Is Blizzard that smart? Not really. But with such a reputation, they will fool anyone into buying whatever they want to sell at overprice. Why? Because people think Blizzard equals quality.
I'm going to assume that the author of the article wasn't actually excited over having to wait in a queue for the mount. But I'm certain many people thought that way. Would they react the same if some other company did a similar thing? Of course not.
And that's why Blizzard will keep on making lots of cash. They're not smarter, but bolder than other companies. Because the name they made for themselves lets them do this.
Let's just boil this down to a simple comparison based on the overall opinions from various sources I've been following on this subject (presented as the same person for both):
SoE/Turbine/everyone else RMT: "OMG, NO! This sucks. I can't believe that they've stooped this low. They're just want more money. I don't want to have to pay for additional content, even if there is no subscription fee. RMT ruins games and can't wait until I can come back to say "I told you so!" At least Blizz donated stuff from one of their pets. <insert company> is just nickel and diming their players. I'm going back to WoW"
WoW RMT: "Awesome. Best thing to ever come to an MMO since the action bar. $25 for a twilight pony that I still won't own as stated in the terms of usage? I don't wanna be accused of not being able to afford one and/or being a loser if I don't get one, so here's my money! I can't wait to see what else they add that I'll just HAVE to have!!!! I can't believe they didn't have a cash shop earlier in the game. The RMT is just another step in the direction of "UBERPWNAGE" WoW will have over all the other MMOs out there."
As I said, this article nails it dead on. I've seen this topic on several different forums on several websites and they all boil down to what I posted above.
If any other company does something that WoW doesn't, it's the worst thing ever and it's a game breaker.
If WoW ends up doing the same exact thing, it's the best thing ever and everyone else is just trying to copy them, despite the fact that they were doing it long before WoW.
90%+ of gamers are sheep. The other 10% either don't play WoW or at least have the common sense to not fall for this hypocricy and the "give us your money for something stupid" scams.
NEWS FLASH! PAYING THE SUB IN F2P = NO DIFFERENCE THAN P2P GAMES!
Is Blizzard that smart? Not really. But with such a reputation, they will fool anyone into buying whatever they want to sell at overprice. Why? Because people think Blizzard equals quality.
I'm going to assume that the author of the article wasn't actually excited over having to wait in a queue for the mount. But I'm certain many people thought that way. Would they react the same if some other company did a similar thing? Of course not.
And that's why Blizzard will keep on making lots of cash. They're not smarter, but bolder than other companies. Because the name they made for themselves lets them do this.
I agree with you that most believe Blizzard = quality, and yes making lots of good games has built the reputation...but I think back to the Apple of long ago, when taking that fact for granted ended up in god awful software; I hope Blizzard doesn't repeat some history.
And as for not being smart? Blizzard is very, very smart and they make money as a direct result. You could be the boldest, most well known person on earth...but if you run into the middle of the highway, you sure won't be sticking around long. Blizzard lasts because of planning, design, and smart people above all...the boldness comes in second :P
And at the end of the day, at least Square won't let me down
Is Blizzard that smart? Not really. But with such a reputation, they will fool anyone into buying whatever they want to sell at overprice. Why? Because people think Blizzard equals quality.
I'm going to assume that the author of the article wasn't actually excited over having to wait in a queue for the mount. But I'm certain many people thought that way. Would they react the same if some other company did a similar thing? Of course not.
And that's why Blizzard will keep on making lots of cash. They're not smarter, but bolder than other companies. Because the name they made for themselves lets them do this.
I think your right whats happening with Blizzard is a kind of Brand Loyalty . Its also proberbly a type of pier pressure amongst younger gamers too . When your at school you want to be different but you also need to fit in . So if WoW becomes the game everyones playing if you try something else you step outside of the box . ( think Butters in South Park playing hello kitty island lol ). This mount is has "the look at me factor" which all mmos have but pardoxically in the past when you've looked at someone in the game you've seen something they've worked to get .
This mount really is just a status symbol but relating to the size of the wallet so I wonder how the more serious WoW players view it .Its a bit like a kid showing off his trainers or what his mobile phone can do .
People when they think Blizzard do think quality but that can change very quickly and once thats gone in the long run it can lead to a companys decline . Single player games are a different matter to mmos and thus far Blizzard is a one trick pony in this genre . Maybe they realise this is as good as it gets and are making as much money as they can off of it before the bubble bursts .
Make the money while you can . I would be doing the same thing in their position . But as a gamer I would prefer to play a game by companys that show a little more credibility and stabilty in terms of game play .
At the end of the day you really never know where you stand in WoW because the goal-posts keep getting moved .
(Sorry for the double post. MMORPG.com's new comment system sucks hard. They need to either fix it or fire the guy who came up with the thing. It's auto-subbing when I hit space.)
I think that Blizzard won't give up subscription fees, because those help pay the overhead. Power, rent, etc. You use subs to keep your ship sailing.
They'll use RMTs to help pay for the cost of new content, though. I can see future expansions easily paid for with a small infusion of cash with new mounts, pets, heirloom items, etc. Nothing that would really rob end-game content, just give nice things to existing players and a hand up for newbies.
It's basically a perfect business model: you'll never need cash on-hand for projects, just a new RMT item to bankroll them. Your subs keep the lights on and the ramen noodles cooking in the break room. There's no "risk" because all you can do is waste RMT money on a failed project; you can always scavenge more money from more RMTs later, maybe fire failsauce programmers and the like for wasting money.
But there's a catch: you gotta sell this to the customers. If you make a whirlygig and nobody thinks they are worth buying, doesn't matter how good of a deal it is.
League of Legends. Its not exactly an MMO, but people buy the skins for their campion. Each skin can range 3$ to 10$.
I must admit, I myself buy these skins and when new champions release, I spend 10$ to buy the champion and their skins in one bundle.
But, the champions are free, it just costs "IP". (Gained from winning/losing matches)
I probably spent over 100$ on a F2P Game like League of Legends. The only thing that costs money in the game is Cosmetics, or Champion unlocks if you don't have enough IP.
I think that Blizzard won't give up subscription fees, because those help pay the overhead. Power, rent, etc. You use subs to keep your ship sailing.
They'll use RMTs to help pay for the cost of new content, though. I can see future expansions easily paid for with a small infusion of cash with new mounts, pets, heirloom items, etc. Nothing that would really rob end-game content, just give nice things to existing players and a hand up for newbies.
I assure you, under the hypothetical situation that every subscriber was at the reduced rate (using this number because people tend to nerdrage if you use $15 across the board), I still highly doubt that expenses run $2bil+ a year (not including services, merchandise, stupid twilight ponies, etc.). An expansion maybe costs a couple million, but that's about it. They make that back in pure box sales.
It's about the money going into their pockets. Pure and simple.
NEWS FLASH! PAYING THE SUB IN F2P = NO DIFFERENCE THAN P2P GAMES!
This is where gaming companies start shooting themselves in the foot. Why? Because who wants to play a game controlled by rich people? Blizzard took the fun out of WoW with RMT because lets face it, back when UO and EQ came out, MMO's were about in-game achievements, not how big your real life wallet is. If they sold item's for a price that could also be acquired in-game with a little effort, that would seem fair. However, reserving rare and special items just for those with huge wallets is not a way to attract the "larger" player-base. Honestly, the rich folks are not really into gaming cause if they were, gold farmers wouldn't have a market. Rich folks don't like to waste time getting to the top, when they can just fork over a miniscule amount of money to get them there.
I've been debating about ever going back to WoW and I know for a fact, it won't happen now. I refuse to support RMT games with monthly fees. Blizzard makes enough money and the fact they're going RMT speaks volumes about the direction of the company. Sure, every company wants to make money, but please don't tell me Blizzard isn't making a profit without RMTing. Good luck to the folks who stick with WoW, cause this little ripple in the calm diverse waters of rich vs. poor is not something you want your flagship to be floating on.
this ......
Bli$$ard......needs reality check ....but with Diablo 3 and SC2 coming
this whole cash shop in a subscription based MMO is terrible. All this does is say to other developers that it's ok to make a CS inside a game that players pay to play. I think Blizzard should just go ahead and jack up the price of monthly subscriptions to $30/month to see how many would pay up.
I've been playing WoW since release. Off and on of course, resubbed several times, but in the end i'm still a paying subscriber.
What's going on right now in the MMO community is a direct effect of our real world economy.
I'm a smart and intelligent individual, but i'm not "educated" and because of this lack of "education" i cannot obtain the fund i deserve.
I play MMo's to not only kill time and entertain myself, but to be rewarded for my in-game actions and time invested.
MMO's were always about in-game achievements, not how big your real life wallet is ...
I think a lot of people feel the same way as you do and maybe not because they can't afford the item but because is defeats the object of the game .
The problem for Blizzard is they could easily go from being linked quality to exploitation .
At that point they destroy long term earnings for short term gain . Thats a very bad way to run a buisness unless you building a property up with the intention of selling it on .
I wonder . Maybe it'll be sold on to the likes of Time Warner .
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
This is so stupid... if you don't like the mount don't buy it. It has zero effect on your experience in the game, it gives no one an edge over you except that they have a sparkle pony and you do not.
I think it's not so much the pony - most people couldn't care less whether someone shows up with a shiny pony or not - but more the direction Blizzard (Activision?) is gradually taking the game WoW that people are concerned about, step by taking it into acceptance of more and more RMT next to subs :-D
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
The little pony fits so nicely into the lore. Should have called it the "little phony".
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
again soundsl ike another great reason for me to tell my sister to #@$% off when she wants me to come back to wow again forcing me into their guild to 5 man raid with them...ugh...sickens me to think about it...
Just say NO to RMT! That's all I got to say about that...
Comments
Is Blizzard that smart? Not really. But with such a reputation, they will fool anyone into buying whatever they want to sell at overprice. Why? Because people think Blizzard equals quality.
I'm going to assume that the author of the article wasn't actually excited over having to wait in a queue for the mount. But I'm certain many people thought that way. Would they react the same if some other company did a similar thing? Of course not.
And that's why Blizzard will keep on making lots of cash. They're not smarter, but bolder than other companies. Because the name they made for themselves lets them do this.
Let's just boil this down to a simple comparison based on the overall opinions from various sources I've been following on this subject (presented as the same person for both):
SoE/Turbine/everyone else RMT: "OMG, NO! This sucks. I can't believe that they've stooped this low. They're just want more money. I don't want to have to pay for additional content, even if there is no subscription fee. RMT ruins games and can't wait until I can come back to say "I told you so!" At least Blizz donated stuff from one of their pets. <insert company> is just nickel and diming their players. I'm going back to WoW"
WoW RMT: "Awesome. Best thing to ever come to an MMO since the action bar. $25 for a twilight pony that I still won't own as stated in the terms of usage? I don't wanna be accused of not being able to afford one and/or being a loser if I don't get one, so here's my money! I can't wait to see what else they add that I'll just HAVE to have!!!! I can't believe they didn't have a cash shop earlier in the game. The RMT is just another step in the direction of "UBERPWNAGE" WoW will have over all the other MMOs out there."
As I said, this article nails it dead on. I've seen this topic on several different forums on several websites and they all boil down to what I posted above.
If any other company does something that WoW doesn't, it's the worst thing ever and it's a game breaker.
If WoW ends up doing the same exact thing, it's the best thing ever and everyone else is just trying to copy them, despite the fact that they were doing it long before WoW.
90%+ of gamers are sheep. The other 10% either don't play WoW or at least have the common sense to not fall for this hypocricy and the "give us your money for something stupid" scams.
NEWS FLASH! PAYING THE SUB IN F2P = NO DIFFERENCE THAN P2P GAMES!
Why the hell can't the whiners comprehend this?
I agree with you that most believe Blizzard = quality, and yes making lots of good games has built the reputation...but I think back to the Apple of long ago, when taking that fact for granted ended up in god awful software; I hope Blizzard doesn't repeat some history.
And as for not being smart? Blizzard is very, very smart and they make money as a direct result. You could be the boldest, most well known person on earth...but if you run into the middle of the highway, you sure won't be sticking around long. Blizzard lasts because of planning, design, and smart people above all...the boldness comes in second :P
And at the end of the day, at least Square won't let me down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCjuFpQ3EeA.
nuff said.
I 3930k -- Rampage IV Extreme -- G.skill RipjawsZ 32 GB -- Corsair Force Series 3 120gb -- G.skill Phoenix Pro 60gb -- WD 1 TB Black -- Corsair H 100 -- Thermaltake Level 10 Gt Snow Edition -- Corsair AX1200 -- Asus 560 Ti Sli -- Microsoft Sidewinder X4 -- Logitech G5 -- DELL UltraSharp 2007FP -- Samsung Syncmaster Sa700 -- Logitech Z2300 -- Logitech G35 -- Logitech G600 White -- coming soon : Dell U2711.
I think your right whats happening with Blizzard is a kind of Brand Loyalty . Its also proberbly a type of pier pressure amongst younger gamers too . When your at school you want to be different but you also need to fit in . So if WoW becomes the game everyones playing if you try something else you step outside of the box . ( think Butters in South Park playing hello kitty island lol ). This mount is has "the look at me factor" which all mmos have but pardoxically in the past when you've looked at someone in the game you've seen something they've worked to get .
This mount really is just a status symbol but relating to the size of the wallet so I wonder how the more serious WoW players view it .Its a bit like a kid showing off his trainers or what his mobile phone can do .
People when they think Blizzard do think quality but that can change very quickly and once thats gone in the long run it can lead to a companys decline . Single player games are a different matter to mmos and thus far Blizzard is a one trick pony in this genre . Maybe they realise this is as good as it gets and are making as much money as they can off of it before the bubble bursts .
Make the money while you can . I would be doing the same thing in their position . But as a gamer I would prefer to play a game by companys that show a little more credibility and stabilty in terms of game play .
At the end of the day you really never know where you stand in WoW because the goal-posts keep getting moved .
(Sorry for the double post. MMORPG.com's new comment system sucks hard. They need to either fix it or fire the guy who came up with the thing. It's auto-subbing when I hit space.)
I think that Blizzard won't give up subscription fees, because those help pay the overhead. Power, rent, etc. You use subs to keep your ship sailing.
They'll use RMTs to help pay for the cost of new content, though. I can see future expansions easily paid for with a small infusion of cash with new mounts, pets, heirloom items, etc. Nothing that would really rob end-game content, just give nice things to existing players and a hand up for newbies.
It's basically a perfect business model: you'll never need cash on-hand for projects, just a new RMT item to bankroll them. Your subs keep the lights on and the ramen noodles cooking in the break room. There's no "risk" because all you can do is waste RMT money on a failed project; you can always scavenge more money from more RMTs later, maybe fire failsauce programmers and the like for wasting money.
But there's a catch: you gotta sell this to the customers. If you make a whirlygig and nobody thinks they are worth buying, doesn't matter how good of a deal it is.
League of Legends. Its not exactly an MMO, but people buy the skins for their campion. Each skin can range 3$ to 10$.
I must admit, I myself buy these skins and when new champions release, I spend 10$ to buy the champion and their skins in one bundle.
But, the champions are free, it just costs "IP". (Gained from winning/losing matches)
I probably spent over 100$ on a F2P Game like League of Legends. The only thing that costs money in the game is Cosmetics, or Champion unlocks if you don't have enough IP.
I assure you, under the hypothetical situation that every subscriber was at the reduced rate (using this number because people tend to nerdrage if you use $15 across the board), I still highly doubt that expenses run $2bil+ a year (not including services, merchandise, stupid twilight ponies, etc.). An expansion maybe costs a couple million, but that's about it. They make that back in pure box sales.
It's about the money going into their pockets. Pure and simple.
NEWS FLASH! PAYING THE SUB IN F2P = NO DIFFERENCE THAN P2P GAMES!
Why the hell can't the whiners comprehend this?
this ......
Bli$$ard......needs reality check ....but with Diablo 3 and SC2 coming
this whole cash shop in a subscription based MMO is terrible. All this does is say to other developers that it's ok to make a CS inside a game that players pay to play. I think Blizzard should just go ahead and jack up the price of monthly subscriptions to $30/month to see how many would pay up.
I've been playing WoW since release. Off and on of course, resubbed several times, but in the end i'm still a paying subscriber.
What's going on right now in the MMO community is a direct effect of our real world economy.
I'm a smart and intelligent individual, but i'm not "educated" and because of this lack of "education" i cannot obtain the fund i deserve.
I play MMo's to not only kill time and entertain myself, but to be rewarded for my in-game actions and time invested.
MMO's were always about in-game achievements, not how big your real life wallet is ...
I think a lot of people feel the same way as you do and maybe not because they can't afford the item but because is defeats the object of the game .
The problem for Blizzard is they could easily go from being linked quality to exploitation .
At that point they destroy long term earnings for short term gain . Thats a very bad way to run a buisness unless you building a property up with the intention of selling it on .
I wonder . Maybe it'll be sold on to the likes of Time Warner .
^ What nobody seen my link to the real WOW pony, you guys know you want one these it's only $25
'Can polish make it OK to “double-dip” the consumer?'
That comment made my day :-)
Great article, interesting.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
This is so stupid... if you don't like the mount don't buy it. It has zero effect on your experience in the game, it gives no one an edge over you except that they have a sparkle pony and you do not.
DON'T HAVE SPARKLE PONY ENVY
I think it's not so much the pony - most people couldn't care less whether someone shows up with a shiny pony or not - but more the direction Blizzard (Activision?) is gradually taking the game WoW that people are concerned about, step by taking it into acceptance of more and more RMT next to subs :-D
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
The little pony fits so nicely into the lore. Should have called it the "little phony".
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
Um...last i checked WoW was RTM for a while
Or do Race, Gender, And Faction changes not count?
Or pets
Make that 20 cents.
Fools and their money are soon parted....
again soundsl ike another great reason for me to tell my sister to #@$% off when she wants me to come back to wow again forcing me into their guild to 5 man raid with them...ugh...sickens me to think about it...
Just say NO to RMT! That's all I got to say about that...
http://www.forceofarms.com/index.php