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General: Free Zone: Mixed Revenue Models
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
Richard Aihoshi returns this week with a column that looks at exploring mixed revenue models for our favorite MMOs.
While it can often seem convenient to divide the MMO space into free to play and subscription sectors, it's not completely accurate to make such a simple, binary distinction since there are various areas where they overlap. What's more, I believe this gray zone holds significant potential for expansion. Indeed, I'm surprised we haven't seen more yet in the way of revenue models that aren't strictly one or the other.
For instance, I really can't help but wonder why at least a few more companies haven't followed the example set by RuneScape, which offers both F2P and subscription options. And it's not like this title didn't pull in players willing to pay regular fees. Jagex' release was the second MMOG to reach the coveted and elusive million subscriber plateau, which it managed to do despite pretty limited visibility in game publications, a situation that still exists now.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
I have to disagree. You are talking about Freemium, right? I think it's not so rare to find these kind of Mmorpgs: Dofus, Free Realms, DDO and so on. Dofus has 500k p2p users and allow a f2p playing with limited areas. Same for DDO with less users. Free Realms, well i hope you know it and you just forgot about it. Surely is not a dominant model but it's a big reality. Dofus started in 2003 with this model and just the p2p part is in the top 5 for the number of users among p2p mmorpgs...
Talking about pay per hour, yeah i see that too far from western users. I don't think it would be a smart choice to try a pay per hour model right now. Surely Freemium games have lot more possibilities.
Like it or not, this is the business model of the future, one that a great many games are incorporating.
SOE is incorporating RMT transactions into all of its established games, and City of Heroes is selling things like extra character slots, costume packs, and has a montly surcharge for unlimited jumppacks.
I would expect a large portion of new releases to incorporate mixed revenue models into the design of the game.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.
Benjamin Franklin
Developers have to be very careful with freemium games, the so called mixed revenue models. If they introduce items in the shop that effect gameplay, they must make the same available to the subscribers for free, otherwise there is no reason to bother subscribing.
mm if a game dev.like say blizzard added an optional veteran server and said that would cost extra it would pass smoothly because lets face it .
unless you go back to uo,eq1 etc the only game you ll get is game full of hand holding
oh on paper a game like entropia universe does offer the veteran style gameplay a lot willing to pay for it desire
but there is no support for those who want to be showed the way
thats why i think at one point a dev like blizzard will step up and say ok
guys are you interested in a veteran server for an additional fee or such
accesible only once you made it to lvl80 etc
i say blizzard but it will probably be a small dev that will do this
like ddo its close to be like that you get f2p model and you can buy wtv you want or you can go premium and get the rest
still no veteran tho .most dev are scared to go in that turf ,
hell if i was a f2p game dev i would probably make the game like eq1 at the start and every hand holding an option
to be baught in the f2p store lol,want add-on option ,sold,want compass ,sold,want map sold,etc,etc,etc
we ll see what they come up with ,but its true that lot of option are left out in some game
I do wish MMO companies had more options for a more diverse audience...
They talk about how WoW is casual friendly - with a flat rate of $15 a month, though, many "casual" players would feel a little put off if they only play for 5 hours a week or so.
The way I am right now, I'd probably only fit in about that (were I playing) - and I would much rather pay for time at the price of $15 for 60 hours, as it would allow me to get, perhaps 3 times as much gaming out of the one fee than for a monthly subscription.
On another note, "subscription" will always push away certain player types - I have friends who will only play Free2Play games, because they're poor/cheap - if Aion was "Free to play" for the first hour, and then you must have 23 hours minimum before you can play again, I think it would have a lot more users - people who play a whopping 7 hours a week, haha.
I know I'd be there, finding out whether I want the game or not, enjoying the free thing for a time...
Off to work at 5:45am I go, now...
I am playing EVE and it's alright... level V skills are a bit much.
You all need to learn to spell.
I'm wondering why some you guys still try to "discuss" these topics with an author who NEVER dropped into the threads of his own column to reply for once.
I mean, you are talking to a guy who is not only constantly posting the same-o-same stuff about his two favorite and only topics "F2P" and "Revenue models", but also has 0 postings on this forums in reply to you.
www.mmorpg.com/profile.cfm/username/JonricMMO
I don't agree to Stradden, Dana or also Sanya in every point they raise, but most of the time they are/were actively taking part in the discussion of their own topics -as should be (at least in my opinion)
This Richard-guy must be the most ignorant columnist ever on this page -and by that i don't mean the content of his posts.
Look I got it!!!!
Pay by time mod.....
This will work for everyone!!!!!
You pay by the hour.....
$ 0.05 per hour.....
You see Cheap!!!!!!!
have fun with that!!!!!
About 730 hours in a month ((365 days / 12 months) * 24)
At $ 15.00 a month = about $ 0.02 an hour
Ops...what happened to cheap?
Don't forget ser charge!?
Thats why its $ 0.05 an hour.
LOL
..its a guideline, not a rule, as players we must remember: Its a Game.
I play Perfect World now and then and like to have it F2P with an itemshop - so i only must pay if i want something etraordinary or have no patience to wait.
Pay per hour has the big problem that it will lead to a culture of hastiness ingame. Anyone will hurry anything for not to losse money and that will hurt a game in the end.
They should offer something that is consumable and decreases by activity. So if you hang around and chill with friends online you have not pay an expense but when you game (fighting, crafting etc.). Then you have a friendly relaxed climate ingame and so much control over your expenses as you can have in an onlinegame.
"Torquemada... do not implore him for compassion. Torquemada... do not beg him for forgiveness. Torquemada... do not ask him for mercy. Let's face it, you can't Torquemada anything!"
MWO Music Video - What does the Mech say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF6HYNqCDLI
Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0x2iwK0BKM
I would love if most MMOs had the option to either pay monthly subs or pay by the hour and the choice was yours. Then instead of canceling completely a mmo I don't play enough atm to pay for the sub I would instead set it to pay by the hour so I could log in once in a while again to check if I had changed my mood and try it out, without having to pay for a whole month again.
I don't know if there is any economical advantage for the MMO'SP (MMO service providers) in such a model but it would certainly lower the returning barrier to a MMO game.
I would hate to pay by the hour for a MMO i play a lot since it would stress me way too much, better to pay more overall but have as much time as you want. I do the same with my cell phone, substantial fixed amount paid and then free internet and practically free SMS, MMS and talk.
"You are the hero our legends have foretold will save our tribe, therefore please go kill 10 pigs."
The pay per hour model is something I wish game companies would adopt. The main reason I don't play any subscription based games is because I wouldn't play the game enough to justify shelling out a flat rate. Not only that, but after playing a game for awhile I get bored with it and need to take a break from it and play something new. During that time I am not playing my subscription money is just being thrown away. To allow players the choice between a play per hour and a flat rate would be a welcomed change. Here's another idea to toss around. Why not "sell" hours of game play. Instead of being billed monthly for the hours that you played, you can make a one time payment for a certain amount of hours that you can use as you want. Once those hours are up, you not able to play until you buy more.
I think you would change your tune once you started playing, except for a few premium servers the going rate is a max $15 a month and you just can't play any of these games for a few hours a month and get anywhere developing a character. So basically you have no idea what you are talking about.
With the number of new MMOs that are coming on to the market along with all the other types of entertainment competing for users' attention, the barrier to entry has be lowered as much as possible. And this is where the F2P-related business models come in.
I think we will see more and more 'AAA' quality MMOs going down this route as it provides more revenue options and a greater potential for profit than just relying on a monthly subscription.
and if it gets to the point that AAA MMOs go to F2P, I'll be looking for the AAAAAAAAA games to play. Or I'll go back to the online Chess games again or the Single player games. And leave this .........................................stuff to all of you............................................other players.
..its a guideline, not a rule, as players we must remember: Its a Game.
Why do people always throw out "You have no idea what you are talking about" as a counter-argument? Seriously, it makes me laugh all the time. Anyways, back to your post. I think you missed the point I was trying to get at. I don't like to spend hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and........you see where this is going, sitting in front of my computer playing a game. I have other things that take up my time. So the amount of time I would spend playing I don't feel would be justified by the rate. Now go ahead and say what you want. Say I'm not a hardcore MMORPG'er, say that unless I do play for hours upon hours upon hours upon hours upon hours upon.......(again you see where I'm going) that I won't get anything done. That is not the point I was trying to get at. We are comparing new ways to pay for a P2P game, and not how many hours you have to play to develop a character. Also with my point of going on break from a game. Face it, most of us get "bored" (and I'm using that term loosely mind you) with playing the same thing over and over and over (again, go ahead and say I'm not hardcore), and we appreciate picking up a different game and playing that for awhile for a nice change of pace. So during this time my subscription fee is being wasted on something I am not even using.
The first graphical MMO's actually were pay per hour. Remember Sierra Online? God I spend a fortune on that thing. However that died right alongside the pay per hour model for internet access.
As for other mixed revenue models. They don't seem to be working. Dungeon Runners tried it and failed miserably. It's hard enough to balance an economy with F2P microtransaction models. The more people can buy the more angry the free players get. The more you get for free, the less people feel the need to pay.
Perhaps eventually someone will figure it out. I think as the F2P games continue to rise in quality you'll see companies spending more time looking at mixed models.