I think thats why I really haven't found another MMORPG to play. Lets crunch some numbers for the hell of it. Alot of people are familiar with WoW and that seems to be the current standard to compare to.
4million subscribers
$60 for the box = $240,000,000 up front
$15 for a month = $60,000,000 per month $720,000,000 per year
so in one year they made $960,000,000
Thats good business, and I am definately not complaining about someone making a profit but I'm sure blizzard doesn't have more than 1,000 employees including janitors. That means everyone there should be making a shit ton of money but yet they are still going to charge YOU for an expansion. No freebies just to show customer appreciation.
Just so everyone knows, I picked WoW because I was semi familiar with the numbers. This basic formula applies to all large MMORPGs, I wasn't focusing on one game in particular. Just like the guy who made the movie SuperSize Me wasn't focusing on McDonald's it was just the fact that it was the most recognizable fast food chain in the world. So, I reiterate I was NOT bashing any game. I am just putting numbers out there. If anyone else has better numbers feel free to do what I tried. Thank you for your patience please hold for customer service.
In America I have bad teeth. If I lived in England my teeth would be perfect.
Yes there is a crap load of money being made by game companies, and not all of the 1000 employee's at Blizzard ar making boatloads of money. Most are paid a salary and thats all they get ... no bonus for a uber successful game (perhaps I am wrong there, but I doubt it).
Your calculations show whay there has been such a surge in games being released iin the last 2 years or so.... and yes I would like to have some of that pie.
10$ in 1997 is equal to 13.16$ in 2005, so yes, prices have risen, by about 1.80$, but generally there are subscription models today that will put you down to 10$ if you sign for a year or so.
Allt things considered prices have gone DOWN, since the birth of all this.
And it will never stop going up, it is called inflation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Originally posted by Jerek_
I wonder if you honestly even believe what you type, or if you live in a made up world of facts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the very first MMO's (the first big one) was Lineage: The Blood Pledge... they charged $15/month for NA servers. And you may say "well, it wasn't big here though. It was the most successful MMORPG only because of Korea." Well, in Korea, if you actually converted how much they pay per month into USD, they were paying something like $23/month.
_____________________________________ "Io rido, e rider mio non passa dentro; Io ardo, e l'arsion mia non par di fore." -Machiavelli
Originally posted by ViolentY One of the very first MMO's (the first big one) was Lineage: The Blood Pledge... they charged $15/month for NA servers. And you may say "well, it wasn't big here though. It was the most successful MMORPG only because of Korea." Well, in Korea, if you actually converted how much they pay per month into USD, they were paying something like $23/month.
EHHH, wrong. EverQuest may as well have been the first. I'm pretty sure Lineage was later on.. hold on while I look it up.
EDIT: And depends on what you mean 'big' since all MMO's were relatively unknown. What may be big in WoW in USA may be meager in WoW Europe or whatever.
Sorry, my mistake. The NA release of Lineage was indeed after the NA release of EQ... and it's true that "big" depends on what base you're looking at...
But I was looking at everything from a universal prospective... The fact remains, Lineage1 was released almost a full year before EQ was released, and it charged roughly $23 USD in South Korea.
Comments
I think thats why I really haven't found another MMORPG to play. Lets crunch some numbers for the hell of it. Alot of people are familiar with WoW and that seems to be the current standard to compare to.
4million subscribers
$60 for the box = $240,000,000 up front
$15 for a month = $60,000,000 per month $720,000,000 per year
so in one year they made $960,000,000
Thats good business, and I am definately not complaining about someone making a profit but I'm sure blizzard doesn't have more than 1,000 employees including janitors. That means everyone there should be making a shit ton of money but yet they are still going to charge YOU for an expansion. No freebies just to show customer appreciation.
Just so everyone knows, I picked WoW because I was semi familiar with the numbers. This basic formula applies to all large MMORPGs, I wasn't focusing on one game in particular. Just like the guy who made the movie SuperSize Me wasn't focusing on McDonald's it was just the fact that it was the most recognizable fast food chain in the world. So, I reiterate I was NOT bashing any game. I am just putting numbers out there. If anyone else has better numbers feel free to do what I tried. Thank you for your patience please hold for customer service.
In America I have bad teeth. If I lived in England my teeth would be perfect.
Good to see that math class not going to waste
Yes there is a crap load of money being made by game companies, and not all of the 1000 employee's at Blizzard ar making boatloads of money. Most are paid a salary and thats all they get ... no bonus for a uber successful game (perhaps I am wrong there, but I doubt it).
Your calculations show whay there has been such a surge in games being released iin the last 2 years or so.... and yes I would like to have some of that pie.
Witty saying to amuse you goes here.
10$ in 1997 is equal to 13.16$ in 2005, so yes, prices have risen, by about 1.80$, but generally there are subscription models today that will put you down to 10$ if you sign for a year or so.
Allt things considered prices have gone DOWN, since the birth of all this.
And it will never stop going up, it is called inflation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Jerek_
I wonder if you honestly even believe what you type, or if you live in a made up world of facts.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the very first MMO's (the first big one) was Lineage: The Blood Pledge... they charged $15/month for NA servers. And you may say "well, it wasn't big here though. It was the most successful MMORPG only because of Korea." Well, in Korea, if you actually converted how much they pay per month into USD, they were paying something like $23/month.
_____________________________________
"Io rido, e rider mio non passa dentro;
Io ardo, e l'arsion mia non par di fore."
-Machiavelli
EHHH, wrong. EverQuest may as well have been the first. I'm pretty sure Lineage was later on.. hold on while I look it up.
EverQuest Sony Online Entertainment 03/16/99 NA
-----
Lineage: The Blood Pledge NCsoft 10/24/01 NA
Sorry dude, you lose.
EDIT: And depends on what you mean 'big' since all MMO's were relatively unknown. What may be big in WoW in USA may be meager in WoW Europe or whatever.
Sorry, my mistake. The NA release of Lineage was indeed after the NA release of EQ... and it's true that "big" depends on what base you're looking at...
But I was looking at everything from a universal prospective... The fact remains, Lineage1 was released almost a full year before EQ was released, and it charged roughly $23 USD in South Korea.
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/l/li/lineage_(computer_game).htm
_____________________________________
"Io rido, e rider mio non passa dentro;
Io ardo, e l'arsion mia non par di fore."
-Machiavelli