SW:TOR and the way of DCUO.

[Killmaim Deathbringer]

Hi quick poll for you lads and lasses.

How long do you expect SW:TOR to last before it becomes Free To Play, much like DC Universe Online?

Personally, I hope never as Subscriptions = Money to pay for developers = better quality updates

[mystik]

never. this isn't Sony. this actually has been in development a lot longer, has way more preorders and a lot more time and interest invested.

DCUO was never going to be big.

[Sargerus]

No good will come from this thread. i'm already sensing it.

[Killmaim Deathbringer]

never. this isn't Sony. this actually has been in development a lot longer, has way more preorders and a lot more time and interest invested.

DCUO was never going to be big.

of course, DCUO only really appealed to those who liked the genre of Hero MMO's / DC. also £10.99 a month was ridiculous.

I hope SW:TOR becomes as big as WoW so it makes blizzard begin to sweat and get better quality updates out.

[nyoan]

I really dont' see TOR going FTP anytime in the future. If they are able to keep the playerbase they've got from pre-orders and build even a little, they should be very profitable for EA, and that can only go up. Usually you only see FTP when profits aren't where they could be, and I think TOR has the ability from the current preorders and hype to make for a very nice return on investment.

[moaradin]

I don't see a game with based on a huge franchise, huge developer, and huge budget going free to play anytime soon.

[Loaf Lord]

never. this isn't Sony. this actually has been in development a lot longer, has way more preorders and a lot more time and interest invested.

DCUO was never going to be big.

Have to agree with this, SWTOR is on a higher pedestal than DCUO, imo.

[Merrena]

Well, Bioware actually knows how to make games. While DCUO was okay, it wasn't great, they were definitely lying out their ass when they said going FTP had nothing to do with subscriptions at an all time low.

[Killmaim Deathbringer]

I really dont' see TOR going FTP anytime in the future. If they are able to keep the playerbase they've got from pre-orders and build even a little, they should be very profitable for EA, and that can only go up. Usually you only see FTP when profits aren't where they could be, and I think TOR has the ability from the current preorders and hype to make for a very nice return on investment.

true, true. Also the fact it's a Star Wars franchise, it has many a fanbase at current too.

[Alatian]

Warhammer online is still not free to play. That's probably an indication of how little EA wants to go F2P.

[Deleted]

I really dont' see TOR going FTP anytime in the future. If they are able to keep the playerbase they've got from pre-orders and build even a little, they should be very profitable for EA, and that can only go up. Usually you only see FTP when profits aren't where they could be, and I think TOR has the ability from the current preorders and hype to make for a very nice return on investment.

I agree with most of this. Although SW:TOR will as any other MMO, stand strong or fail hard, when the playerbase reaches end-game content. The only thing that's keeping millions of WOW subs active, is the end-game raiding which has no real adversary imo. If SW:TOR excels in end-game content from the get-go, it will be very successful i'm sure, pure out of the 'tired' wow players who wants something new and those who prefer the Star Wars setting.

[Fhaze]

I hope SW:TOR becomes as big as WoW so it makes blizzard begin to sweat and get better quality updates out.

This is something I hope to see as well. I enjoyed my time in WoW, and hate to see the poor updates the game gets.

If BioWare can cause Blizzard to step it up, then that means BioWare will have to stay on top of things. Something like that will lead to one thing: a win for the customers.

[Nasriel]

I personally think the only reason DCUO went F2P is because SOE had a PS3 and PC version and the controls of the PC version were awful. I've never actually played PS3 but the controls of the PC version are frustrating beyond all belief. I originally signed up for it when you had to pay but due to the woeful controls I wasn't enjoying it so I quit. After it went F2P I tried again and I found that yes I still hate the way the game plays so I logged in, spent about 2hrs then logged out and havn't gone back since.

Another forum I visit had alot of people signed up for the F2P but found they were bored within an hour or two due to lack of interesting content and they havn't bothered to login again. So unless SW:TOR is as frustrating to play and as boring as DCUO I can't imagine it would ever go free

[Mothhive]

Well, being realistic, you can't say for sure it'll never go free to play, infact it's pretty likely (take a deep breath and read on before rage posting, trust me!). At some point in every MMO the time comes where the free to play model will make more money than a subscription. Whether that's 6 months, 6 years or 60 years, it depends on the game, but many MMOs that lost the majority of their subscribers end up turning to this model and finding more profitability and longevity because the fact that it's free attracts more people to try it out, who may later spend money in the cash shop, or on premium services or whatever they have to maintain an income.

The point is, there comes a time where even giants like WoW and eventually SWTOR, will be old, ugly and can't compete with newer and more innovative MMOs and will have to rethink it's payment model to remain profitable and keep any interest.

[Sargerus]

Warhammer online is still not free to play. That's probably an indication of how little EA wants to go F2P.

The Secret World is F2P and is published by EA.

[WaitingforSWTOR]

I think hacker attacks against Sony had something to do for DCUO going F2P

[Tastyfish]

I mean all it might take is a bigger potential earning, enuff to make them ignore the game.

[staxxington]

3+ years or never

[Tastyfish]

I don't see a game with based on a huge franchise, huge developer, and huge budget going free to play anytime soon.

Sony is not big and neither is DC- Warner brothers, rite?


Maybe you are not getting how big DC comics are? Its the fucking superman and bat man fancises among many others.

[Sargerus]

Sony is not big and neither is DC- Warner brothers, rite?


Maybe you are not getting how big DC comics are? Its the fucking superman and bat man fancises among many others.

Except that Spider-Man is from Marvel...