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Is beta going to cost revenue
thamighty213
Member UncommonPosts: 1,637
It seems to me Rift's beta has been going for ages now and with more and more sites giving out hundreds if not 1000s of keys I'd guestimate we have seen well over 100k beta keys so far now that to me indicates RIFT is already suffering from massive churn.
All of these people RIFT has allowed in only to leave are all lost initial sales and could cost Rift a small fortune in the long run.
Where they right to have such a relativly open to all beta so soon ?
I have tried RIFT personally didnt like the art/anim style but could see it is a polished game but won't be buying it myself however without beta I likeley would have spent the £40 it would cost I am likeley 1 of 10's of thousands who are in a similar situation and thats before a open beta lets just guesstimate that 50k people by the end of OB have decided its just not for them off first hand experiences then that is £2m in lost revenue and thats before you even factor in the word of mouth non sales these 50k create.
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Probably isnt that bad of an idea, because for every 1 person that decides this game is not for me , 5 probably pre ordered it cause when something is shinny and new it seems awesome, they they rush to get it.
The other positive spin it has, is people like you dont waste your money on the game, but if you did, then youd bitch on every MMO site and to all your friends you wasted your money, which could prevent sales due to negative comments and pissed off players.
But I do agree with you that sometimes overly long betas can make people feel, well been there done that, why pay for it now that I played for 6 monthes for free.
But I am guessing Rift is doing very well on pre orders, so they might of made the decision to let more people in and hope that the the trend of 1 in X amount of beta testeres are pre ordering.
I think they will be fine, the more people that see your product, when its a good product the better. Its not my wishlist of features, but it is a solid game and they seem to be hapy to stand behind what they created.
Im not afraid to spend some money on a game Im not sure of if I want to try it out. I had ZERO plans on picking up Rift and was waiting to try out SWTOR and TERA but being in the beta Im picking up Rift without a doubt. I've seen many of the same comments on the Rift forums as well (that I have been heavily visiting since soon after beta 4) and I think the giant waves that Rift is making right now are contributed to word of mouth endorsement from people who tried the beta.
The game just did not stick out enough in screen shots and in video, but man after playing it, its great fun and super smooth.
I wasn't considering Rift at all. I will try the game this Tuesday and if I like it I will buy it. But without the beta to try it I would never buy it. While there might be people who will find that they don't like the game, there will be others who wouldn't even consider buying it without trying. I won't spend 30-40 quid on an MMO which I haven't tried when I have no experience with the company or the franchise.
Mission in life: Vanquish all MMORPG.com trolls - especially TESO, WOW and GW2 trolls.
They're trying to push preorders.
I think it's smart and I like it. I don't try MMOs that don't have public trials or betas. Reviews on MMOs are only accurate content-wise, the actual fun-factor is a personal thing. I would never spend $60 on an MMO that I might not like. The betas last so short that it's just enough to give people a little taste. Good marketing tactic I'd say.
Besides, it allows them to figure out how many servers they'll need at launch. Too few = frustrated people, too many = server merges = doomsday scenarios.
its a 3 day beta, gives people who haven't had a chance to play the game YET, it also is a stress test for the servers to see how many they can handle, so when the game goes live theres no fails.
Just because towards the end of beta they give out more codes, Doesn't mean they are losing money fast.
So many people want to try the game and I'm sure if they like it they will buy.
Trion has a polished and well executed game on it's hands and they have over a years worth of content ready to be deployed systematically throughout 2011. This game has nothing to worry about.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
It is simple open beta IMO. With so many VIP keys around it hardly can be called closed beta. So I doubt it will cost revenue, as they will sell more preorders. That is just my guess...
The beta events arn't really that long. I was in beta 3 and the game doesn't exactly shine in the early levels, you just get a feeling of "been there, done that" in the beginning. When beta 4 rolled around I gave it another shot out of boredom, by the end of the beta I had pre-ordered the game, told a friend about it, and he pre-ordered it. I gave out my 25 keys to the rest of my friends for this next round of betas and I expect alot of them will pre-order it too.
Having said that, I'm staying away from the rest of the betas just because I don't want to be sick of the game before it even releases.
The game is really polished and as far as I'm concerned it can only benifit from people trying it, testing it and giving more feedback.
I am testing this game for the first time on Tuesday and if I like what I see I will pre order it.
Im with you on this, I would never pre order without trying it first.
Done that to many times before and 99% of the time it's ended in tears.
this must be your first mmorpg, currently 50% mmorpg players wont touch game without beta, and you spouting nonsense that people would just blindly buy game they didnt try, and will not buy cuz of beta?
personally game without open beta is a failure, and not worth time even checking out, while rift isnt exactly open beta, with massive keys they been giving out this week, it might as well be one
Rift beta is good , and in reality only publicity this game ever had, noone rly knew what rift were half year ago, ( i knew, other hardcore gamers knew , but thats about it ) now everyone speaks about it, everyone preorders it,
if you think initial sales is what makes mmorpgs ur terribly wrong, aoc had good sales, yet completely died 2 months latter
tbh "smart people " like you is what ruining pc gaming, and gaming in general, they charge for everything, cuz people just pay..
hmmm, interesting question. Reading the forums, I would say that more revenue would be lost if they didn't have the beta. I am constantly reading posts where ppl say that "I won't buy a game unless they have a beta or free trial" Some of these are probably full of crap, but I would imagine that many are sincere. In this case, I think a company risks revenue in either case.
However, I would err on the side of having the beta. Sure you risk revenue, but at least get the benefit of stress testing, bug fixing, feedback, etc.
I self identify as a monkey.
Ages? Ages? Really? How is that? The first beta event,lasting ~4 days was last month. There are a total of ~7 beta events, of which each lasts ~4 days, leading up to a February 24th early start. So, no, not Ages, it hasn't been going for "Ages".
Honestly, I dont even know what that means. Churn means moving with or producing or produced by vigorous agitation. I just trying to understand this. Rift is suffering from vigorous agitation? The game is agitated? I really dont understand that.
Anyway, what I think I do understand is that this is a promotional marketing period for Trion. And as part of their promotion, these short bursts, over several days of "open beta" play, is their, well, "Open Beta". For the vast majority of mmo enthusiasts that have any sense of interest in "Trialing" Rift, that is pretty much what this period is for. A period that most mmo's should have; at least a 2-week open beta period where you can get a sense for the game befor you buy.
There's absolutelty nothing uncommon or agitating about that.
Trion is doing something that all mmo gaming studios should do; they are doing something that, from what I've seen, the vast majority of potential mmo subscribers want; a limited open beta. The difference here is that instead of having a straight 2-week open beta, they are having a series of short events over a short-period of time.
So, no, its really not too soon if you get their method, and yes, the market is always clammoring for a "try before you buy" period.
Again, this is their "Open Beta", and their method of doing it.
You benefited from what consumers want, and Im sure what you wanted and benefited from; to be able to trial a product before you buy. But then again, your "concern" is that they are losing money on a product you dont like because some wont like it. I'm confused, once again; I thought that was the point of an "Open Beta", though Trions is not a conventional one.
Anyway, my feeling is that they'll do just fine, have their piece of the market and do as well or possibly better than most other mmorpgs over the last 6-years.
Well, considering the marketing video on the front of their website advetises it as the most polished mmo to ever be released, I think the beta keys are being used to underscore that point (Aside from the usual "it's fun to play!"). I got my VIP key last night and look to install and try it out today.
Frankly, if anything I see the way they have handled this beta increasing their overall exposure, hype, & preorders compared to how it would have went if they would have conducted the whole beta process low key and with a small amount of testers.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
I can gau-ran-TEE! that Rifts beta is a huge boon for the company. For every naysayer there are 10 yay sayers! And I can bet that for every 10 naysayers at least 2 bought it =P
Drop the next-gen marketing and people will argue if the game itself has merit.
Unlinke some other games, this is their open BETA.
They are actually Beta testing it. Just like in the old days. I have seen changes from the first Beta to the 4th. This is a good thing. As far as Ages, it was the start of december that they started so that's not long at all. And it has been comprised of a few days here and there, not one ongoing Beta over the course of an entire month and a half +.
My opinion is they are "doing it right". All these people allowed into beta, besides stressing the system (and for a few of them actually reporting bugs or submitting feedback) have a chance to see what the game is like. So if they hate it (and no biggie I know people will) they won't buy it and Trion will be left with actual customers who want to buy the game as opposed to customers that will feel ripped off if they hate it.
Also the style isn't Anime but it is stylized.
In any case what this series of beta events will do is to cement the players who want to come, get word out ot other players by advertising/word of mouth and dissuade players who never would have liked the game from buying it. That is always a good thing.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
As long as the content isnt unplayable (reports from other betas say there are no issues) and as long as the game is enjoyable (again reported as so) then this beta, and other hosted free events will generate preorder sales.
Its my firm belief that these open events are nothing more than preorder sales generators.
Yes the beta will cost money to host, im sure they will have a lot of staff monitoring it as well, but the preorders that will result will more than make up for it, by a lot.
I think that the word of mouth generated by people in the beta is going to get them a lot more sales than not having the beta like they have. I know at least 4 people at work who would not have even heard of the game if not for the beta.
*edit* Those four people pre-ordered the game.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
I personally love the open beta events thinking. How many ppl would have purchased trials of obi wan if they had let out beta play. At least by letting so many ppl try it for free you can hash out who will want to pay and play vs those that dont like the game. Its the ppl who buy the game and then hate it and whine about it that bring a gaming community down. So be happy for the Rift beta, if you like it fine, if ya dont go back to wow for another bowl of vanilla pudding and stfu.