Free To Play Weekend

ktanner3

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Star_Wars/Star_Wars_The_Old_Republic/MMORPGs/Free_Weekend/Star_Wars_The_Old_Republic_is_Free_This_Weekend/8997 

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If you haven't tried the game out yet, this is the perfect time to get in on the action.

The big problem with MMOs – and it's something you don't really find in other games – is that there's so much riding on you enjoying the game. If you pick up a crappy shooter, you're out the $60 but still have something to screw around with down the line, or sell if you bought a console copy. With an MMO you're out the upfront investment plus the money spent on a subscription, and if you want to play again down the line you have to pay for more game time.

 

It's a big barrier for people to get over but the folks at BioWare are giving you a chance to avoid all that. This weekend, starting on Thursday, 'Star Wars: The Old Republic' will be free to play. You can get in on the action as early as midnight on Thursday morning, central time.

Swing on over to the Weekend Pass page for some more details and, come Thursday, to download the game.

Source: Joystiq 

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rteker

the OP should have read the folloing link about Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Weekend Pass Free* Trial

http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20120313-0

it actually states this "The Weekend Pass Free Trial opens Thursday, March 15th, 12:01AM CT / 5:01AM GMT and ends on Monday, March 19th at 2:00AM CT / 7:00AM GMT. To learn more, visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com/weekendpass and come back on March 15th to create your account, download the game, and begin your free trial! Have questions? Visit the Weekend Pass FAQ." copied and pasted from the article

Ikeda

Or you could read the what MMORPG already posted way earlier this morning:

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/367/view/news/read/23837/Star-Wars-The-Old-Republic-Weekend-Pass-Announced.html

wrekognize

 If I wanted a story, I'd read a book...Or watch a movie.

Kaocan

[Mod Edit]

Burntvet

Just an observation, but a free weekend, on top of the recently offered 3 buddy keys to existing players, smells an awful lot like desperation for a game that supposedly has 1.7 mil subs.

If all were well, I don't think this stuff would be showing up for a while yet. Or even going as well as the EA execs have announced lately.

But then, the claims of 90% or so retention were hard to believe to begin with.

 

Googled

i will probably give it a try

Superduper69

[Mod Edit]

DollMighty8313

Originally posted by Burntvet

Just an observation, but a free weekend, on top of the recently offered 3 buddy keys to existing players, smells an awful lot like desperation for a game that supposedly has 1.7 mil subs.

If all were well, I don't think this stuff would be showing up for a while yet. Or even going as well as the EA execs have announced lately.

But then, the claims of 90% or so retention were hard to believe to begin with.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^ROFL at tinfoil-hat theories.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

RefMinor

[Mod Edit]

Superduper69

[Mod Edit]

Kyleran

I wonder if they'll steer new players to any servers in particular, or let them pick which ever ones they like?

Could be a good way to beef up some of the lighter ones if the users were presented a limited list to chose from.

Probably too much trouble, they'll likely just present the full list.

 

 

SuprGamerX

 Heh , I wouldn't bother trying it even if it were a free year.  I'm guessing everyone will download it , then start crying because it will be Sunday and the game is still not done downloading and once you reach level 10 the free trial is over. That would make a good comedy scene in any movie.

DLangley

Stay on topic please. Thanks.

Creslin321

Hehe well, I was going to respond to certain individuals who unjustly accused the OP of a certain unsavory activity...but it looks like the mods took care of it .

Burntvet

Originally posted by dollada06

Originally posted by Burntvet

Just an observation, but a free weekend, on top of the recently offered 3 buddy keys to existing players, smells an awful lot like desperation for a game that supposedly has 1.7 mil subs.

If all were well, I don't think this stuff would be showing up for a while yet. Or even going as well as the EA execs have announced lately.

But then, the claims of 90% or so retention were hard to believe to begin with.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^ROFL at tinfoil-hat theories.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ROFL at people that do not understand Q1 is about to end in a couple weeks.

Do you think the trials and free weekends are coincidentally timed to happen right before the end of the first full quarter the game is released?

They are doing this SPECIFICALLY so they can say "TOR had x.x active subs at the end of Q1 Mar 2012." Or "TOR had x.x mil active subs in Mar of 2012."

And they won't be lying.

At the same time, they will not be saying that X% of those "active subs" were trial accts or free weekend accts or buddy accts, and thus not generating income. Or, even paid for the box in the cases of some of those.

No tin-foil here... just the realization and knowledge of how the corporate numbers game is played.

 

DaRoamer

Originally posted by Burntvet

Just an observation, but a free weekend, on top of the recently offered 3 buddy keys to existing players, smells an awful lot like desperation for a game that supposedly has 1.7 mil subs.

If all were well, I don't think this stuff would be showing up for a while yet. Or even going as well as the EA execs have announced lately.

But then, the claims of 90% or so retention were hard to believe to begin with.

 

It's called marketing.  Every MMO has a huge turnover rate in players, therefore no matter how popular your game (see WoW) you still need to keep bringing new people in or your subs will eventually die.  I mean, WoW has free trials too.  Are they desperate?

The have a big patch coming next month which will likely include a big advertising blitz so they want to give people a taste of the game and then entice them with a look into the kind of content they should expect if they actually sub.  It would make no sense to do the friend trial after 1.2 launches because some people will try to get to that content before their 2 weeks expires.  The free weekend is slightly differenty in this regard because it's capped at level 15 but the rest of what I said holds true about it, give them a taste, hit them with ads showing the amount if free content you'll continue to get if you sub.

ktanner3

Originally posted by DaRoamer

Originally posted by Burntvet

Just an observation, but a free weekend, on top of the recently offered 3 buddy keys to existing players, smells an awful lot like desperation for a game that supposedly has 1.7 mil subs.

If all were well, I don't think this stuff would be showing up for a while yet. Or even going as well as the EA execs have announced lately.

But then, the claims of 90% or so retention were hard to believe to begin with.

 

It's called marketing.  Every MMO has a huge turnover rate in players, therefore no matter how popular your game (see WoW) you still need to keep bringing new people in or your subs will eventually die.  I mean, WoW has free trials too.  Are they desperate?

The have a big patch coming next month which will likely include a big advertising blitz so they want to give people a taste of the game and then entice them with a look into the kind of content they should expect if they actually sub.  It would make no sense to do the friend trial after 1.2 launches because some people will try to get to that content before their 2 weeks expires.  The free weekend is slightly differenty in this regard because it's capped at level 15 but the rest of what I said holds true about it, give them a taste, hit them with ads showing the amount if free content you'll continue to get if you sub.

This is exactly how I see it. This idea that millions of players will stay subscribed to the same game for years and years is ludicrous. Eventually people get tired and either  take breaks or move on to another game.  I'm sure WOW's 10 million aren't all the same people who started back when it was first released. Advertising free weekends in and outside of the usual MMO sites is just smart business sense.

Burntvet

Originally posted by ktanner3

Originally posted by DaRoamer

Originally posted by Burntvet

Just an observation, but a free weekend, on top of the recently offered 3 buddy keys to existing players, smells an awful lot like desperation for a game that supposedly has 1.7 mil subs.

If all were well, I don't think this stuff would be showing up for a while yet. Or even going as well as the EA execs have announced lately.

But then, the claims of 90% or so retention were hard to believe to begin with.

 

It's called marketing.  Every MMO has a huge turnover rate in players, therefore no matter how popular your game (see WoW) you still need to keep bringing new people in or your subs will eventually die.  I mean, WoW has free trials too.  Are they desperate?

The have a big patch coming next month which will likely include a big advertising blitz so they want to give people a taste of the game and then entice them with a look into the kind of content they should expect if they actually sub.  It would make no sense to do the friend trial after 1.2 launches because some people will try to get to that content before their 2 weeks expires.  The free weekend is slightly differenty in this regard because it's capped at level 15 but the rest of what I said holds true about it, give them a taste, hit them with ads showing the amount if free content you'll continue to get if you sub.

This is exactly how I see it. This idea that millions of players will stay subscribed to the same game for years and years is ludicrous. Eventually people get tired and either  take breaks or move on to another game.  I'm sure WOW's 10 million aren't all the same people who started back when it was first released. Advertising free weekends in and outside of the usual MMO sites is just smart business sense.

What years and years?

EA/BW is going all out with trials and buddy keys and free weekends and all that not even 3 MONTHS after launch.3 MONTHS!!!

And right before the quarter closes.

And it is not being done because everything is peachy in EA/BW land.

Normally, you might be right and I do not disagree with that, but not here.

This is all so they can pump the numbers and brag about them (or at least not be caught making overly optimistic estimates to investors, at the same time the anecdotal population declines across most servers are going on).  Just in time for the first quarter the game is released. That's it, that is the timing.

And here's the key: when EA/BW releases the numbers for Q1, see if they break them down by trial/buddy/free weekend and paying subs.  I guarantee you, they will not... because they will show nothing good for TOR.

I did not expect such a thing for TOR for several more months down the road, even so far as the first anniversary of launch.

But then, I, like many other people, expected the game to be better than it is.

 

(P.S. And "as if" they need massive free trials/buddy keys/free weekends as a "marketing tactic". TOR is already the most marketed MMO across all media in such a short time period, basically ever. Marketed more than WoW over the period, and then they need to go full bore on free trials on top of that so soon out of the gate? IS there even a PC/MMO/other gamer out there that has not heard of TOR by now, nor one of the millions that tried during the beta? Publicity/marketing is NOT the problem with TOR...)

 

 

 

DaRoamer

Originally posted by Burntvet

Originally posted by ktanner3

Originally posted by DaRoamer

Originally posted by Burntvet

Just an observation, but a free weekend, on top of the recently offered 3 buddy keys to existing players, smells an awful lot like desperation for a game that supposedly has 1.7 mil subs.

If all were well, I don't think this stuff would be showing up for a while yet. Or even going as well as the EA execs have announced lately.

But then, the claims of 90% or so retention were hard to believe to begin with.

 

It's called marketing.  Every MMO has a huge turnover rate in players, therefore no matter how popular your game (see WoW) you still need to keep bringing new people in or your subs will eventually die.  I mean, WoW has free trials too.  Are they desperate?

The have a big patch coming next month which will likely include a big advertising blitz so they want to give people a taste of the game and then entice them with a look into the kind of content they should expect if they actually sub.  It would make no sense to do the friend trial after 1.2 launches because some people will try to get to that content before their 2 weeks expires.  The free weekend is slightly differenty in this regard because it's capped at level 15 but the rest of what I said holds true about it, give them a taste, hit them with ads showing the amount if free content you'll continue to get if you sub.

This is exactly how I see it. This idea that millions of players will stay subscribed to the same game for years and years is ludicrous. Eventually people get tired and either  take breaks or move on to another game.  I'm sure WOW's 10 million aren't all the same people who started back when it was first released. Advertising free weekends in and outside of the usual MMO sites is just smart business sense.

What years and years?

EA/BW is going all out with trials and buddy keys and free weekends and all that not even 3 MONTHS after launch.3 MONTHS!!!

And right before the quarter closes.

And it is not being done because everything is peachy in EA/BW land.

Normally, you might be right and I do not disagree with that, but not here.

This is all so they can pump the numbers and brag about them (or at least not be caught making overly optimistic estimates to investors, at the same time the anecdotal population declines across most servers are going on).  Just in time for the first quarter the game is released. That's it, that is the timing.

And here's the key: when EA/BW releases the numbers for Q1, see if they break them down by trial/buddy/free weekend and paying subs.  I guarantee you, they will not... because they will show nothing good for TOR.

I did not expect such a thing for TOR for several more months down the road, even so far as the first anniversary of launch.

But then, I, like many other people, expected the game to be better than it is.

 

(P.S. And "as if" they need massive free trials/buddy keys/free weekends as a "marketing tactic". TOR is already the most marketed MMO across all media in such a short time period, basically ever. Marketed more than WoW over the period, and then they need to go full bore on free trials on top of that so soon out of the gate? IS there even a PC/MMO/other gamer out there that has not heard of TOR by now, nor one of the millions that tried during the beta? Publicity/marketing is NOT the problem with TOR...)

 

 

 

So according to you they've done enough advertising and they should stop?  I'm sure every person in the world knows Coca Cola and yet they still advertise.  This concept of "it's already advertised so much they don't need more, they're only advertising because they're desperate and don't want people to know how bad their doing!" is just nonsense.   Why is every segment of a sports broadcast sponsored by huge companies that everyone already knows?

Aside from that they're not only advertising to MMO gamers.  I know a lot of peple who are not "gamers" who play WoW.  They don't read gaming sites, they don't follow upcoming games.  They see commercials on TV with Mr T and Ozzy Osborne and they know friends who play WoW.  Again, is Blizzard so desperate that they have to hire these people to do commercials?  Are you saying gamers don't know what WoW is or that it exists?

This post was brought to you by the Ford Focus.  Ford, Drive One.

Nasa

How much free hard disc space must I have to install the game ?

Purutzil

Eh hardcore played the beta. Nothing massive would of changed and any bugs/issues if they were fixed (which I do many weren't) wouldn't really be factors enough that had kept me away. I'll pass on the big dl and just be on my way. Maybe they will let this game die and actually TRY and make a star wars MMO thats original rather then taking 'generic MMO' to a whole new level. Adding in dialog you used in a single player game that has far less effect in MMO setting doesn't count.

Heretique

Sounds a lot like the road RIFT travelled.

Burntvet

Originally posted by DaRoamer

Originally posted by Burntvet

Originally posted by ktanner3

Originally posted by DaRoamer

Originally posted by Burntvet

Just an observation, but a free weekend, on top of the recently offered 3 buddy keys to existing players, smells an awful lot like desperation for a game that supposedly has 1.7 mil subs.

If all were well, I don't think this stuff would be showing up for a while yet. Or even going as well as the EA execs have announced lately.

But then, the claims of 90% or so retention were hard to believe to begin with.

 

It's called marketing.  Every MMO has a huge turnover rate in players, therefore no matter how popular your game (see WoW) you still need to keep bringing new people in or your subs will eventually die.  I mean, WoW has free trials too.  Are they desperate?

The have a big patch coming next month which will likely include a big advertising blitz so they want to give people a taste of the game and then entice them with a look into the kind of content they should expect if they actually sub.  It would make no sense to do the friend trial after 1.2 launches because some people will try to get to that content before their 2 weeks expires.  The free weekend is slightly differenty in this regard because it's capped at level 15 but the rest of what I said holds true about it, give them a taste, hit them with ads showing the amount if free content you'll continue to get if you sub.

This is exactly how I see it. This idea that millions of players will stay subscribed to the same game for years and years is ludicrous. Eventually people get tired and either  take breaks or move on to another game.  I'm sure WOW's 10 million aren't all the same people who started back when it was first released. Advertising free weekends in and outside of the usual MMO sites is just smart business sense.

What years and years?

EA/BW is going all out with trials and buddy keys and free weekends and all that not even 3 MONTHS after launch.3 MONTHS!!!

And right before the quarter closes.

And it is not being done because everything is peachy in EA/BW land.

Normally, you might be right and I do not disagree with that, but not here.

This is all so they can pump the numbers and brag about them (or at least not be caught making overly optimistic estimates to investors, at the same time the anecdotal population declines across most servers are going on).  Just in time for the first quarter the game is released. That's it, that is the timing.

And here's the key: when EA/BW releases the numbers for Q1, see if they break them down by trial/buddy/free weekend and paying subs.  I guarantee you, they will not... because they will show nothing good for TOR.

I did not expect such a thing for TOR for several more months down the road, even so far as the first anniversary of launch.

But then, I, like many other people, expected the game to be better than it is.

 

(P.S. And "as if" they need massive free trials/buddy keys/free weekends as a "marketing tactic". TOR is already the most marketed MMO across all media in such a short time period, basically ever. Marketed more than WoW over the period, and then they need to go full bore on free trials on top of that so soon out of the gate? IS there even a PC/MMO/other gamer out there that has not heard of TOR by now, nor one of the millions that tried during the beta? Publicity/marketing is NOT the problem with TOR...)

 

 

 

So according to you they've done enough advertising and they should stop?  I'm sure every person in the world knows Coca Cola and yet they still advertise.  This concept of "it's already advertised so much they don't need more, they're only advertising because they're desperate and don't want people to know how bad their doing!" is just nonsense.   Why is every segment of a sports broadcast sponsored by huge companies that everyone already knows?

Aside from that they're not only advertising to MMO gamers.  I know a lot of peple who are not "gamers" who play WoW.  They don't read gaming sites, they don't follow upcoming games.  They see commercials on TV with Mr T and Ozzy Osborne and they know friends who play WoW.  Again, is Blizzard so desperate that they have to hire these people to do commercials?  Are you saying gamers don't know what WoW is or that it exists?

This post was brought to you by the Ford Focus.  Ford, Drive One.

 

Of course not, and that is a stupid, transparent, strawman argument.

TOR has been using every marketing tool they can up to now: ads on TV, in movie theaters, commissioning articles at MMO sites (including this one), produced Youtube bits, paid PR forum posters, and on and on. And yes, offering free trials is/can be another of those tools.

However, to be offering THREE DIFFERENT TYPES of free trials, leading up to the end of the very first full quarter it is released, and 17 or so days before the next "conference call" with investors is beyond co-incidental. It is an obvious attempt to try to "honestly" boost the sub numbers before the end of March. And all of that not 3 months after launch... what is that telling you?

And EA/BW will count every single one of those trial/buddy/free weekend accts as an "active sub" for the purposes of the conference call. Never mind that those accts generate no income. And to EA. it won't matter that they are not.

The biggest danger to a corporate career is unfulfilled/unmet expectations. When numbers are not met, divisions and budgets get cut and people get fired. That is just the way it is.

EA/BW is pulling out all the stops and using every trick to try to boost the numbers for TOR, in a time when there are widely reported population drops on many servers. Expectations are still high for a return on TOR, and it will be at the end of Q1, the first full quarter of release, that it will largely be judged.

And make no mistake: the execs in charge are being judged as well, so they are doing their very best to "cook the numbers" in any way they can.

 

SpottyGekko

I'm quite sure that EA are attempting to boost the numbers before the end of their 4th quarter. But that comes as no surprise, tbh.

 

The real question is whether they are attempting to cover up declining sub numbers, or whether they are simply trying to boost already good numbers ?

 

The free 7-day buddy trial finally pulled me off of the fence and snagged me as a new SWTOR player, so in my case the marketing certainly paid off...

fadis

Originally posted by Burntvet

Just an observation, but a free weekend, on top of the recently offered 3 buddy keys to existing players, smells an awful lot like desperation for a game that supposedly has 1.7 mil subs.

If all were well, I don't think this stuff would be showing up for a while yet. Or even going as well as the EA execs have announced lately.

But then, the claims of 90% or so retention were hard to believe to begin with.

 

That's because the game doesn't have 1.7 million paying subs.  If you believe that... I've got a bridge...