How long do you think the subscription model will last?

Renton81

Just in the last few years, there have been several MMO's that have released as subscription based games (i.e SWTOR, LOTRO and various others). Most have reverted to the Free to Play model within a matter of months of releasing. Now this isn't to judge how good these games are and whether they are worth subscription or not. What I wanted to ask is, how long do you think current subscription games will last using this monthly fee model? There's the most obvious game (WoW) that still runs off subs. Maybe the reduced number of players is a sign that they will (not saying soon) at some point in the future go completely free to play?

 

I personally think MMO's should work the way Guild Wars 2 did. One time payment and that gives you access to the game.

Sovrath

Originally posted by Renton81

 

 

I personally think MMO's should work the way Guild Wars 2 did. One time payment and that gives you access to the game.

you forgot to add "with cash shop"

niceguy3978

As far as I know only SWTOR, TOR and DCUO abandoned their sub model "within months."  This is a bit of hyperbole.

BadSpock

Originally posted by niceguy3978
As far as I know only SWTOR, TSW and DCUO abandoned their sub model "within months."  This is a bit of hyperbole.

Fixed!

I think the subscription model will last for exactly as long as Blizzard chooses to continue to use the subscription model for WoW.

tixylix

I think it is pretty much dead as a mandatory thing, they will all do the Planetside 2 thing of having an optional subscription with Micro Transactions. There are so many MMOs now competing for everyones time and not only that but just so many games on offer now for the PC, especially with all the Steam Sales drawing so many people in to play more games than they ever have before. You cannot afford to add an extra barrier of entry with subscriptions any more unless you're Blizzard.

Agent_Joseph

i think curent trend ll be atractive in future,F2p,b2p,p2w,cash shop, paying for content etc....

I prefer sub + full acces but seems it is past,it is sad, mmorpg's are more expensive  then with monthly sub.

dlld

Wouldn't suprise me if wow goes freemium before next xpack, afaik mop did rather poorly compared to previous xpansions which means a loss in profit which means high up suits is going to demand them to do something about it, going "f2p" has increased most if not all games who switched revenues to my knowledge so why wouldn't they?

VassagoMael

Forever.

defector1968

Originally posted by VassagoMael
Forever.

and ever

Renton81

Originally posted by Sovrath

Originally posted by Renton81

 

 

I personally think MMO's should work the way Guild Wars 2 did. One time payment and that gives you access to the game.

you forgot to add "with cash shop"

Yes, with cash shop - but then nearly all games have cash shops now. I honestly don't mind cash shops as long as they don't sell game-breaking items. All they should offer is just skins and other superficial features. 

kitarad

What about Titan Blizzard's next MMO ? It might have a sub.

Kuro1n

Forever, there will always be different methods for getting the cash in. I prefer a sub based game most of the time, it's cheap and I get the moneys worth in the most cases (as long as I don't play a shitgame).

Renton81

Originally posted by Kuro1n
Forever, there will always be different methods for getting the cash in. I prefer a sub based game most of the time, it's cheap and I get the moneys worth in the most cases (as long as I don't play a shitgame).

Well, there are free to play games that are good too. The thing with monthly sub games like WoW is, sometimes I may take a break playing due to me having a lot of work to do. Then one night when I have free time I decide to play. Then I'm obligated to pay and play for the whole month, just because I felt like playing that one evening.

That's happened to me before too. I'd hesitate thinking, then just sub for the month just because I wanted to play with my mates. Then any other spare time that I have, I feel the urge to use up that time I paid for.

 

I honestly like 1 time payment games.

Trudge34

It will last. Once we get a game that's worthy of a sub fee people will mostly forget about these debates. I'd rather pay a sub than be forced to be nickled and dimed out of money for small content upgrades. Plus having a moderate (and i use moderate very losely seeing how tight many seem with their gaming dollars) barrier to entry is not always a bad thing. Keeps some control of the game in the Dev's hands at least. People getting suspended or banned can't just fire up a new account and get right back to what they're doing with little time lost.

Sovrath

The subscription model has issues because developers didn't keep up content, didn't supply features, fixes, events, and anything one could want in an mmo, fast enough or even good enough in some cases.

So of course, time goes by, people have exhausted what is there, not enough events to keep things interesting and then people ask 'what is it I'm getting for my money other than access?"

People pay for good value or things that they find merit their money. Remember, cable used to be "pay cable bill and get access to everything". Then it moved to "pay for access and then pay for your HBO or Cinemax, or "choose your channel". Now there are special movie events or sport events that one pays for on top of your other fees.

But people still pay it. it's because, even though they might not like it, they still find it of value to them.

If a sub game came along and offered great game play, events, reasons for people to just "have to" log on, then people would pay the sub.

However, cash shops offer a fix for population and in certian cases for income. There will always be people who are willing to slog through a game and not pay a thing and there will always be a group of people who are more than willing to pay for whatever the game company offers as far as pets, outfits, buffs, increased experience, etc.

However, as we have seen with Aion, it's not guaranteed to make a profit and if it continues you will either see games adding everything but the kitchen sink i hopes that they will "sell, sell, sell" or they will tweak the model yet again.

 

Rusque

I don't think sub-only games will be normal. There's too much money to be made by offering add-ons.

WoW's box + sub + cash shop is also a hard sell these days. I think box + freemium and F2P variations are how things will work.

Why charge $15 a month which restricts your potential playerbase (in a new game without a following), when you can charge $10 for "premium monthly membership" and also sell tons of stuff through a cash shop? Sure there will be people who will buy a box and play for free as much as they can, but good games tend to get paid.

Zalmon

It will last as long as we have quality MMOS like WOW and Rift which makes your 15 bucks a month worth it.

Drakynn

Originally posted by Zalmon
It will last as long as we have quality MMOS like WOW and Rift which makes your 15 bucks a month worth it.

This.

It's not a shift from sub to F2P/B2P it's the inability or unwillingness  of most developers to make a game that enough people consider worth a regular sub fee.I for one have no problems paying $15 a month but of late have not found one worth subbing to more than a couple months before they run dry.

Karteli

Aye, as others said, when games are worth the extra money, it's worth it.

 

When shills start trying to convince everyone that your 15 bucks a month is your priveledge to log onto a game, and does not include content updates .. well it's time to re-evaluate whether that particular game is worth a subscription.

 

Some games can justify a subscription .. many others simply cannot, so they go freemium, or in the rare case, truly F2P.

Wicoa

This is a piece of string question.  A new game DF UW is sub only and they stick to that, the new ncsoft blade n soul is subscription only.

I believe the subscription will continue to exsist while players are prepared to pay it for a quality product.

As soon as the subscription looses its value for money aspect then it will fade.  Developers need to develop harder faster and better with a subscription though imo.  F2P is for content lite games that drip feed its consumers.

Renton81

Originally posted by Wicoa

This is a piece of string question.  A new game DF UW is sub only and they stick to that, the new ncsoft blade n soul is subscription only.

I believe the subscription will continue to exsist while players are prepared to pay it for a quality product.

As soon as the subscription looses its value for money aspect then it will fade.  Developers need to develop harder faster and better with a subscription though imo.  F2P is for content lite games that drip feed its consumers.

How much you wanna bet those games will become free to play eventually. No doubt there will be games that start off subscription, but based on recent examples the end up F2P.

 

Soon enough developers will completely give up on releasing with subs alltogether I predict.

jpnole

There are F2P games which have optional subs. So I don't see subs going anywhere for now.

Renton81

Originally posted by jpnole
There are F2P games which have optional subs. So I don't see subs going anywhere for now.

Hmm, forgot about those. By my intention was based on games that are exclusively accessible only by subscribing. Not talking about F2P games that offer extra bonuses.

Kaniver

There are some underlying factors that aren't immdietly apparent in the WOW vs GW2 models.

It almost seems like a no brainer that the buy to play avenue is a better way to go. Using GW2 as an example and it is the best example I feel, there is a huge incentive for Arena Net to manipulate the economy. Why would they do that you wonder? To edge you towards making further investments in the game's infastructure be it fluff, bank space, additional character slots , ect.

Don't get me wrong as if the game is good enough, supporting it through further investment is fine. What I am concerned about is the feel of the experience vs a subscription model. The incentive in GW2 is for the parent company keep the economy tight enough as to make it more difficult to farm your way to more characters, bank space ect ect. It's a delicate balance that feels less than optimal from a players standpoint. The drops are dismal, crafting askew, taking much of the enjoyment of PVE style hunting exploring and reducing it significiantly.

Some of the drops and items added to the game feel as if they were meant mostly to take up pack space / bank space thus making the need for more of both more important. I've seen worse implementations but I go back to the underlying feel.

The graphics and gameworld are vibrant and enjoyable but they are not all inclusive as to what makes a virtual compelling to log into for years and years even at the behest of a monthly fee.

GW2's lack of emotes was such a silly thing to leave under developed, the crafting is shameful, and the dismal drops all conspire to leave one feeling..........unfullfilled.

WOW to had pretty crappy crafting (( I refer to Vanguard, EQ2 as better examples)) but they managed to leave one satisfied in a virtual way for many a moon.

Is there even an incentive for Arena Net to keep the servers bustling with activity. I would think so, I would hope so. In it's current state I feel unobliged to invest into it further.

 

Quirhid

As long as the suckers are willing to pay...

nariusseldon

The sub model already is death for me.