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  1. #1

    SWTOR Free to Play ?

    So, seems the time has come... What do you think?

    Quote Originally Posted by chaud View Post
    SWTOR Going Free to Play?
    It definitely isn't set in stone yet, but SWTOR might be going free to play in the future! After announcing that the game will be free to play until level 15 and allowing free server transfers, lead designer Emmanuel Lusinchi had some interesting things to say in an interview!

    Originally Posted by SWTOR
    I think it’s more than the free-to-play model – it’s more that there is a lot of competitive offers. If it was just free-to-play games and they weren’t very good it wouldn’t even be a question but there are definitely good games out there and good games coming out, so of course all of this competition impacts your plan with what you want to do.

    Asked whether it would be feasible to adapt The Old Republic to a free-to-play model, Lusinchi coyly suggests that the wheels may be in motion for a drastic change.
    The MMO market is very dynamic and we need to be dynamic as well. Unless people are happy with what they have, they are constantly demanding updates, new modes and situations. So we are looking at free-to-play but I can’t tell you in much detail. We have to be flexible and adapt to what is going on.

  2. #2
    I guess that settles it. The game IS dead. If things are bad now, imagine once they go free to play.

  3. #3
    Back in January/2012, I predicted that this would probably happen eventually (sooner than later though). I'm not the only one who possessed that foresight, but I speak only for myself when I say that I am not surprised at all, to hear them now talking about it, and likely making plans for it

    I also think it might actually be good for SWTOR, to go free to play. With their current number of subscribers, it makes sense that they're looking for ways to make the game more financially viable, and other titles have proven that going (or even starting in some cases) free to play can be very profitable. A free to play transition has also been known to dramatically boost revenue for a couple of other MMOs that weren't as successful as people had hoped, such as Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO), and Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO). I feel that EA/BioWare could make more money with free to play + cash shop, than they are currently
    Rest In Peace, World of Warcraft. Subscriber count doesn't matter, WoW has been dead in spirit for a while
    Rest In Peace, Star Wars the Old Republic. SWTOR is a fun RPG, but a bad MMO

  4. #4
    Scarab Lord Kickbuttmario's Avatar
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    Actually F2P is doing wonders mr.obao98. Many journalists were amazed by how many indie companies that are f2p are there at E3 and how much money they were making. I am sure E3 has got a plan.

  5. #5
    A good decision on their part.

    I'd probably still play the game occasionally if it only had a box price. Same with WoW. But if I hadn't already bought the game, I would almost definitely try it out now since it's free. There's so many games I'm playing right now I probably wouldn't have given a shot if they cost money to buy.
    Last edited by Larynx; 2012-06-15 at 06:34 AM.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by obao98 View Post
    I guess that settles it. The game IS dead. If things are bad now, imagine once they go free to play.
    On the contrary

    I feel that a free to play transition for SWTOR could actually resurrect the game, and bring in many new players. It would still be "dead" in the sense that EA/BioWare failed to meet their goal of a successful MMORPG with a subscription payment, and subscriber numbers that could compete with Blizzard Entertainment's "World of Warcraft", but in spite of that, I think it could stay around for a while with free to play + cash shop

    There's a lot of players (especially younger players, and players from un wealthy areas/countries) who love the idea of a free game, so they will naturally spark some interest from that group, and then there's still the Star Wars fans who are willing to stick around for the long haul, and will likely buy cash shop gear, etc
    Rest In Peace, World of Warcraft. Subscriber count doesn't matter, WoW has been dead in spirit for a while
    Rest In Peace, Star Wars the Old Republic. SWTOR is a fun RPG, but a bad MMO

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by obao98 View Post
    I guess that settles it. The game IS dead. If things are bad now, imagine once they go free to play.
    A sudden surge in the playerbase? I don't see your point.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Larynx View Post
    A good decision on their part.
    I agree 100% with you, Larynx

    One of my friends who also played SWTOR stayed with it longer than I did, and when he would complain about something in the game, I would jokingly remark "free to play 2012". At the time, I was saying this mostly out of disappointment with SWTOR/EA/BioWare, but I actually do think that going free to play would be exactly what they need, to carve out their own small place in the market

    We can see other niche games that have been around, and profitable for many years, my favorite example being Eve Online. That game also doesn't have nearly as many subscribers as a popular game like World of Warcraft, but it's still survived for many years, and is making money to this day
    Rest In Peace, World of Warcraft. Subscriber count doesn't matter, WoW has been dead in spirit for a while
    Rest In Peace, Star Wars the Old Republic. SWTOR is a fun RPG, but a bad MMO

  9. #9
    Seriously, they`re not changing (thinking of) to free to play model BECAUSE it`s better, or BECAUSE they can make more money. These gaming companies spend millions studying the market. If they really thought the Free to Play model was better, they would really the game as Free to Play from the start.

    In reality, they NEED to make this change now because they NEED to at least make some money, try to recover some of the money they "wasted" with SWTOR.

    Now, EVERYONE in this forum, with a very few exceptions, said this game was SO awesome. Had the best leveling system, graphics were great, sound was amazing, bla bla bla. I think everyone here knows people in WoW (or any other game but specially WoW) that left the game to play SWTOR because of those reasons. And now, not even a year after its realease, we start to see the real truth. The game IS almost dead.

    What I think this REALLY shows, is that games with WEAK or NO REAL END GAME, DO NOT SURVIVE. Plain and simple. In MMOs the most important thing IS the end game. Whoever denies that is OBVIOUSLY wrong, and so was SWTOR. And now they are paying the price for thinking otherwise.

    In my opinion, Guild Wars 2 is going down the same road. Not only Guild Wars 2, but any game that thinks NOWADAYS they can survive without REAL END GAME CONTENT. You can`t survive. Simple as that. Let games learn that. Sad to see SWTOR learn that the hard way, but it was pretty clear to see that.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Shadylol View Post
    I agree 100% with you, Larynx

    One of my friends who also played SWTOR stayed with it longer than I did, and when he would complain about something in the game, I would jokingly remark "free to play 2012". At the time, I was saying this mostly out of disappointment with SWTOR/EA/BioWare, but I actually do think that going free to play would be exactly what they need, to carve out their own small place in the market
    I gave it the first month before I called it quits. The PvP gear grind was atrocious and borderline sadistic, and the PvE content was limited and not at all different from what I'd get if I played WoW. The leveling was fun, and I could forgive the grindy and boring nature of the Kill 40 Thieves, and then Kill 40 One-eyed thieves because of the other elements, but the pre-cap content was still largely irrelevant and I feel the game had very wasted potential because of this.

  11. #11
    Brewmaster Yuuki Asuna's Avatar
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    Hmmmm I 'might' actually try it if it goes F2P.
    I cried alone every single night. It felt like every day that passed here stole another piece of my real life away. After i cried, I’d go and fight as hard as I could. My only thought was winning, moving forward, and getting stronger. — Asuna Yuuki

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by obao98 View Post
    Seriously, they`re not changing (thinking of) to free to play model BECAUSE it`s better, or BECAUSE they can make more money. These gaming companies spend millions studying the market. If they really thought the Free to Play model was better, they would really the game as Free to Play from the start.
    I agree with you, obao98

    If EA/BioWare really wanted SWTOR to be a free to play title, or had planned for that to be the case, then it surely would have launched as free to play, or perhaps similar to more traditional games, where you buy the box, but can play without a subscription

    I wasn't trying to say that they're switching to free to play, because free to play is a surefire way to make more money, but rather that with the current state of the game, and their current subscriber count, that going free to play would be more financially viable than continuing on their current path

    ---------- Post added 2012-06-15 at 02:46 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Shininglight View Post
    Hmmmm I 'might' actually try it if it goes F2P.
    If you like Star Wars, then you should definitely give it a try, if it goes free to play. The story content isn't revolutionary, or anything, but speaking for myself, as someone who loves the Star Wars movies, I did really like the story in SWTOR
    Rest In Peace, World of Warcraft. Subscriber count doesn't matter, WoW has been dead in spirit for a while
    Rest In Peace, Star Wars the Old Republic. SWTOR is a fun RPG, but a bad MMO

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by obao98 View Post
    What I think this REALLY shows, is that games with WEAK or NO REAL END GAME, DO NOT SURVIVE. Plain and simple. In MMOs the most important thing IS the end game. Whoever denies that is OBVIOUSLY wrong, and so was SWTOR. And now they are paying the price for thinking otherwise.

    In my opinion, Guild Wars 2 is going down the same road. Not only Guild Wars 2, but any game that thinks NOWADAYS they can survive without REAL END GAME CONTENT. You can`t survive. Simple as that. Let games learn that. Sad to see SWTOR learn that the hard way, but it was pretty clear to see that.
    Wait so ALL those insane amount of WoW subscribers who don't Even step foot into a Raid, even LFR, play because it has End Game? But they don't go near it? YEA SURE.

    The reason SWTOR is failing is because they created a game which has an Epic Singeplayer Story. Sadly, this doesn't work all that well in the MMO market. I've got a few friends that have dabbled in the End Game and they said it was hell of alot of fun, the only complaint being that it was to easy, even the Nightmare Modes. They need to keep their Raids Story based but make them more challenging, ramp the difficulty up a notch.

    Yea, Ok, perhaps SWTOR is only CONSIDERING going F2P because they MIGHT NOT have the Sub Upkeep they require to 'pay the bills'. But even so going F2P would be a reasonable move because those that just want that Incredible Singeplayer Experience can do so for free, and perhaps buy a few goodies from their Cash Shop.

    But please remember. This is not DEFINITE. The Person stated in the interview that they are just Ready to Adapt incase they reach the point where F2P would be better. Who knows, their current sub numbers might stay completely stable and they will keep the Subscription.
    Last edited by Daverid; 2012-06-15 at 06:50 AM.

  14. #14
    If it goes ftp i "might" finish leveling my Jedi Knight or my trooper.
    I current state, heel has to freeze over before i give EA/BW another dime for this game.

  15. #15
    Don`t get me wrong, like I said, they NEED to make this change now. It`ll be GOOD FOR THEM, because they need to at least try and make some of the money they lost, as people above me already said. But of course it won`t be the best solution. It`ll be the only solution.

    I might finally try it as well.

    But anyone here who thinks that when a game goes Free to Play it`s BETTER is delusional.

    Let`s be honest here. I play WoW for 5 years. Every month I make my subscription payment. What is the amount of money I`ve already spent with WoW? 500-600 bucks??

    Now, I`ve played DOZENS of Free to Play games. And not those crappy games you download, play once, and unistall it because it`s so bad. I`ve played Ragnarok for at least 2 years, Lineage II for 2-3 years as well, and MANY others.

    Know how much money I spent on those games?? ZERO. Not even a dime. And don`t tell me I`m the exception. I am part of the VAST MAJORITY that doesn`t spent a single dime on free games.

    What will really happen is that SWTOR simply will in the near future stop releasing REAL content, unless it`s an expansion. You can`t possibly expect a company to produce content for a game that is now Free to Play, and obviously NOT making as much money as they thought it would.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Daverid View Post
    Wait so ALL those insane amount of WoW subscribers who don't Even step foot into a Raid, even LFR, play because it has End Game? But they don't go near it? YEA SURE.
    Just because someone does not successfully complete Raid content, does not mean they aren't interested in it, and they very well may still be playing the game because of the end game content

    In World of Warcraft, Pre-BC, and early BC, there were people that would follow me around trying to be my fanclub, people who would whisper me trying to buy my account, etc. This was also the case for many other high end Raiders of those times, so as we can see, there's a certain "carrot on a stick" mentality that arises, and many players will want to be good. Even in Wrath/Cata, where the game was made very easy, and after I quit progression Raiding, there were still people that would be in awe of my gear, and such, so this can happen in basically any game
    Rest In Peace, World of Warcraft. Subscriber count doesn't matter, WoW has been dead in spirit for a while
    Rest In Peace, Star Wars the Old Republic. SWTOR is a fun RPG, but a bad MMO

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Daverid View Post
    Wait so ALL those insane amount of WoW subscribers who don't Even step foot into a Raid, even LFR, play because it has End Game? But they don't go near it? YEA SURE.

    The reason SWTOR is failing is because they created a game which has an Epic Singeplayer Story. Sadly, this doesn't work all that well in the MMO market. I've got a few friends that have dabbled in the End Game and they said it was hell of alot of fun, the only complaint being that it was to easy, even the Nightmare Modes. They need to keep their Raids Story based but make them more challenging, ramp the difficulty up a notch.

    Yea, Ok, perhaps SWTOR is only CONSIDERING going F2P because they MIGHT NOT have the Sub Upkeep they require to 'pay the bills'. But even so going F2P would be a reasonable move because those that just want that Incredible Singeplayer Experience can do so for free, and perhaps buy a few goodies from their Cash Shop.

    But please remember. This is not DEFINITE. The Person stated in the interview that they are just Ready to Adapt incase they reach the point where F2P would be better. Who knows, their current sub numbers might stay completely stable and they will keep the Subscription.
    Well, I`m sorry you think END GAME CONTENT is only Raiding.

    It`s actually MUCH more than that. It`s dungeons, heroic dungeons, raids, bgs, arena, and so on. And with the money flowing, WoW is actually introducing MORE and MORE ways the player can spend his time on end game content. Some people might not like it, but obviously the majority of the gaming population is loving it. LFR, LFD, and with MoP, the "Pokemon" battles, getting achievements, etc, etc.

    That`s the sort of thing you just cannot do without money flowing into your account.

    EDIT:

    And you`re obviously not up-to-date with the situation of WoW nowadays. Actually, the vast majority of players noawadays DO RAID.

  18. #18
    You might be someone who doesn't spend money on F2P games Obao, but ALOT of other people do.

    Look at League of Legends. People spend tons of money to buy extra Heroes. As long as SWTOR creates thing to buy that are really cool and worth it (Perhaps awesome Pets, Mounts, Boosts to XP and other things, perhaps even Real Epilogues to the Stories creating a whole new Class Specific Chapter that focuses purely on the story and no random side quests) ... People WILL buy that sort of stuff, and that's what makes F2P effective, actually making and marketing things that people will pay money for.

    Perhaps you won't, but for every person who won't buy anything, there'll be 10 people who will buy something.

  19. #19
    Dreadlord Shuya82's Avatar
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    I sure hope so, I would really like to play this game casually, I can't justify the sub for it though.

  20. #20
    Deleted
    Yep,expected that 1 week since the launch.I used to be one of the people that thought this game would be really successful.Although,I just couldnt play with this HORRIBLE gameplay.I was so used to the smooth gameplay of WoW that I couldnt play SWTOR.Now dont tell me its a different type of gameplay because it isnt.So many bugs...It was obvious this game wasnt finished.Also PvP was terrible,every class was the same( with a lot of CCs and knockbacks) that wasnt fun at all.Its just fun that people in this forum were like "this game isnt dead","game is awesome".It might be "awesome" for you but not for the majority of people.After the fail of SWTOR I doubt that we will see another high budget MMORPG soon...Sad,because this game had a lot of potential.

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