Site Inactive
1
Membership
Server Status
Who's Online
Search TORHead
1
 
Polls
Which day you can For Karraga‘s palace op?
Monday after 6 gmt (4/12)
 
Thuesday after 6 gmt (3/12)
 
Wensday after 6 gmt (5/12)
 
Thursday after 6 gmt (4/12)
 
Friday after 6 gmt (4/12)
 
Saturday after 6 gmt (6/12)
 
 
Light & Dark Status
4500 
2525 
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Force Secret Forum Index -> News
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Dead_Serious



Joined: 01 Dec 2011
Posts: 46

Send private message
Reply with quote

re: To pay or not to pay to play?

0
DC Universe Online's done it. Team Fortress 2's done it. World of Warcraft's done it (sort of). 2011's seen some of the biggest most ambitious massively multiplayer online game abandon the subscription-based business model and go free-to-play. Valve's shift to an F2P model takes advantage of a game already chock full of microtransaction content.

And, in the case of DCUO, Sony Online Entertainment's been rewarded with an exponential increase in their player base. There's apparently plenty of upside in very big games going to F2P. So why is the freshly-launched Star Wars: The Old Republic charging a monthly free to engage in its online adventures?

"We think we've built a premium experience with The Old Republic," answers BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk. "We're launching with 19 huge worlds, and hours and hours of story and content to explore. And we're going to be adding to that for months to come," adds co-founder Ray Muzyka. Zeschuk argues that, despite Blizzard's decision to offer the first 20 levels of World of Warcraft as free-to-play, it's still subscriptions that power the game.

WoW pricing's plans and those for The Old Republic match exactly: $14.99 per month for a month-to-month recurring subscription, $13.99 per month for a 3-month recurring subscription and $12.99 per month for a 6-month recurring subscription.

The argument they're making is that TOR is a big-budget, broad appeal online experience built on an entertainment franchise that's captivated millions for decades. It's not the kind of thing that you offer gratis.

But, more than any economic realities surrounding MMO games, the partners say that a free-to-play model may not necessarily be a good fit for a game that switches to a no-subscription template. "Free-to-play works best when a game is built that way from the ground up," offer Zeschuk. "It affects the way you build the experience, how much time and detail you put into content and how you roll out and update."

So, if Zeschuk knows all of this, could he or his partner envision The Old Republic making a move like DCUO or TF2 did? "We're not saying never ever, but we certainly have no plans like that in the foreseeable future. We're going to support the game to make it better and better as it goes on. It's going to be worth showing up for."

So there you have it. Muzyka and Zeschuk think that they and their compatriots have made a game that merits your $15 a month. Now, of course, they need to prove it.

Ps:New poll is up!
Posts from:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Force Secret Forum Index -> News All times are GMT - 6 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You can post new topics in this forum
You can reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
 
 
Last Forum PostsLast Forum Post RSS Feed
1