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Shift in F2P titles

Gabby-airGabby-air Member UncommonPosts: 3,440

For those of you who don't follow f2p games then you might not know this, but in the past couple of months a lot of them have closed there doors and more than five more will in the next month. Couple this with 4 p2p titles going f2p and one has to wonder if the genre is actually dying? Now I know some will say that there are already a lot of f2p games and they will be easily replaced but an interesting thing was that some f2p games didn't even make it out of CB before they were cancelled.

Now another theory is that with big titles like EQ2 and Lotro going f2p, the more older/less popular f2ps really don't have much to offer anymore as the standard has been set so high for them which then leads to them shutting down. This is indeed great for f2p players as they will enjoy a more balanced cash shop from western devs and a huge increase in quality but it results in the huge selection of f2p games to be shrunk quite a bit...either for good or bad.

I just thought it was rather interesting to see so many f2ps being shut down at the same time and it had me thinking, but anyways what do you guys think?

Comments

  • arcdevilarcdevil Member Posts: 864

    Originally posted by Gabby-air

    For those of you who don't follow f2p games then you might not know this, but in the past couple of months a lot of them have closed there doors and more than five more will in the next month. Couple this with 4 p2p titles going f2p and one has to wonder if the genre is actually dying? Now I know some will say that there are already a lot of f2p games and they will be easily replaced but an interesting thing was that some f2p games didn't even make it out of CB before they were cancelled.

    Now another theory is that with big titles like EQ2 and Lotro going f2p, the more older/less popular f2ps really don't have much to offer anymore as the standard has been set so high for them which then leads to them shutting down. This is indeed great for f2p players as they will enjoy a more balanced cash shop from western devs and a huge increase in quality but it results in the huge selection of f2p games to be shrunk quite a bit...either for good or bad.

    I just thought it was rather interesting to see so many f2ps being shut down at the same time and it had me thinking, but anyways what do you guys think?

    have you been living under a rock or something? F2P games close by the dozen every month since years ago, and many more we never hear about since they never got past the asian market. Check Onrpg.com from time to time and you'll see this is true.

  • PapadamPapadam Member Posts: 2,102

    There is alot of crap F2P MMOs out there so its not strange that they are closing down. I hope more of them die and that we stop getting all this asian crap.

    No when there are more and more high quality F2P MMOs with better and better cash shops alof of the cheap grinders wil be forced to shut down.

    If WoW = The Beatles
    and WAR = Led Zeppelin
    Then LotrO = Pink Floyd

  • OzmodanOzmodan Member EpicPosts: 9,726

    First off, none of Turbines titles are what you would consider normal f2p.  The item shops do not offer character enhancement items.  They are a different model in this respect.  You won't spend a fortune on them getting your character stats up.  SOE's on the other hand with EQ2 is a joke.  The EQ2 players will have to spend the big bucks to get their characters advanced.  With Turbine it is an easy matter to become a subscription player, with SOE's model you are forever stuck on a f2p server.

    Spending money on a f2p game is like gambling, you have to ask yourself how long the game is going to be around.

  • uquipuuquipu Member Posts: 1,516


    Originally posted by Ozmodan
    The EQ2 players will have to spend the big bucks to get their characters advanced.

    .
    How do you know this is true?
    .
    It's the first time I've heard of it. I know eq2x will be gimped in many ways, just no where near as bad as LotRO is gimped. You can't even leave the starter area in LotRO without paying cash or do tons of grinding.

    Well shave my back and call me an elf! -- Oghren

  • BMoorBMoor Member Posts: 202

    F2P games close down all the time but that is more than balanced by new F2P games popping up.  It's a shotgun approach or maybe like throwing wet noodles at a wall and seeing which will stick.  It's really of no concern to me about the F2P games closing down as they are probably suffering from bad game mechanics, bad community, bad management, or just plain not fun.  It's really only the F2P games that survive (say maybe at least 2 years)  that gets me interested as I wonder what's so special about them that.

     

    So "meh" to all the hype about the new releases (both F2P and P2P) until they prove that they can survive.

  • TUX426TUX426 Member Posts: 1,907

    Originally posted by Ozmodan

    Spending money on a f2p game is like gambling, you have to ask yourself how long the game is going to be around.

    This is really no different than P2P games is it?!

     

    The plethora of F2P titles, from large or small developers is great for the market (us, the gamers) IMO. Games that claim to be "F2P", yet require you to buy even the simplest of items at a cash shop, will begin to fail as players begin to see them for what they are...faux2P. Those companies with "fair" business models will eventually rise to the top (assuming all games are equal) and hopefully we find a F2P model that works best for players and companies. I'm anxious to see where the whole F2P thing goes in the next few years.

  • AnnwynAnnwyn Member UncommonPosts: 2,854

    Originally posted by Gabby-air

    For those of you who don't follow f2p games then you might not know this, but in the past couple of months a lot of them have closed there doors and more than five more will in the next month. Couple this with 4 p2p titles going f2p and one has to wonder if the genre is actually dying? Now I know some will say that there are already a lot of f2p games and they will be easily replaced but an interesting thing was that some f2p games didn't even make it out of CB before they were cancelled.

    Now another theory is that with big titles like EQ2 and Lotro going f2p, the more older/less popular f2ps really don't have much to offer anymore as the standard has been set so high for them which then leads to them shutting down. This is indeed great for f2p players as they will enjoy a more balanced cash shop from western devs and a huge increase in quality but it results in the huge selection of f2p games to be shrunk quite a bit...either for good or bad.

    I just thought it was rather interesting to see so many f2ps being shut down at the same time and it had me thinking, but anyways what do you guys think?

    Many F2P Developers made the mistake of making WoW-clones, and very unpolished WoW-clones.  Some companies even brought MMOs into the Western market without a clue of how the Western market works. They made mistake over mistake, which caused them several complications.

    Then you have also the current shift in the F2P games, abandonning the traditional gameplay and go towards more action-based/skill-based titles such as Dungeon Fighter Online, Mabinogi, Dragon Nest, Vindictus, Continent Of The Ninth, TERA, etc. The shift in the F2P Games have made many players leave their previous games and join these much more addictive and challenging games that gamers had been asking for so long. This has caused a big dent in many MMOs population to the point where they are simply just not viable anymore to sustain or that a company would rather focus it's employees on different projects instead.

  • kb4blukb4blu Member UncommonPosts: 717

    If all of the F2P games would shut down that would suit me fine.

  • arcdevilarcdevil Member Posts: 864

    Originally posted by MadnessRealm

    Many F2P Developers made the mistake of making WoW-clones, and very unpolished WoW-clones.  Some companies even brought MMOs into the Western market without a clue of how the Western market works. They made mistake over mistake, which caused them several complications.

     

    those are the tip of the iceberg, most F2P games that shut are the asian crappy animu grinders 

    people says the F2P model is on the rise.....yes, but where? in asia mainly, with that games

    the very same games that some western publishers try to bring here in hopes of replicating their huge asian success....and then fall flat on their faces

     

    it makes zero sense, people keep repeating like parrots that the F2P model is the most profitable, and fail to realize that mode is already being tested here in the west and its failing hard, the same asian games that were profitable or even wildly successful in asia go underplayed abandoned then shutted down within months in west.

     

    there isnt much more F2P model than that guys...and its failing....

     

    the only F2P games that are seeing some real success in west are those that never were intended to be F2P...If F2P players have to count on P2P games doing poorly enough to become F2P, i wouldnt call the F2P model successful or think its future is too bright...

     

    what if the current and upcoming P2P MMOs meet their expectatives and gain enough following to stay afloat? no more F2P MMOs of quality, while the asian grinders continue dropping like flies...the future is F2P? I dont think so...

     

     

     

    Then you have also the current shift in the F2P games, abandonning the traditional gameplay and go towards more action-based/skill-based titles such as Dungeon Fighter Online, Mabinogi, Dragon Nest, Vindictus, Continent Of The Ninth, TERA, etc. The shift in the F2P Games have made many players leave their previous games and join these much more addictive and challenging games that gamers had been asking for so long. This has caused a big dent in many MMOs population to the point where they are simply just not viable anymore to sustain or that a company would rather focus it's employees on different projects instead.

     

    fyi TERA is P2P

  • AnnwynAnnwyn Member UncommonPosts: 2,854

    Originally posted by arcdevil

    fyi TERA is P2P

    Won't bother answering to the BS. But this last information, FYI, TERA was developed and published as a F2P title in Asia. Yes it will be P2P in NA and EU, but it's still F2P in Asia and was developped this way. (Published by HanbitSoft or HanGames, not sure which one of the 2)

  • CeridithCeridith Member UncommonPosts: 2,980

    Originally posted by TUX426

    Originally posted by Ozmodan



    Spending money on a f2p game is like gambling, you have to ask yourself how long the game is going to be around.

    This is really no different than P2P games is it?!

     

    The plethora of F2P titles, from large or small developers is great for the market (us, the gamers) IMO. Games that claim to be "F2P", yet require you to buy even the simplest of items at a cash shop, will begin to fail as players begin to see them for what they are...faux2P. Those companies with "fair" business models will eventually rise to the top (assuming all games are equal) and hopefully we find a F2P model that works best for players and companies. I'm anxious to see where the whole F2P thing goes in the next few years.

    P2P games tend to have much longer life spans, particularly because they have a much more measurable and sustained revenue stream. Sure, you can lose subscribers, but you still know how many subscribers are left and paying, which allows for resource adjustment. Heck, UO and SWG are still around, albeit vastly different than they used to be... but they are still around.

    The F2P model is much more risky, not just for players, but for companies themselves, because it gambles on people actually deciding to purchase enough "extra" content in the item mall to sustain the servers.

  • Kilo_BravoKilo_Bravo Member Posts: 33

    Originally posted by Gabby-air

    For those of you who don't follow f2p games then you might not know this, but in the past couple of months a lot of them have closed there doors and more than five more will in the next month. Couple this with 4 p2p titles going f2p and one has to wonder if the genre is actually dying? Now I know some will say that there are already a lot of f2p games and they will be easily replaced but an interesting thing was that some f2p games didn't even make it out of CB before they were cancelled.

    Now another theory is that with big titles like EQ2 and Lotro going f2p, the more older/less popular f2ps really don't have much to offer anymore as the standard has been set so high for them which then leads to them shutting down. This is indeed great for f2p players as they will enjoy a more balanced cash shop from western devs and a huge increase in quality but it results in the huge selection of f2p games to be shrunk quite a bit...either for good or bad.

    I just thought it was rather interesting to see so many f2ps being shut down at the same time and it had me thinking, but anyways what do you guys think?

    Now I do have to admit that I was a witness to one such game service shutting down this year. But it's not that the game, as a whole, has disappeared from the face of the earth. Just one publisher shut down its service for reasons undisclosed.

    I can't say for sure that there is a "shift" as I've seen several services shut down before, though. If you're referring to the quality or content of each game, however - that's a totally different story.

  • laokokolaokoko Member UncommonPosts: 2,004

    Originally posted by MadnessRealm

    Originally posted by arcdevil

    fyi TERA is P2P

    Won't bother answering to the BS. But this last information, FYI, TERA was developed and published as a F2P title in Asia. Yes it will be P2P in NA and EU, but it's still F2P in Asia and was developped this way. (Published by HanbitSoft or HanGames, not sure which one of the 2)

    I dont' know about the Koreans, but as far as I know, the Chinese themself have no idea about payment methods.

    So how exactly do you know this if no one in China knows.

    Most of the chinese believe it's going to be p2p because the european publisher says Tera is going to use a global payment method which is p2p.  But it's still unconfirmed.

  • IhmoteppIhmotepp Member Posts: 14,495

    There was just a poll here, and over 75% that responded said they never make it to the cap in a F2P game.

    I don't think because some f2p games with cash shops are closing that this model is dying.

    On the contrary, I think this IS the business model.

    you make a cash shop game, which makes money FASTER than a subscription game. People that DO spend in a cash shop, typically spend MORE than 15 bucks a month.

    So, you don't need the game to last as long as a sub based game.

    You make some money in the  cash shop, people get bored, move on.

    You open another cash shop game. Rinse, repeat.

    image

  • Gabby-airGabby-air Member UncommonPosts: 3,440

    Originally posted by Ihmotepp

    There was just a poll here, and over 75% that responded said they never make it to the cap in a F2P game.

    I don't think because some f2p games with cash shops are closing that this model is dying.

    On the contrary, I think this IS the business model.

    you make a cash shop game, which makes money FASTER than a subscription game. People that DO spend in a cash shop, typically spend MORE than 15 bucks a month.

    So, you don't need the game to last as long as a sub based game.

    You make some money in the  cash shop, people get bored, move on.

    You open another cash shop game. Rinse, repeat.

    That makes sense but many of the more or so popular f2p games have been in buisness for awhile and their devs don't really churn out new games that often, a sequel is usually it after 2-3 years.

  • Gabby-airGabby-air Member UncommonPosts: 3,440

    Originally posted by arcdevil

    Originally posted by Gabby-air

    For those of you who don't follow f2p games then you might not know this, but in the past couple of months a lot of them have closed there doors and more than five more will in the next month. Couple this with 4 p2p titles going f2p and one has to wonder if the genre is actually dying? Now I know some will say that there are already a lot of f2p games and they will be easily replaced but an interesting thing was that some f2p games didn't even make it out of CB before they were cancelled.

    Now another theory is that with big titles like EQ2 and Lotro going f2p, the more older/less popular f2ps really don't have much to offer anymore as the standard has been set so high for them which then leads to them shutting down. This is indeed great for f2p players as they will enjoy a more balanced cash shop from western devs and a huge increase in quality but it results in the huge selection of f2p games to be shrunk quite a bit...either for good or bad.

    I just thought it was rather interesting to see so many f2ps being shut down at the same time and it had me thinking, but anyways what do you guys think?

    have you been living under a rock or something? F2P games close by the dozen every month since years ago, and many more we never hear about since they never got past the asian market. Check Onrpg.com from time to time and you'll see this is true.

    I was talking about the f2p games here in NA and I do realize that f2p games shut down all the time and I clearly stated that in the past couple of months I've seen a pretty big rise in them...which was the entire point of the thread you seemed to have clearly missed.

  • Bob23106Bob23106 Member UncommonPosts: 30

    Originally posted by Gabby-air

    Originally posted by Ihmotepp

    There was just a poll here, and over 75% that responded said they never make it to the cap in a F2P game.

    I don't think because some f2p games with cash shops are closing that this model is dying.

    On the contrary, I think this IS the business model.

    you make a cash shop game, which makes money FASTER than a subscription game. People that DO spend in a cash shop, typically spend MORE than 15 bucks a month.

    So, you don't need the game to last as long as a sub based game.

    You make some money in the  cash shop, people get bored, move on.

    You open another cash shop game. Rinse, repeat.

    That makes sense but many of the more or so popular f2p games have been in buisness for awhile and their devs don't really churn out new games that often, a sequel is usually it after 2-3 years.

    This is true but that is probably because they want to make as much money as they possible can out of the game they spent developing. And not forgetting in the mean time there is always a new company // game developer preparing to release a new F2P game. In all honesty I think F2P is losing its edge on subscription based games (subscription based games rely on keeping the players hooked to cap whereas F2P wants you to spend your money and get lost). They are not keeping the hook any more they are putting less and less effort in making their games now that people just kinda give up on them before the release of the official game. The amount of games I've personally tested and quit before release because of the dull and practically similar game play to the last MMO I played bores me. 

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