It's because they didn't go F2P - they went B2P and what you call the "barrier of entry" is going to bring in a good chunk of change.
Games that don't have that "barrier" NEED to monetize heavily and coerce you to spend $ because that's all the money they get. You'll also never see those F2P games giving you what they call a sub option that rewards you with crowns as part of the sub that are 100% equivalent to just purchasing the crowns without subbing.
As to what will happen eventually...anything is possible. It's your choice to worry about what might eventually be now or if and when it happens.
And your use of the word "freeloader" to describe those who use the B2P model as sold -- i.e. buy it and then don't sub or buy crowns -- is misplaced in a game where the entry is not free.
Subs are now an option for those who feel they want the value it offers. There's no "cool true fan" and "freeloader" division here.
I bought it and subbed enough to get a free Senche mount when it comes. Now I'm taking a payment holiday when my sub expires in 2 weeks. Someone else's turn to spend.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but... wasn't Eldar Scrolls Online already B2P with a sub? In that case, I don't think going B2P without subbing being necessary is going to bring them a "significant chunk of change" more than their old model would have.
Now, bear in mind that the whole point of changing the model in the first place was to make more money. And I just find it doubtful that going B2P with optional sub is going to bring in signfiicantly more money than their original model of B2P with needing a sub. Especially after you take into account the extra costs associated with having to host for the nonsubbers (whether they're "freeloaders" or whatever you want to call them. Non-subbers, then).
Hence the high likelihood they're going to focus on the cash shop more than what you currently see. Because the chances of making enough revenue from the extra additional box sales of going B2P-with-Optional-Sub compared to their original model of B2P-with-necessary-sub to make up for hosting the non-subbers in the long term is quite nonexistant, I'm sure. Especially in the long term, where the initial one-time revenue jump of a box sale becomes more and more insigificant
In MMO terminology, "B2P" is used to denote the handful of MMOs (GW2, TSW, ESO) that have a "box" price bu require no sub. Yes, technically, traditional sub MMOs are also B2P but that's not what we call them - we call them "P2P" because of the ongoing monthly requirement to pay to play.
I don't know how many more boxes they will sell now that it's B2P, but I do know that the P2P sub system creates a psychological barrier for some. There will be players who will consider it now that it doesn't require a sub that wouldn't have before - this is especially so in spades for the console crowd... and it's that console crowd who will be buying the boxes that will be bringing in a lot more cash than the PC/Mac crowd in 2015.
And they already do have plans for real Crown store content sales that they're banking on for continued revenue: DLC. There is none at the moment so the Crown store is just full of fluffy convenience and cosmetic stuff. Neither us nor they will have any kind of real indication of how well the crown store meets their budgetary predictions until there is DLC in there. That is their #1 focus - DLC, not additional fluffy junk. That will either make them the amount of money they expect or not. If it does you'll continue to see a store very similar to what we have now + DLC... if it doesn't, then we'll start to see sketchy shit in there. along with a full switch to F2P.
I thought the general consensus or feeling by most people was that the DLC was... probably not going to happen. At least, in any significant amount.
Of course, the general consensus could be proven wrong. I'd be surprised, myself, though. DLC takes a lot more time, effort, and resources to make than slapping in extra gunk into the cash shop and monetizing the cash shop more. Perhaps it's just the pessimist in me and most others that thinks Zenimax won't commit to that. In our defense, IMHO Zenimax has given little reason to be optimistic.
You may be right. Its uncertain for sure.
Just about everything that Zenimax have done since they pulled the console launch last year has been aimed at the new console launch. Skyrim was at the top table with the likes of GTA, CoD, BF, Assassin's Creed etc. Zenimax will be hoping that TESO can pick up the mantle. Will they be able to match Destiny's 16M+ console sales .... in theory sure, in practice maybe they end up with Oblivion type sales of just a few million.
Skyrim type sales will be the goal. Some millions in the first month and 20M or whatever after a year. That is why they have dropped the sub. And seem to have woken up to the danger of the cash shop being labelled p2w. A B2P with p2w cash shop won't help sales; B2P + P2W cash shop + sub will bury them. They want - need - a clean message.
If they get the huge sales then they can follow up with "high value" DLC - most of it will be via digital download which will have a higher profit margin. And if they manage to produce the same amount of content that they did for Skyrim - 3 significant "expansions" despite having no sub remember - then next summer they will have the option of a Legendary edition.
As Iselin says though if sales disappoint - whatever that means - then it will fluffy bunny time in the cash shop and development will be on life support. And initially the fluffy bunnies will be fine but - as NCSoft have realised with GW2 - more is needed.
I thought the general consensus or feeling by most people was that the DLC was... probably not going to happen. At least, in any significant amount.
Of course, the general consensus could be proven wrong. I'd be surprised, myself, though. DLC takes a lot more time, effort, and resources to make than slapping in extra gunk into the cash shop and monetizing the cash shop more. Perhaps it's just the pessimist in me and most others that thinks Zenimax won't commit to that. In our defense, IMHO Zenimax has given little reason to be optimistic.
You may be right. Its uncertain for sure.
Just about everything that Zenimax have done since they pulled the console launch last year has been aimed at the new console launch. Skyrim was at the top table with the likes of GTA, CoD, BF, Assassin's Creed etc. Zenimax will be hoping that TESO can pick up the mantle. Will they be able to match Destiny's 16M+ console sales .... in theory sure, in practice maybe they end up with Oblivion type sales of just a few million.
Skyrim type sales will be the goal. Some millions in the first month and 20M or whatever after a year. That is why they have dropped the sub. And seem to have woken up to the danger of the cash shop being labelled p2w. A B2P with p2w cash shop won't help sales; B2P + P2W cash shop + sub will bury them. They want - need - a clean message.
If they get the huge sales then they can follow up with "high value" DLC - most of it will be via digital download which will have a higher profit margin. And if they manage to produce the same amount of content that they did for Skyrim - 3 significant "expansions" despite having no sub remember - then next summer they will have the option of a Legendary edition.
As Iselin says though if sales disappoint - whatever that means - then it will fluffy bunny time in the cash shop and development will be on life support. And initially the fluffy bunnies will be fine but - as NCSoft have realised with GW2 - more is needed.
Maybe Zenimax will take the best of both worlds. Avoid the P2W label with a nonintrusive cash shop and lots of good DLC for the first year to get lots of box sales, then as the box sales stop coming (cause everyone already brought the game. You only need to buy the box once) and that goodwill is no longer fruitful, stop focusing on expensive-to-produce DLC and make the cash shop more intrusive (GRADUALLY!) and milk the remaining player base for what it's worth.
As you've indirectly pointed out, GW2 seems to be taking that route, And that's despite how their box sales did NOT dissappoint, showing that they took that route in spite of being successful. This implies that route is necessary in the long term. Which... again, makes sense when you consider that box sales become an less relevant and significant factor as more time goes by.
A mistake,... suuuuuure. Read: The potions will return in their full glory at a later point. Once people get used to being nickel and dimed.
MMOs finally replaced social interaction, forced grouping and standing in a line while talking to eachother.
Now we have forced soloing, forced questing and everyone is the hero, without ever having to talk to anyone else. The evolution of multiplayer is here! We won,... right?
Originally posted by Arglebargle This oft repeated idea that MMO devs don't make mistakes is pretty hilarious.
But still, you know the industry's gone downhill when "We've made a stupid mistake, but at least we're fixing it" is celebrated when in a better world, the "mistake" wouldn't have been made in the first place. These days, mistakes happen so friggin' often that the best we can do is grasp at straws and be thankful for the rare moments they're corrected. We've really had to lower our standards it seems.
Originally posted by Arglebargle This oft repeated idea that MMO devs don't make mistakes is pretty hilarious.
But still, you know the industry's gone downhill when "We've made a stupid mistake, but at least we're fixing it" is celebrated when in a better world, the "mistake" wouldn't have been made in the first place. These days, mistakes happen so friggin' often that the best we can do is grasp at straws and be thankful for the rare moments they're corrected. We've really had to lower our standards it seems.
Mistakes have always happened, some people just feel its important to get all righteous about it these days, that's the difference.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Originally posted by Arglebargle This oft repeated idea that MMO devs don't make mistakes is pretty hilarious.
But still, you know the industry's gone downhill when "We've made a stupid mistake, but at least we're fixing it" is celebrated when in a better world, the "mistake" wouldn't have been made in the first place. These days, mistakes happen so friggin' often that the best we can do is grasp at straws and be thankful for the rare moments they're corrected. We've really had to lower our standards it seems.
Mistakes have always happened, some people just feel its important to get all righteous about it these days, that's the difference.
Yes, but now we're reduced to celebrating the fixing of those mistakes when such a thing really should be par for the course. (just like how in a better world, mistakes themselves would NOT be par for the course but instead would be rare. In both cases, this is clearly not a better world, alas)
Comments
You may be right. Its uncertain for sure.
Just about everything that Zenimax have done since they pulled the console launch last year has been aimed at the new console launch. Skyrim was at the top table with the likes of GTA, CoD, BF, Assassin's Creed etc. Zenimax will be hoping that TESO can pick up the mantle. Will they be able to match Destiny's 16M+ console sales .... in theory sure, in practice maybe they end up with Oblivion type sales of just a few million.
Skyrim type sales will be the goal. Some millions in the first month and 20M or whatever after a year. That is why they have dropped the sub. And seem to have woken up to the danger of the cash shop being labelled p2w. A B2P with p2w cash shop won't help sales; B2P + P2W cash shop + sub will bury them. They want - need - a clean message.
If they get the huge sales then they can follow up with "high value" DLC - most of it will be via digital download which will have a higher profit margin. And if they manage to produce the same amount of content that they did for Skyrim - 3 significant "expansions" despite having no sub remember - then next summer they will have the option of a Legendary edition.
As Iselin says though if sales disappoint - whatever that means - then it will fluffy bunny time in the cash shop and development will be on life support. And initially the fluffy bunnies will be fine but - as NCSoft have realised with GW2 - more is needed.
Maybe Zenimax will take the best of both worlds. Avoid the P2W label with a nonintrusive cash shop and lots of good DLC for the first year to get lots of box sales, then as the box sales stop coming (cause everyone already brought the game. You only need to buy the box once) and that goodwill is no longer fruitful, stop focusing on expensive-to-produce DLC and make the cash shop more intrusive (GRADUALLY!) and milk the remaining player base for what it's worth.
As you've indirectly pointed out, GW2 seems to be taking that route, And that's despite how their box sales did NOT dissappoint, showing that they took that route in spite of being successful. This implies that route is necessary in the long term. Which... again, makes sense when you consider that box sales become an less relevant and significant factor as more time goes by.
A mistake,... suuuuuure. Read: The potions will return in their full glory at a later point. Once people get used to being nickel and dimed.
MMOs finally replaced social interaction, forced grouping and standing in a line while talking to eachother.
Now we have forced soloing, forced questing and everyone is the hero, without ever having to talk to anyone else. The evolution of multiplayer is here! We won,... right?
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
But still, you know the industry's gone downhill when "We've made a stupid mistake, but at least we're fixing it" is celebrated when in a better world, the "mistake" wouldn't have been made in the first place. These days, mistakes happen so friggin' often that the best we can do is grasp at straws and be thankful for the rare moments they're corrected. We've really had to lower our standards it seems.
Mistakes have always happened, some people just feel its important to get all righteous about it these days, that's the difference.
rpg/mmorg history: Dun Darach>Bloodwych>Bards Tale 1-3>Eye of the beholder > Might and Magic 2,3,5 > FFVII> Baldur's Gate 1, 2 > Planescape Torment >Morrowind > WOW > oblivion > LOTR > Guild Wars (1900hrs elementalist) Vanguard. > GW2(1000 elementalist), Wildstar
Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
Yes, but now we're reduced to celebrating the fixing of those mistakes when such a thing really should be par for the course. (just like how in a better world, mistakes themselves would NOT be par for the course but instead would be rare. In both cases, this is clearly not a better world, alas)