don't think that providing a F2P option with level restrictions is that compelling for players. The reason that TOR is capping its free to play at 15 is because characters get a starship at level 16 or so.
The problem is every update they lose more people then they get with updates its like a civil war person who there trying to cut a limb off but the civil war person says stop cutting and they say ok then cut a little bit more lol.
I waited 6 months for open world pvp and when i saw the E3 presentation that was it for me. That ceo has no idea about his own game saying 1.2 was the biggest content patch in history? lol all 1.2 added was stuff that was supose to be in the game already I.E custom ui and other features standard in an mmo.
Also to see that other dev at some game expo showcasing a lfg tool? Seriously do they not realize how bad that looks for them lolz.
James ohlen and gabe have done more dmg to that game than any sith inquistor or jedi consular do even if they critted.
James ohlen doesnt even know the difference between game content and game features lol
Gabe should have been straight out fired with the mass layoffs hes destroyed swtor pvp more then he did warhammers.
The other issue is they can seem to get enough bad pr going constantly i notice its 24/7 look at us were talking about things we dont have! nothing like shoulda woulda coulda interviews = /
Maybe SWTOR will be a good example to devs to not build games for the short term, but for the long haul...... I'd be willing to bet that TSW suffers the same fate here in a few months too.