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[Column] Elder Scrolls Online: How Zenimax’ Gambit Could Pay Off

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

With the recent lift of some press NDA restrictions for The Elder Scrolls Online, there are some reactions (and reactions to the reactions) that seem to be of the mixed variety, focused upon a few points. The subscription cost has been torn apart, the future of The Elder Scrolls called into question, and the console release looked upon critically. Zenimax has a hand it's playing, and the results, if successful, could represent a new beginning of sorts in the genre.

Read more of Christina Gonzalez's Elder Scrolls Online: How Zenimax's Gambit Could Pay Off.

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Comments

  • orbitxoorbitxo Member RarePosts: 1,956

    i must agree here on this.

    ive never been a fan  or heard of  TES, but Skyrim made me a fan.- to see an mmo evolve and me beign an mmorpg player- ist a win/win for me..and them for having my sub fee.

    ive enjoyed the betas very much. i cant help to look at LoTR or warhammeronline similarities, only time will tell when i delve deeper into the game.

    having a sub will filter out players who have no respect or interest in the game.

     
  • st3v3b0st3v3b0 Member UncommonPosts: 155
    They are smart to take advantage of naive consumers.  They are going out the door with high expectations and get a boatload of cash upfront and then when the luster wears off (and it will) they will drop the monthly fee and open a cash shop and keep the box price.  That is my prediction 12-18 months from when it is released.
  • orbitxoorbitxo Member RarePosts: 1,956
    Originally posted by st3v3b0
    They are smart to take advantage of naive consumers.  They are going out the door with high expectations and get a boatload of cash upfront and then when the luster wears off (and it will) they will drop the monthly fee and open a cash shop and keep the box price.  That is my prediction 12-18 months from when it is released.

    ..and thats ok. imo

  • TelondarielTelondariel Member Posts: 1,001

    Good article. 

     

    I'm not an Elder Scrolls fan, so my expectations this last weekend were fairly neutral.  I wanted to see what the game had to offer, if it was deep and compelling in the areas that I needed it to be, and ultimately if it was a world that I felt I could be in for some time. 

     

    For me, it is worth the subscription fee.  I feel that supporting this team is a good investment. 

    image
  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910

    Meh.  I don't think there's any risk going on here.  If they need to, they can change direction and go with a B2P model or F2P model and be just fine.

     

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • RocknissRockniss Member Posts: 1,034
    @Telondariel the game will be just fine for people that have not been playing Skyrim.
  • TelondarielTelondariel Member Posts: 1,001
    Originally posted by Rockniss
    @Telondariel the game will be just fine for people that have not been playing Skyrim.

    I found this to be true.  As Christina pointed out with WoW, you didn't need to be a fan of their RTS series to be able to dive in and have a great time.

    image
  • Ender4Ender4 Member UncommonPosts: 2,247


    Originally posted by st3v3b0
    They are smart to take advantage of naive consumers.  They are going out the door with high expectations and get a boatload of cash upfront and then when the luster wears off (and it will) they will drop the monthly fee and open a cash shop and keep the box price.  That is my prediction 12-18 months from when it is released.

    Yep. This one will absolutely shock me if it isn't B2P in under 2 years.

  • Aliantha_AngelAliantha_Angel Member UncommonPosts: 225
    I hope it doesn't go F2P or B2P in the future, but even if it does in 12-18 months, I still will have been enjoying the game for 12-18 months so I won't have an issue with them doing whatever they have to do to keep the game viable for years to come.
  • Scott_JeslisScott_Jeslis Member RarePosts: 627

    It sucks paying that monthly sub fee but in retrospect, for me at least, the alternative of a cash shop that nickel & dimes us for items we need is just as bad. I'd rather play unconstrained knowing that I can craft or pay in game currency for inventory slots vs. paying $$ to get them.

    We have to believe that they have already built in a B2P / F2P infrastructure knowing what they know about the market as experienced by other companies.

    Not sure they really have much to lose to initially try and roll out as a subscription based MMO.

  • Gobstopper3DGobstopper3D Member RarePosts: 965
    Originally posted by Benbrada

    It sucks paying that monthly sub fee but in retrospect, for me at least, the alternative of a cash shop that nickel & dimes us for items we need is just as bad. I'd rather play unconstrained knowing that I can craft or pay in game currency for inventory slots vs. paying $$ to get them.

    We have to believe that they have already built in a B2P / F2P infrastructure knowing what they know about the market as experienced by other companies.

    Not sure they really have much to lose to initially try and roll out as a subscription based MMO.

    I think your right in the aspect of the game being designed with B2P or F2P infrastructure built in.  I'm willing to bet Wildstar will have that same thing already set.  I hope it doesn't go that way.  I despise any and all games that are F2P and the Freemium games aren't much better.  You typically get less for your sub fee than you would if it was a pure P2P game.

    I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.

  • DamediusDamedius Member Posts: 346
    Originally posted by jpaprocki

    I think your right in the aspect of the game being designed with B2P or F2P infrastructure built in.  I'm willing to bet Wildstar will have that same thing already set.  I hope it doesn't go that way.  I despise any and all games that are F2P and the Freemium games aren't much better.  You typically get less for your sub fee than you would if it was a pure P2P game.

    Wildstar is going the Eve route. Except instead of Plex they're calling it Cred.

  • LydarSynnLydarSynn Member UncommonPosts: 181
    IMO, the problem is not the sub or the box fee. Its the sub AND the box fee for what appears to be an average MMO with the TES tacked on. Its too expensive for what you get IMO.
  • caetftlcaetftl Member Posts: 358

    I'd do my research before spending money on ESO.  They've tried very hard to enforce their NDA for a reason, and it isn't because they are proud of their product.

    It is downright sad to watch them try to get people to jump in blindly, and I feel bad for the people that will get swindled. 

    The game has so many issues that it shouldn't even be near launch, let alone p2p with box price. 

  • MyrdynnMyrdynn Member RarePosts: 2,479
    [mod edit]

    why do you hate so much?? why does everyone hate so much, why do you create an account just for this dribble??  I dont like or want to play Grand Theft Garbage, but I dont spend time on its message board hoping it fails

    only MMO fans hope for things to fail, its tired and trendy.

    and I think ESO will be a huge success, one I would gladly pay a lifetime sub for if available, and then I wont care if it goes f2p or b2p at any point cause I wont ever be charged anything

  • ElRenmazuoElRenmazuo Member RarePosts: 5,361
    [mod edit]

    Really? Cuz Final Fantasy XIV has been doing great on PC and PS3 and they just released their PS4 trailer today http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/7qjn5g/final-fantasy-xiv--a-realm-reborn-playstation-4-trailer

  • ArndushArndush Member Posts: 303
    Originally posted by neilcc55
    I am so glad this game is going to PS4 and XBOX1, It will make its fail even more spectacular, and hopefully this kind of tripe will never happen again

    So you want Zenimax and Bethesda to take a huge profit loss on a 200 million dollar project? Why? If you don't like the game, which is perfectly fine, not everyone likes every game, why actively hope for a game to fail? Especially one this expensive. If ESO fails, the first thing that will happen is a bunch of devs who hoped to have a job for many years (a rare thing in the high turnover world of game development) kicking out monthly content and larger expansions will be laid off. As someone who was recently laid off from a tech company, let me on their behalf thank you for hoping their project fails and they lose their jobs. Secondly, as a gamer, one of the worst things you can do is actively hope for game companies to fail. If you don't care for the final product, that's fine. But to hope the game is bad so it fails, is shortsighted and the worst kind of tripe. The more games that fail, especially big ones, the less likely developers and publishers will take chances. They will further retreat into the same old homogenized game design and then people like you will prattle on about game designers not innovating, nobody wants to do anything new. Finally, this game, if successful will provide R&D revenue for Fallout and TES games for years to come. Look at what a revenue boon WoW has been to Activison/Blizzard. And ESO doesn't even have to come close to WoW's numbers (which admittedly it won't) to be successful. So, next time you actively hope for a game to suck, remember, there's a little bit more on the line than you sense of righteous indignation.

  • rygard49rygard49 Member UncommonPosts: 973
    Originally posted by LydarSynn
    IMO, the problem is not the sub or the box fee. Its the sub AND the box fee for what appears to be an average MMO with the TES tacked on. Its too expensive for what you get IMO.

    To me it appears to be more TES with an MMO tacked on.

  • Crusix221Crusix221 Member UncommonPosts: 100
    I don't know something about a cash shop in Elder Scrolls just screams cheap. I think it would almost be lore / franchise breaking. I'm fine with a sub.
  • Cures80Cures80 Member UncommonPosts: 29
    i think it will simply be good for that there will be a paying comunity in the game. maybe a bit smaller comunity - but the f2p freeloader crowd is unbearable these days ...
  • TamanousTamanous Member RarePosts: 3,025
    Originally posted by Crusix221
    I don't know something about a cash shop in Elder Scrolls just screams cheap. I think it would almost be lore / franchise breaking. I'm fine with a sub.

    It may exist outside of the game like Wow's but it will have a cash shop. The difference is the entire game isn't designed around a F2P model.

    You stay sassy!

  • ArndushArndush Member Posts: 303
    Originally posted by st3v3b0
    They are smart to take advantage of naive consumers.  They are going out the door with high expectations and get a boatload of cash upfront and then when the luster wears off (and it will) they will drop the monthly fee and open a cash shop and keep the box price.  That is my prediction 12-18 months from when it is released.
     

    What high expectations? I keep hearing from people that this game is overhyped and the expectations are too high, but I keep hearing that from the same people who have been bashing the game the whole time. While MMORPG's articles slanted to the positive, they have been fairly critical as well and this site has been by far the kindest. Massively has been banging on about what a bad idea this is and what a terrible game it will be for months. Most posters have been very vocal in their healthy disdain for this title. So, I ask again, what hype? What high expectations? As far as I can tell, most posters and review sites this game is and will fail.

  • AlastirAlastir Member UncommonPosts: 14
    I for one would like the monthly sub. I personally think that the F2P model has made MMOs less enjoyable for me . It seems to bring in a younger crowd and they want EVERYTHING right now quick , fast and in a hurry .Easy to level , easy to get loot . STO went F2P and that game went downhill fast . Took every reason to group up and do missions and put in a reputation system . Now that game is totally soloable and not challenging at all.
  • SpottyGekkoSpottyGekko Member EpicPosts: 6,916

    I've no doubt that Zenimax are capitalising on the success of Skyrim. That's what you do with a strong IP, you capitalize on it. I also believe that there's a very good chance their gamble will pay off. Obviously they do too.

     

    The initial rush at launch is almost a certainty. The really intriguing question is how long it will last...

     

  • Po_ggPo_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749

    "If many more buy the game initially, but don't sub after the free month is up, that could still be a good return on investment. It's a risk, but apparently it's one worth taking for the studio, even knowing that the sub fee and M rating could limit the audience."

    Originally posted by lizardbones

    Meh.  I don't think there's any risk going on here.  If they need to, they can change direction and go with a B2P model or F2P model and be just fine.

    +1 to lizardbones, there's no risk in it. Actually that's exactly the expected thing to do for maximizing their profits... launch with a preorder/box, then charge the monthly fee until the enthusiasm lasts, after that they still can sit down and doing the math about switching or no switching is the most profitable outcome for the future.

    If you check the responses, the majority doesn't expect a free launch either, the debate is usually upon when will it switch to b2p / f2p.

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