More Horizontal Progression please

[Nektulos-Tuor]

^

These WoW clone MMOs last what 2-3 years before going f2p and dying? So lets average that to 2.5 years (30 months) $15x30 = $450 + say 2 $50 expansion.. $550 per player who stick around start to end?

Now lets look at the games who have kept players around under a sub model for over 12-15 years EQ and XI. (well focus on EQ because without looking XI's content was a bit more complicated mixing expansions and smaller paid content patches)

EQ = original + 21 expansions.

per player
expansions value = over $1,000
sub value = $2,900

Does your average WoW clone bring in a huge influx the 1st couple months that likely make up for the difference? Sure but lets then realize the cost of developing a new MMO vs adding an expansion to an existing one.

Then lets realize that apparently EQ/Xi were good enough to keep a lot of the SAME people engaged for YEARS. Where even the titan of these modern MMOs WoW has a almost 70% attrition rate after the 1st 20 months of playing (since I know someone will bitch below are the numbers). WoW stays afloat by being the equivalent of cigarettes/beer/weed to the MMO world. Everyone tries it then goes looking for something better.

40% quit after a year which goes up to ~70% at 600 days (about 20 months)


http://netgames2008.cs.wpi.edu/slides/chen-wow.pdf (scroll down to the sub time graph)



.... after 8 years. I never played it myself but that is longer than most MMOs last these days. We could go through a very very long list of MMOs that actually failed before we ever even talk about SWG shutting down. And sustained a sub model.

Also since you either don't know or like to ignore important details. It failed AFTER being completely overhauled due to a disagreement within the business (as I understand without looking it up Lucas Arts and SOE had disagreement)

SWG couldn't afford getting a thing from Lucas Arts or Disney to remake the game. Lucas Arts also ordered SWG to "change" to be more like WOW. Which made it lose suddenly half its subscribers in the CU, then half again in the NGE.

SWG Pre-CU had a GOOD Player base for its time. It was at the time MMOs were NOT popular like they are now.

SWG literally was forced to be changed by Lucas. SWG wasn't shut down though because it was failing, Sony just wouldn't fork over the millions to fight with SWTOR.

SWG no longer had the "Rights" for Sony to have the game.
SWTOR paid to make it so SWG wouldn't have the rights to the game anymore so it would be the only Starwars MMO.

When they finally lost the rights, SWG started becoming an amazing game, even in the NGE. You could have full atmospheric flight! Full on atmospheric battles. So much more to do then SWTOR ever did. Way better of a game.

Anyways, that is all in the past now.

Side note, SWG was finally shut down because SWTOR was being released, and LA didn't want folks confused as to which one they were playing, so they refused to renew SOE's license.

Yep!


World of Warcraft loses almost 70% of its playerbase a month after an expansion. Then gains it all back after a new expansion. That is VERY bad.. FFXIV is the same way actually. So many people are just.. bored.