I think that this is really more dependent on the company in question rather then the actual model. Some game companies give you a lot with your P2P subscription, mostly what they give you is additional content.
For instance, WAR gave content updates, new classes, etc. CoX gives increasingly detailed content updates, new power sets, expanded gameplay. Fallen Earth gave tons of areas to explore, more skills , more features, expanded PvP etc.
This is just a snapshot, but in comparison these P2P games expand the gameplay for no additional cost apart from the monthly fee, and then provide expansion on top of that at a later time. Its the way they make THEIR money. They expand the game so that players keep subscribing, or come back later. This content isn't "free" as in you are still paying the subscription charge for it, but it isn't a lump sum either.
In contrast, GW1 originally started with a very small content update after prophecies release. After that, they pretty much shut down the content releases and provided them in expansions save for some holiday shenanigans. Though in the end it may still be cheaper, the core focus is keeping you entertained in the game, whereas I really only came back to guild wars for the new content, and new classes, it was short lived for me, and I ended up staying away for much longer until I just stopped signing back in altogether.
In other games like Fallen Earth, I heard of a new feature that sounded exciting, and I subbed to come back to the game to try it, and usually ended up resubbing for a couple months. I didn't spend 50 dollars up front for the content, but I did end up spending 30 dollars for my two months of play.
In that respect I think they both have their pluses and minuses, not that one is pulling the wool over your eyes and the other is the shining knight.
Also, GWs cash shop is very different then, say, a completely aesthetic cash shop. They also sell things like, skills, armor, mods, and also adventure packs. It is somewhat different then other games in that respect, but you can still get all those items in game. Its more of a fast track, which you don't see in P2P games usually because they want you to keep subbing to get said items. Its just another difference between these two models.
And thats what i told you, through in game item shops. How else do you think they generate revenue other then speedy expansions which cost as much as the original game? we are talking about B2P titles here not P2P.
I don"t know why cash shop is no difference when thats big part of their income.
Let me hold your hand a bit. We have this established:
1. Guild Wars is B2P AND they have a cash shop that generates income. They DON'T have a sub.
2. Other B2P ALSO with cash shops that generate income. They DO have sub.
They both are the same, yet why can Guild Wars profitably run with great profits, while the others claim they can't (won't)?
The biggest, most successful game has tremendously profitable cash shop, so you aren't going to get away with saying they don't.
GW1 is not MMO in my opinion. It doesn't have the things that MMO has. GW1 has no flying capability or to be specific, a Z-axis. The manpower needed into programming such feature will bankrupt ArenaNet with this type of business model. In addition, GW1 has no jumping capability, also false into the nonexistence of the Z-axis, where swimming also falls. GW1 has no mounts, thus the justification of the instant travel, but MMO has mounts and GW1 could use a mount. And where's crafting, personal store/stand, and the Auction House? Just to name a few.
The GW1 online store was meant to sell the game electronically, bypassing the retailers, which also cuts the cost by not having to box and ship the game and pay the retailer. They added other things in the store like Character Slots due to players' demand.
Selling 1mil copies of the game is well enough to cover the overheads and other expenses for a long time, but selling 5mil made GW2 a posibility. Plus, I doubt that ArenaNet is cash greedy...they are players creating a game for players, not for profit, they said this, and so far they are sticking to it. And the collector's edition is a cheaper way to boost revenue with minimal cost. I think the sales of the CEs are enough to cover their operation expenses and the other boxes are simply pure profit.
But, regardless whether GW2 is a real MMO or not based on the traditional meaning, I truly believe in their manifesto on what a real MMO should be.
I think that this is really more dependent on the company in question rather then the actual model. Some game companies give you a lot with your P2P subscription, mostly what they give you is additional content.
For instance, WAR gave content updates, new classes, etc. CoX gives increasingly detailed content updates, new power sets, expanded gameplay. Fallen Earth gave tons of areas to explore, more skills , more features, expanded PvP etc.
This is just a snapshot, but in comparison these P2P games expand the gameplay for no additional cost apart from the monthly fee, and then provide expansion on top of that at a later time. Its the way they make THEIR money. They expand the game so that players keep subscribing, or come back later. This content isn't "free" as in you are still paying the subscription charge for it, but it isn't a lump sum either.
In contrast, GW1 originally started with a very small content update after prophecies release. After that, they pretty much shut down the content releases and provided them in expansions save for some holiday shenanigans. Though in the end it may still be cheaper, the core focus is keeping you entertained in the game, whereas I really only came back to guild wars for the new content, and new classes, it was short lived for me, and I ended up staying away for much longer until I just stopped signing back in altogether.
In other games like Fallen Earth, I heard of a new feature that sounded exciting, and I subbed to come back to the game to try it, and usually ended up resubbing for a couple months. I didn't spend 50 dollars up front for the content, but I did end up spending 30 dollars for my two months of play.
In that respect I think they both have their pluses and minuses, not that one is pulling the wool over your eyes and the other is the shining knight.
Also, GWs cash shop is very different then, say, a completely aesthetic cash shop. They also sell things like, skills, armor, mods, and also adventure packs. It is somewhat different then other games in that respect, but you can still get all those items in game. Its more of a fast track, which you don't see in P2P games usually because they want you to keep subbing to get said items. Its just another difference between these two models.
MOST MMO's do not release expansions like they are planning to do and have done with GW1 for more box sales (WoW the exception). Going off merely speculation, if they release a new expansion at high rates like they say, every 6 months you'll pay roughly 40-60 bucks for the box depending on what they sell it for. So essentially it's similar to paying 6-10 bucks per month. In addition, they will make plenty of revenue from the people wanting to look purrdy with CS items. If it's a new expansion every year than you're talking 3-5 bucks per month. So yes it is cheaper than say your 15/m norm, but it's still nice pocket change. This type of game relies on numbers.
Box sales alone for this game will generate mucho dinero given its name, state of hype, etc...
The first Guildwars released 5 boxes From 2004 to 2007:
Prophecies, The original box.
Factions, You don't need this to play, a new campaign in another world.
Nightfall Campaign, same as factions, a large campaign in a new world.
Eye of the North, expansion to the first campaign.
They added a lot of content for free including new large zones. No one forces you to buy anything more than a campaign, you get more skills and a lot more things to do, more classes and gear but you can easily just play a single campaign for a long time. In games like Wow or EQ2 you need the campaigns to get those extra levels and hit the endgame but there is nothing like that in Guildwars.
Now if you bought Wow at the same time you bought Wow + 2 expansions + monthly fees for 6 years. Or EQ2 with 6 or so expansions and monthly fees.
I can't predict the future and neither can you but past experiences tell us that playing GW was cheaper than Wow or EQ2, compare yourself with other games but economy have never been GWs weak point.
Nothing is for free, ANET needs to make money like everyone else but the only way you get a game cheaper is by playing a F2P game without buying anything and we all know that it sucks doing that.
Are people forgetting cash shop in GW? thats how they generate revenue on their F2P model.
Guild Wars didn't always have a cash shop. It was added much later on.
And they still sell stuff like extra character slots and similar. Only possibly useful thing is the skill pack (something youll get fast enough yourself) and those few adventure packs.
GW2 will even have free moving between servers so I wouldn't worry about the cash shop.
MOST MMO's do not release expansions like they are planning to do and have done with GW1 for more box sales (WoW the exception). Going off merely speculation, if they release a new expansion at high rates like they say, every 6 months you'll pay roughly 40-60 bucks for the box depending on what they sell it for. So essentially it's similar to paying 6-10 bucks per month. In addition, they will make plenty of revenue from the people wanting to look purrdy with CS items. If it's a new expansion every year than you're talking 3-5 bucks per month. So yes it is cheaper than say your 15/m norm, but it's still nice pocket change. This type of game relies on numbers.
Box sales alone for this game will generate mucho dinero given its name, state of hype, etc...
Not quite. After 6 month, and $60, using your example, GW1 has expanded. Compare to subs, after 6 months, and $60, you still have the same old game. And if you want to expand your subs game, you have to fork up an additional $40-$60 on top of your subs fee.
MOST MMO's do not release expansions like they are planning to do and have done with GW1 for more box sales (WoW the exception). Going off merely speculation, if they release a new expansion at high rates like they say, every 6 months you'll pay roughly 40-60 bucks for the box depending on what they sell it for. So essentially it's similar to paying 6-10 bucks per month. In addition, they will make plenty of revenue from the people wanting to look purrdy with CS items. If it's a new expansion every year than you're talking 3-5 bucks per month. So yes it is cheaper than say your 15/m norm, but it's still nice pocket change. This type of game relies on numbers.
Box sales alone for this game will generate mucho dinero given its name, state of hype, etc...
Not quite. After 6 month, and $60, using your example, GW1 has expanded. Compare to subs, after 6 months, and $60, you still have the same old game. And if you want to expand your subs game, you have to fork up an additional $40-$60 on top of your subs fee.
Depends on the game you play. In Asheron's Call I get new content, new items, changes, improvements, new art, etc., every month for just my sub fee. I don't ever pay for an expansion in a lot gets added to the game in that span of 6 months you're talking about. We get new races, new skills, new loot tiers, etc etc etc all for no extra money.
Depends on the game you play. In Asheron's Call I get new content, new items, changes, improvements, new art, etc., every month for just my sub fee. I don't ever pay for an expansion in a lot gets added to the game in that span of 6 months you're talking about. We get new races, new skills, new loot tiers, etc etc etc all for no extra money.
Technology, in an ironic twist perhaps, impedes such actions in modern day MMOs purely based on the fact that it has all become a whole lot more complicated these days which means you can't crank out game assets (models, audio, etc) so fast and your effective content output per-month is severely limited unless you get more guys on the dev team to hasten the whole operation.
Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
Hehe, it's a VERY good question, makes you think, eh? Have some of these hugely successful game companies been toying with us, trying to convince us that subs are needed for quality assurance, and that else an AAA title can't be guaranteed or maintained?
Personally, I think that a company can go a long way already with 100k subs for their MMO. More is always better, but further development costs are refunded by the incoming money from expansions.
And ANet even shows a superior model: they cover their expenses by the initial box sales plus they intend to bring out expansions in a higher tempo than other game companies.
Yes, this mostly catches it. The market conditions have changed the old "rules of the game", and companies that can exploit this first, will have a very sound business strategy in effect. Once an mmo reaches above a certain threshold for a certain amount of time and can deploy new content faster, this is the place to be for any MMO, no matter how they get there.
MOST MMO's do not release expansions like they are planning to do and have done with GW1 for more box sales (WoW the exception). Going off merely speculation, if they release a new expansion at high rates like they say, every 6 months you'll pay roughly 40-60 bucks for the box depending on what they sell it for. So essentially it's similar to paying 6-10 bucks per month. In addition, they will make plenty of revenue from the people wanting to look purrdy with CS items. If it's a new expansion every year than you're talking 3-5 bucks per month. So yes it is cheaper than say your 15/m norm, but it's still nice pocket change. This type of game relies on numbers.
Box sales alone for this game will generate mucho dinero given its name, state of hype, etc...
Not quite. After 6 month, and $60, using your example, GW1 has expanded. Compare to subs, after 6 months, and $60, you still have the same old game. And if you want to expand your subs game, you have to fork up an additional $40-$60 on top of your subs fee.
EVE hasnt charged for an expansion in over 7 years.
If GW2 can deliver a topnotch experience without the sub ... what the hell are the other games doing with our subs?
Or will GW2 be a subpar experience afterall compared to p2p since they have less funding?
The difference between "can't" and "won't", my friend.
Take games like Eve. CCP is very true to its fans and probably truly DOES require that monthly sub in order to continue with the FREE expansions/content updates etc.
Take games like WoW. lolnoitdoesnot.
Unfortunately, I am too apathetic to check the devs of GW2 (I believe it's ArenaNet, but I don't wanna look like a fool saying it and being wrong lol) but they obviously have at least some devotion and respect to their fans and their work to use the B2P model, since they could EASILY get away with P2P.
The video game industry is one of the best since more often than not people are worried more about product than money, not product to get money.
However, that will change over time (as we have seen here and there) when gaming REALLY becomes prominent.
But, as for now, it is an art and an experience and continues to present itself as such, not (typically) as something that's worth ONLY money.
Playing: *sigh* back to WoW -------- Waiting for: SW:TOR, APB, WoD --------- Played and loved: Eve and WoW -------- Played and hated: WoW:WotLK, Warhammer, every single F2P
MOST MMO's do not release expansions like they are planning to do and have done with GW1 for more box sales (WoW the exception). Going off merely speculation, if they release a new expansion at high rates like they say, every 6 months you'll pay roughly 40-60 bucks for the box depending on what they sell it for. So essentially it's similar to paying 6-10 bucks per month. In addition, they will make plenty of revenue from the people wanting to look purrdy with CS items. If it's a new expansion every year than you're talking 3-5 bucks per month. So yes it is cheaper than say your 15/m norm, but it's still nice pocket change. This type of game relies on numbers.
Box sales alone for this game will generate mucho dinero given its name, state of hype, etc...
Not quite. After 6 month, and $60, using your example, GW1 has expanded. Compare to subs, after 6 months, and $60, you still have the same old game. And if you want to expand your subs game, you have to fork up an additional $40-$60 on top of your subs fee.
EVE hasnt charged for an expansion in over 7 years.
That's their business model and good for them if it works. But for those who require subs and expansion fees are simply greedy.
I spend 200+ for my first account and another 50 for my second. That is even more than the lifetimer of Lotro. Considering there are much more people will spend at least 50 just because it is b2p than many existing p2p, you know they actually earns more than you thought.
Simple, if you target the mass market, identify the exact features that appeal to that market, and sell 6 million+ copies because people find it cheap with B2P, you make a huge profit regardless of the development cost. (They also make money from cash shop etc...)
So, why don't all developers do this? Because it requires a huge investment, both in development and of course marketing, since HYPE is what drives your sales. NCSoft is the world's largest publisher and are one of the few that can undertake this kind of project, with the risks it may have.
Companies that are small and/or create niche games don't have the luxury of having a $100M+ dollar investor with a probably equal amount of marketing budget, to create their games. They aim for loyal fans who subs counted in the tens-or hundreds of thousands and are willing to pay for their niche product.
Simple, if you target the mass market, identify the exact features that appeal to that market, and sell 6 million+ copies because people find it cheap with B2P, you make a huge profit regardless of the development cost. (They also make money from cash shop etc...)
So, why don't all developers do this? Because it requires a huge investment, both in development and of course marketing, since HYPE is what drives your sales. NCSoft is the world's largest publisher and are one of the few that can undertake this kind of project, with the risks it may have.
Companies that are small and/or create niche games don't have the luxury of having a $100M+ dollar investor with a probably equal amount of marketing budget, to create their games. They aim for loyal fans who subs counted in the tens-or hundreds of thousands and are willing to pay for their niche product.
This is pretty accurate.
It's so easy to chalk sub fees up to greed, but that's got little to do with it in reality. The market started off with a standard $15 a month fee and enough people have always been willing to pay it. It's still a bargain compared to console gaming, so people will continue to pay for such games.
Anet is actually taking a pretty big risk with GW2, considering the size of their investment - and it relies on a certain number of people buying cash shop items/services and a certain number of expansion boxes being sold. They are going to try making up the difference with volume, so if for some reason the game isn't the best thing since sliced bread - they could run into issues.
I see a sequel of Guildwars ... looks awesome too.... It will be available for me and for you... I've read all these comments.. .and i think to myself... what a greedy shitty world... I see many hope... and many despair... The Bright awesome game... the Darkness of money... And i think to myself... what a greedy shitty world... The colors of the coin .. so pretty in the wallet... Are also very shiny... when exposed to a light... I see people commenting, saying: What's with the hype? They're really saying... is this worth my green? I hear every video... i watch them flow... There still is more... i need to know... And i think to myself... what a greedy shitty world... Yes, i think to myself... what a greedy shitty world...
that, my friend, was just pure art.
It's kinda cruel to kill the innocent monsters standing in the fields picking daisies. -GW2-
I liked the first one. I haven't read much about the second one at this point. But if it was anything like the first, there is no way in hell I'd pay a monthly fee for the game tbh. I mean it's not really an mmo in the sense that I can encounter someone anywhere I go. That was limited to cities, which really makes them nothing more than visual chat rooms to me. To me guild wars was an average co-op rpg and an above average fantasy based shooter. Like I said, I did like the game. it's just not a mmo or anything resembling one to me. Maybe this new one is different?
This is probably the first "realistic" post on the subject I have read so far. GW (1) was not an MMO. I do not expect GW2 to be an MMO. NCsoft Arenanet have made people THINK this is an MMO by doing several things.
First, they create social hubs (cities) where most (not all) people that are in the game will see other players. The fact that they see many other players makes them THINK this is an MMO in the traditional sense. However, these social hubs are nothing more then match making interfaces much like you would find in games like Call of Duty or Battlefield or Quake. They are not places of combat and quests and so on.
Secondly, when you go "out into the real world" of GW you do so in a very limited way. How many actual players are with you? One, two, three...maybe five. Do you see other players out going about their business? No. This is because the outside world in GW is instanced. Wether you are going solo or going out with a FEW others, you are doing something like you do it in (again) Call of Duty or Battlefield or Quake. In other words, you are playing a much SMALL game then you might think.
Thirdly, in GW, if you were out in the world you game was not played on someone's else's master server. Exception, PvP match making. The only time that you ever played on a one of Arenanet's "servers" was when you were in their social hub cities OR playing pvp matches. That is it. Again, much like Call of Duty, Battlefield or Quake, Arenanet only provided limited servers for limited things. They did not have to maintain large server clusters. They do not have "special network code". They just use the systems that are out there and dress them up differently.
And lastly, marketing. NCsoft have marketed GW and GW2 as "MMO's". Regardless if they are or are not, people glum-on to that and believe it even if not true. They then market expansions. This is still traditional in the way others have done things. Again, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Quake have all thrived and been "f2p" but have done so based on box sales and expansions.
Bottom line, don't let the hype hit you in face. GW and GW 2 may be good games....they just aren't or won't be MMO's and as such should not be compared in any way to MM0's.
Lol. Such an idiotic post.
ANET marketed GW as a CORPG. They're marketing GW2 as MMORPG. That's because it is an MMORPG. SMH.
Comments
I think that this is really more dependent on the company in question rather then the actual model. Some game companies give you a lot with your P2P subscription, mostly what they give you is additional content.
For instance, WAR gave content updates, new classes, etc. CoX gives increasingly detailed content updates, new power sets, expanded gameplay. Fallen Earth gave tons of areas to explore, more skills , more features, expanded PvP etc.
This is just a snapshot, but in comparison these P2P games expand the gameplay for no additional cost apart from the monthly fee, and then provide expansion on top of that at a later time. Its the way they make THEIR money. They expand the game so that players keep subscribing, or come back later. This content isn't "free" as in you are still paying the subscription charge for it, but it isn't a lump sum either.
In contrast, GW1 originally started with a very small content update after prophecies release. After that, they pretty much shut down the content releases and provided them in expansions save for some holiday shenanigans. Though in the end it may still be cheaper, the core focus is keeping you entertained in the game, whereas I really only came back to guild wars for the new content, and new classes, it was short lived for me, and I ended up staying away for much longer until I just stopped signing back in altogether.
In other games like Fallen Earth, I heard of a new feature that sounded exciting, and I subbed to come back to the game to try it, and usually ended up resubbing for a couple months. I didn't spend 50 dollars up front for the content, but I did end up spending 30 dollars for my two months of play.
In that respect I think they both have their pluses and minuses, not that one is pulling the wool over your eyes and the other is the shining knight.
Also, GWs cash shop is very different then, say, a completely aesthetic cash shop. They also sell things like, skills, armor, mods, and also adventure packs. It is somewhat different then other games in that respect, but you can still get all those items in game. Its more of a fast track, which you don't see in P2P games usually because they want you to keep subbing to get said items. Its just another difference between these two models.
Let me hold your hand a bit. We have this established:
1. Guild Wars is B2P AND they have a cash shop that generates income. They DON'T have a sub.
2. Other B2P ALSO with cash shops that generate income. They DO have sub.
They both are the same, yet why can Guild Wars profitably run with great profits, while the others claim they can't (won't)?
The biggest, most successful game has tremendously profitable cash shop, so you aren't going to get away with saying they don't.
GW1 is not MMO in my opinion. It doesn't have the things that MMO has. GW1 has no flying capability or to be specific, a Z-axis. The manpower needed into programming such feature will bankrupt ArenaNet with this type of business model. In addition, GW1 has no jumping capability, also false into the nonexistence of the Z-axis, where swimming also falls. GW1 has no mounts, thus the justification of the instant travel, but MMO has mounts and GW1 could use a mount. And where's crafting, personal store/stand, and the Auction House? Just to name a few.
The GW1 online store was meant to sell the game electronically, bypassing the retailers, which also cuts the cost by not having to box and ship the game and pay the retailer. They added other things in the store like Character Slots due to players' demand.
Selling 1mil copies of the game is well enough to cover the overheads and other expenses for a long time, but selling 5mil made GW2 a posibility. Plus, I doubt that ArenaNet is cash greedy...they are players creating a game for players, not for profit, they said this, and so far they are sticking to it. And the collector's edition is a cheaper way to boost revenue with minimal cost. I think the sales of the CEs are enough to cover their operation expenses and the other boxes are simply pure profit.
But, regardless whether GW2 is a real MMO or not based on the traditional meaning, I truly believe in their manifesto on what a real MMO should be.
Ready for GW2!!!
seems like a good time to pull my self together and come up with this link I always do !
http://www.guildwars.com/events/tradeshows/gc2007/gcspeech.php where Jeff Strain explains i 2007 "how to create a succesfull mmo".
this is basicly GW2 makers ansvering that question!
Interesting perspective.
I'll be sure to read that one a bit later, thanks.
Guild Wars didn't always have a cash shop. It was added much later on.
If that changes anything, I played GW for 3.5 years and I've never felt a need to buy anything from the evil "cash shop"
The first Guildwars released 5 boxes From 2004 to 2007:
Prophecies, The original box.
Factions, You don't need this to play, a new campaign in another world.
Nightfall Campaign, same as factions, a large campaign in a new world.
Eye of the North, expansion to the first campaign.
They added a lot of content for free including new large zones. No one forces you to buy anything more than a campaign, you get more skills and a lot more things to do, more classes and gear but you can easily just play a single campaign for a long time. In games like Wow or EQ2 you need the campaigns to get those extra levels and hit the endgame but there is nothing like that in Guildwars.
Now if you bought Wow at the same time you bought Wow + 2 expansions + monthly fees for 6 years. Or EQ2 with 6 or so expansions and monthly fees.
I can't predict the future and neither can you but past experiences tell us that playing GW was cheaper than Wow or EQ2, compare yourself with other games but economy have never been GWs weak point.
Nothing is for free, ANET needs to make money like everyone else but the only way you get a game cheaper is by playing a F2P game without buying anything and we all know that it sucks doing that.
And they still sell stuff like extra character slots and similar. Only possibly useful thing is the skill pack (something youll get fast enough yourself) and those few adventure packs.
GW2 will even have free moving between servers so I wouldn't worry about the cash shop.
Not quite. After 6 month, and $60, using your example, GW1 has expanded. Compare to subs, after 6 months, and $60, you still have the same old game. And if you want to expand your subs game, you have to fork up an additional $40-$60 on top of your subs fee.
Ready for GW2!!!
Depends on the game you play. In Asheron's Call I get new content, new items, changes, improvements, new art, etc., every month for just my sub fee. I don't ever pay for an expansion in a lot gets added to the game in that span of 6 months you're talking about. We get new races, new skills, new loot tiers, etc etc etc all for no extra money.
Technology, in an ironic twist perhaps, impedes such actions in modern day MMOs purely based on the fact that it has all become a whole lot more complicated these days which means you can't crank out game assets (models, audio, etc) so fast and your effective content output per-month is severely limited unless you get more guys on the dev team to hasten the whole operation.
Yes, this mostly catches it. The market conditions have changed the old "rules of the game", and companies that can exploit this first, will have a very sound business strategy in effect. Once an mmo reaches above a certain threshold for a certain amount of time and can deploy new content faster, this is the place to be for any MMO, no matter how they get there.
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014633/Classic-Game-Postmortem
EVE hasnt charged for an expansion in over 7 years.
Gaming since Avalon Hill was making board games.
Played SWG, EVE, Fallen Earth, LOTRO, Rift, Vanguard, WoW, SWTOR, TSW, Tera
Tried Aoc, Aion, EQII, RoM, Vindictus, Darkfail, DDO, GW, PotBS
The difference between "can't" and "won't", my friend.
Take games like Eve. CCP is very true to its fans and probably truly DOES require that monthly sub in order to continue with the FREE expansions/content updates etc.
Take games like WoW. lolnoitdoesnot.
Unfortunately, I am too apathetic to check the devs of GW2 (I believe it's ArenaNet, but I don't wanna look like a fool saying it and being wrong lol) but they obviously have at least some devotion and respect to their fans and their work to use the B2P model, since they could EASILY get away with P2P.
The video game industry is one of the best since more often than not people are worried more about product than money, not product to get money.
However, that will change over time (as we have seen here and there) when gaming REALLY becomes prominent.
But, as for now, it is an art and an experience and continues to present itself as such, not (typically) as something that's worth ONLY money.
Playing: *sigh* back to WoW
--------
Waiting for: SW:TOR, APB, WoD
---------
Played and loved: Eve and WoW
--------
Played and hated: WoW:WotLK, Warhammer, every single F2P
I see a sequel of Guildwars ... looks awesome too....
It will be available for me and for you...
I've read all these comments.. .and i think to myself... what a greedy shitty world...
I see many hope... and many despair...
The Bright awesome game... the Darkness of money...
And i think to myself... what a greedy shitty world...
The colors of the coin .. so pretty in the wallet...
Are also very shiny... when exposed to a light...
I see people commenting, saying: What's with the hype?
They're really saying... is this worth my green?
I hear every video... i watch them flow...
There still is more... i need to know...
And i think to myself... what a greedy shitty world...
Yes, i think to myself... what a greedy shitty world...
That's their business model and good for them if it works. But for those who require subs and expansion fees are simply greedy.
Ready for GW2!!!
Money is one thing, then there's the passion.
I spend 200+ for my first account and another 50 for my second. That is even more than the lifetimer of Lotro. Considering there are much more people will spend at least 50 just because it is b2p than many existing p2p, you know they actually earns more than you thought.
Simple, if you target the mass market, identify the exact features that appeal to that market, and sell 6 million+ copies because people find it cheap with B2P, you make a huge profit regardless of the development cost. (They also make money from cash shop etc...)
So, why don't all developers do this? Because it requires a huge investment, both in development and of course marketing, since HYPE is what drives your sales. NCSoft is the world's largest publisher and are one of the few that can undertake this kind of project, with the risks it may have.
Companies that are small and/or create niche games don't have the luxury of having a $100M+ dollar investor with a probably equal amount of marketing budget, to create their games. They aim for loyal fans who subs counted in the tens-or hundreds of thousands and are willing to pay for their niche product.
Not 100% sure but comparing GW1 with the P2P mmo's then it's easy to see what they use the funding for. GW2 i don't know.
This is pretty accurate.
It's so easy to chalk sub fees up to greed, but that's got little to do with it in reality. The market started off with a standard $15 a month fee and enough people have always been willing to pay it. It's still a bargain compared to console gaming, so people will continue to pay for such games.
Anet is actually taking a pretty big risk with GW2, considering the size of their investment - and it relies on a certain number of people buying cash shop items/services and a certain number of expansion boxes being sold. They are going to try making up the difference with volume, so if for some reason the game isn't the best thing since sliced bread - they could run into issues.
that, my friend, was just pure art.
It's kinda cruel to kill the innocent monsters standing in the fields picking daisies. -GW2-
Lol. Such an idiotic post.
ANET marketed GW as a CORPG. They're marketing GW2 as MMORPG. That's because it is an MMORPG. SMH.