Do you think SWTOR has increased its revenue going F2P?

[RoninaThorstone]

Myself and a few friends were totally into SWTOR when it initially released .. I pretty much ditched WoW and every other game for a solid 2 months and REALLY enjoyed getting a couple of toons to 50 and experiencing the incredible stories that accompanied the classes. The rest of the game lent towards the 'Meh' side but it was still respectable.

I haven't tried it since it went F2P, but my other friends did and they uninstalled it pretty much straight away after playing. Their response was basically that sure F2P is cool because you can experience all the character stories for free, but all the restrictions just make it ridiculous. 2 Action Bars makes it impossible to have every skill you need on yours bars... 350k Credit Limit is absurd ... Basic things like Flashpoints/Operations are restricted and you have to buy passes ... 2 Character slots per realm is completely ridiculous ...

I'd say the majority of people who play it because it's F2P will either get to level ~30 or so, love it and just subscribe so they can not be restricted to hell ... Or they'll just keep carrying on with the restrictions, get to 50 and realise they can't do crap and just quit and not come back. I think the latter will be the more common response.

I think it'll be great short term revenue, but it just won't pay-off in the long run and they'll end up just getting rid of half of these absurd restrictions to keep new players coming.

Your friends need to catch up on their swtor info.

Its going to be 6 bars, 6 character slots, and the 350k credit cap is extremely helpful for f2p accounts.

[Argroth]

They lost money from me. As soon as I heard it's going F2P I quit.

I'm not stupid enough to be nickled and dimed over crap like so many others who now play this game.

They gave up on improving the game (only about money now) then I give up on them.

Sadly I know for every smart person like me there are probably 10 idiots who pay $10 for crap from the cartel market.

Makes me sad so many stupid people are in the world and that Bioware started to prey on them.

---------- Post added 2012-12-04 at 01:39 AM ----------

The restrictions they have right now on F2P and preferred accounts are ridiculous.

The smarter few of the stupid who play it will quit, the stupid ones will subscribe to a game that has already proven they gave up, get bored because they only make cartel market crap then quit eventually.

[WalkingChaos]

Greetings,

Short term increase, revenue will drop eventually.
The issue with SWTOR is PvP. I've been playing with a Sith Inquisitor, reached about level 20 enjoying quests, lore, voice acting and stuff, but when decided to join a Clan and learn PvP I was really dissapointed.

Can't see how BioWare will benefit from this in the long term.

[Profyrion]

They lost money from me. As soon as I heard it's going F2P I quit.

I'm not stupid enough to be nickled and dimed over crap like so many others who now play this game.

They gave up on improving the game (only about money now) then I give up on them.

Sadly I know for every smart person like me there are probably 10 idiots who pay $10 for crap from the cartel market.

Makes me sad so many stupid people are in the world and that Bioware started to prey on them.

---------- Post added 2012-12-04 at 01:39 AM ----------

The restrictions they have right now on F2P and preferred accounts are ridiculous.

The smarter few of the stupid who play it will quit, the stupid ones will subscribe to a game that has already proven they gave up, get bored because they only make cartel market crap then quit eventually.

Could you sound any more dejected and butthurt in this post? Seriously dude? Come on... You're better than that.

[blib]

The f2p model is terrible and the game is not very good to begin with. I do assume they have increased revenue though, anything else would be a catastrophe, it will probably go down again in a month or so. It wont revive the game but it will get them more money then they otherwise would have gotten which is probably what they aimed for in the first place.

I won't be playing it, simple because it's not worth my time. Warning, others opinions might differ.

[Edge-]

Your friends need to catch up on their swtor info.

Its going to be 6 bars, 6 character slots, and the 350k credit cap is extremely helpful for f2p accounts.

4 bars for premium, no?

[RoninaThorstone]

Nah, they just announced its going up to 6.

[Airlick]

1) Where are these 'facts' you are sticking to?
2) You stated you stick to facts then 2 sentences later state that you are giving an opinion. Which is it?[COLOR="red"]

The fact is that TOR was the most expensive MMO to date. The other fact is that it now has to go f2p to save itself from shutting down.

The opinion is that it will still die, because this game has NOTHING to offer except of the setting.

Sounds clear?

[Profyrion]

That's a lot of assumptions, Turbodymoman.

Can I borrow your crystal ball please? I need to see what the next Powerball numbers will be.

[Edge-]

That's a lot of assumptions, Turbodymoman.

Can I borrow your crystal ball please? I need to see what the next Powerball numbers will be.

Well, the most expensive MMO (and quite possibly game) to date isn't too far fetched. EA even admitted it was the most expensive project they've ever undertaken (sauce). We don't know exact numbers, but I honestly think the $150M+ number is close to the target for pre-launch dev costs.

As for it going F2P to save it from being shut down though...eh. It went freemium to improve revenue, but I doubt it would have shut down. If anything, EA might have tried a second round of cash injections and failing that, Warhammer'd it and put it in maintenance mode rather than cutting the cord entirely.

But they did the smart thing and transitioned the game before things got too bad.

[Deleted]

I think it increased the revenue. I decided to try it out yesterday. Enjoyed it very much so far!

[Lantern214]

The revenue will go up, but nothing amazing though. It would be nice if they could get out of the slump they're in.

[Katchii]

They lost money from me. As soon as I heard it's going F2P I quit.

I'm not stupid enough to be nickled and dimed over crap like so many others who now play this game.

They gave up on improving the game (only about money now) then I give up on them.

Sadly I know for every smart person like me there are probably 10 idiots who pay $10 for crap from the cartel market.

Makes me sad so many stupid people are in the world and that Bioware started to prey on them.

1) A subscriber isn't nickle and dimed over anything...they have full access to all content without paying extra unless they WANT to for the stuff in the cartel market. Granted their F2P model sucks based on the amont of restrictions, but it really is just an overt attempt to garner more subscribers. It is what it is, play if you want, and if you don't want to? Don't.

2) Paying extra money to get stuff in the cartel market doesn't make someone stupid, it means they just have the disposable (arguable I suppose) income and the desire to own said item in a game they are currently enjoying. Also, enjoying this game also does not make someone stupid.

3) In an attempt to be optimistic, and assuming Bioware actually has a big enough brain to understand the majority of what has been said here; They needed to update their subscription model, or inject a new way to make money with this game to validate the spending of more money to improve the game. Improving the game wouldn't be free. They are a company and therefore need to get a return on their investment. So, assuming Bioware isn't a company full of morons and just a company full of corporate douchebags who really want to make money on the game and therefore do the right things to ensure this games success.......F2P is an attempt to earn the money required to make the necessary improvements we are all HOPING for.

[BenBos]

http://www.xfire.com/games/swtor/Sta..._Old_Republic/

The same as Lotro, D&D On line, Conan, etc etc etc

the first few weeks they doubled their player activity.

After these first 2 weeks: the numbers dwindle again./

--- > It is ALL in the game play really.

No good game = no success whatever the formula.

the sad fact is that in 2011 EA said they would target 12.000.000 potential subscribers.

NOW they said they targetted 12.000.000 free to play players.

In neither case they came even to more than a few % of that number.

EA I have a question ??? Could it be the game is simply NOT good enough ???????

[RoninaThorstone]

http://www.xfire.com/games/swtor/Sta..._Old_Republic/

The same as Lotro, D&D On line, Conan, etc etc etc

the first few weeks they doubled their player activity.

After these first 2 weeks: the numbers dwindle again./

--- > It is ALL in the game play really.

No good game = no success whatever the formula.

the sad fact is that in 2011 EA said they would target 12.000.000 potential subscribers.

NOW they said they targetted 12.000.000 free to play players.

In neither case they came even to more than a few % of that number.

EA I have a question ??? Could it be the game is simply NOT good enough ???????

But DnD, AoC, and Lotro have all been successful and gone on to do multiple expansions.

[Kelimbror]

But DnD, AoC, and Lotro have all been successful and gone on to do multiple expansions.

Don't feed him. He's linking xfire in every thread he can until he eventually gets banned. Again. For like, the 100th time.

[BenBos]

Don't feed him. He's linking xfire in every thread he can until he eventually gets banned. Again. For like, the 100th time.

No that's only if you post critical comments in a GW2 thread.

[RoninaThorstone]

But seriously.

I think the only MMOs that have failed were ones that DIDN'T transition to f2p.
IE: WAR

[BenBos]

But seriously.

I think the only MMOs that have failed were ones that DIDN'T transition to f2p.
IE: WAR

Seriously: we have here a situation where ONE game has millions of subscriptions (WOW), another with hundreds of thousands of subscriptions (EVE) and the rest goes free to play ... and STILL doesn't reach near these paid subscription based games in player activity...


Something must be terribly wrong here.

It is like going to a movie that's complete free to view and the 2 blockbuster movies (combined) with an income tag of 15 dollars a MONTH to view, attract 10 times more viewers than the free to view ones... for every month viewing ...

Explain...as the subject of this thread is ... revenue...

[RoninaThorstone]

Seriously: we have here a situation where ONE game has millions of subscriptions (WOW), another with hundreds of thousands of subscriptions (EVE) and the rest goes free to play ... and STILL doesn't reach near these paid subscription based games in player activity...


Something must be terribly wrong here.

It is like going to a movie that's complete free to view and the 2 blockbuster movies (combined) with an income tag of 15 dollars a MONTH to view, attract 10 times more viewers than the free to view ones... for every month viewing ...

Explain...

Um. Bro.

Eve and Tera use a F2P model. You just have to become "established" first. Then you can "pay" for your subscription with in game currency.

Also, WoW is an anomaly that as Fencers likes to point, is held up by the culture of MMO gaming.

---------- Post added 2012-12-07 at 12:18 AM ----------

Like, okay.

Do you realize that you could write a book explaining how and why WoW has been successful?
Its like when Henry Ford made came up with the model T. It redefined what a car could be in much the same way WoW redefined MMOs.
It took another half a century for eastern countries to break through into the market with cheaper, more efficient car models. They had to overcome the American car culture, which was not easy. You see very similar derogation toward eastern MMOs in the America today.

I am not attempting to draw an equivalence but I'm just saying that there is some incredible sticking power to being the culturally accepted and dominant, break through product. It is self perpetuating and the longer it remains a norm, the more it is transmitted as "normal" to new generations, the more people play it, the more it becomes the norm. Its hard to imagine WoW lasting longer than another few years but I think it is fully possible, perhaps even a reboot with a new game engine. The history of the "white wedding" is similar to this. What started as a event, the wedding of Queen Victoria (?), which then spiraled out into a trend, into a norm, into a self perpetuating norm that has since become and industry. This spiral doesn't happen all the time, obviously. But when it does, it tends to alter the culture in a pretty interesting way.