[Megathread] Wildstar - Now F2P

[Elim Garak]

Um, no?

I work in market research. That isn't what marketing is at all.

So you are in market research, though you don't know the difference between market research, marketing research and marketing?

Market research =/= marketing research =/= marketing

[Kelimbror]

Wish I had beta!

Hmm...no you don't. This conversation would be much more depressing if you did.

[zerocarbs]

So with this announcement I'm assuming they think they can take WoW's subs? Quite odd.

[RoninaThorstone]

Yea, the reaction is quite something.

Massive miscalculation in the long run I think.

It's interesting to see this sort of negative reaction for a game that hasn't even come out yet. Usually you see this sort of backlash post launch (IE: 2 months after swtor launched).

I wonder if very low initial sales will be a good thing in the long run for wildstar. The fact is, it's not a great game. If the majority of potential players don't even try it right off the bat, they will have a chance to fix it before they try it. Then, when they go F2P, they could get a lot of people to try it after it's been refined.

[Fencers]

This is an intriguing development for observation purposes though.

I know!

This news is so utterly delicious that I am on the fence about calling off work just so I can stay on the internet all day today to watch this fallout.

I manage priorities well. Obviously.

[Valeron]

I know!

This news is so utterly delicious that I am on the fence about calling off work just so I can stay on the internet all day today to watch this fallout.

I manage priorities well. Obviously.

I wonder about you sometimes Fencers

[RoninaThorstone]

Wish I had beta!

Going to have to agree with KV on this one.

You really don't want to be in the beta right now. This announcement would make you very concerned if you were.

[Edge-]

Seeing the forum backlash on several sites including this one makes me think that Wildstar just made the one mistake that will drive this game to F2P. I still feel like they are pulling a bait and switch like most sub MMOs that have launched in the last few years. The amount of people who have declared they won't even buy touch the game now is staggering.

Yeah, there's a smaller group that's thrilled with the news, but the majority of the feedback I've seen has been negative. Really curious to see how they handle this.

[Deleted]

Meh. I don't want to pay 60 dollars for a monthly trial. I just don't trust MMO developers anymore after SW:ToR came out. I paid 60 USD, the game was shit, went F2P after less than a year and now I am being treated like someone who spent 5 dollars in their cash shop.

[Fencers]

So you are in market research, though you don't know the difference between market research, marketing research and marketing?

Market research =/= marketing research =/= marketing

Do you actually know what marketing research does?

I don't think you do for some reason.

[RoninaThorstone]

Meh. I don't want to pay 60 dollars for a monthly trial. I just don't trust MMO developers anymore after SW:ToR came out. I paid 60 USD, the game was shit, went F2P after less than a year and now I am being treated like someone who spent 5 dollars in their cash shop.

Oh, get over it. They've improved their model a ton.

The people who paid 150 on the CE got screwed over way harder than you.

[Valeron]

Going to have to agree with KV on this one.

You really don't want to be in the beta right now. This announcement would make you very concerned if you were.

sadly I agree with this but on the other hand, it seems the developers realize this, hence some of the redesigns and delays of the game

[WarpedAcorn]

I'm imagining it to pay out exactly like Rift which did exist as a dwindling sub service for longer than standard companies operate. Though with this being NCSoft, I imagine it would convert much quicker.

There's always that crazy notion that this will pull a WoW...haha...I have to laugh just typing it. But..it is a possibility. I'm not going to bet any money on it though.

I think you're right. WSO *might* carve out a niche for itself that allows it to exist for awhile, but I just don't see it happening. Rift already attempted to pull away the hardcore raiding crowd from WoW, and was only mildly successful. I think its foolish for any company to try a P2P game and assume they will pull any subs away from WoW (directly). People who play WoW do it largely because of habit and social connections. You can not release a game that has a decade's worth of nostalgia and social connections. So instead, WSO is competing with people like me who play non-WoW MMO's.

I could see myself going out and dropping $60 on this game if it were B2P (like I did with GW2), but I can't see myself paying $60 and also picking up a sub tab when there are so many other options on the market, the vast majority that can be played for "free". Bear in mind I play and am currently subbed to SWTOR, and although I have kept my eye on WSO, this news has turned me from someone who would probably pick it up on release to try it into someone who will wait for reviews and possibly a free weekend trial.

[waddlez]

It's interesting to see this sort of negative reaction for a game that hasn't even come out yet. Usually you see this sort of backlash post launch (IE: 2 months after swtor launched).

I wonder if very low initial sales will be a good thing in the long run for wildstar. The fact is, it's not a great game. If the majority of potential players don't even try it right off the bat, they will have a chance to fix it before they try it. Then, when they go F2P, they could get a lot of people to try it after it's been refined.

So wait wildstar is bad now? So the MMO community is stuck with WoW until EQN (and given SOE, will probably be bad and have to wait until Titan)?

[RoninaThorstone]

sadly I agree with this but on the other hand, it seems the developers realize this, hence some of the redesigns and delays of the game

This part confuses me.

If you know your game is turning out to be mediocre... Why announce that you are going to use the same payment model as the top competitor? It's like... No one want's to pay the same amount of money for shastacola as they do for cocacola (when they have access to both).

- - - Updated - - -

So wait wildstar is bad now? So the MMO community is stuck with WoW until EQN (and given SOE, will probably be bad and have to wait until Titan)?

...

Where have you been? The dev team pushed back the launch date because they are having to go back and make the zones enjoyable (which is a small part of a larger issue)

edit: I mean, seriously. Enough beta testers have leaked info that you should know that the game is less than enjoyable for a large number of their beta testers.

[Hardbunny]

Why do people need to justify a game they haven't even through roughly tested yet only because they know they will buy it. It's not the worst thing in the world if you spend money and find out your assumptions of the game was wrong.

[Valeron]

This part confuses me.

If you know your game is turning out to be mediocre... Why announce that you are going to use the same payment model as the top competitor? It's like... No one want's to pay the same amount of money for shastacola as they do for cocacola (when they have access to both).

I'm not trying to rationalize their decision on payment models but I'm just stating that their decision to delay the game and redesign parts of it are a good one.

[Keren]

BEST NEWS EVER, monthly sub, me and my guild are 100% going to play now, no whiny kids who can't afford the price of a pack of cigarettes or equivalent for a months sub to worry about and plenty hardcore raiding))

hm, I actually see more kids with flashy new phones, dumb apps and more money sinks then I see people who have to earn their money themselfs. Kids do have more money...

[Elim Garak]

Do you actually know what marketing research does?

I don't think you do for some reason.

Oh I do, I'm just baffled by you explicitly equating it to the marketing itself. Marketing utilizes market research to gather data on what consumers desire.
That's all.
That's hardly everything that marketing does.

And in case of MMO cash shops - no marketing research is required. Because desires are manipulated from within the market. Leveling is too slow? XP boosts in cash shop! Players don't want to buy XP boosts, but they also don't want to level slowly. Priorities.

[Kelimbror]

Oh this just gets more hilarious. Here's an updated quote from Gaffney about potential cash shop from a Gamebreaker interview:

Will you offer microtransaction purchases?

• We’re interested in microtransactions, but only if we can offer it in a way that fits with the vision of WildStar. We’re approaching this topic very carefully and will share details as they come available.

link

Bend over folks...the money train is coming for you.