The FFXIV Cash Shop is greedy

[SamRF]

So some players are entiteled enough to think "I payed 13 euro in 2013, and still pay 13 euro in 2020, company should give me more and more but don't dare they keep paying their workers money because reasons", and the one who's greedy here is the company?

I agree that the sub cost may be too low and that most players likely aren't ready yet to pay more. I've acknowledged this before (in this thread and others) and it might be true that a Cash Shop may provide a good middle ground for now. I wish that the MMO market (players as well as games) was more saturated so more players would have more choice and that a solid game with higher sub fee and no Cash Shop would indeed exist, then I likely wouldn't be voicing my concerns and feedback here but instead pull the trigger way faster and switch game.

Once again, amount of items in shop doesn't matter more than prices do - it's a factor, but it doesn't exist in a nutshell. What matters is what exactly and how much you can to buy for the same price. Quote, because you either didn't see it or conveniently ignored. I don't care if WoW have just 5 pets in shop if I need to pay 10$ for each at once, when I can take more for the same price in other shop or take the same amount for a lesser price without loss in the quality on top of that. And I don't think that I'm the only person who thinks this way. Mog Station is one of the rare examples of a decent balance between guality, quantity and price (and some items are still considered expensive regardless, and some items could look better than they do).

I had read it and I appreciate you taking the time voicing your and other's opinion but I simply don't agree with it so I didn't bother replying

I don't care what the prices of Cash Shop items are because I won't buy it. I don't want a Cash Shop out of principle (immerion, potential slippery slope, authenticity, p2p game, 4th wall, ...), so if there is in fact a Cash Shop, I just want it to have as few items as possible. The difference in amount of items is huge when you compare both games all things considered.

Realize how WoW sells 0 glamours, meaning that when you play WoW you know that you can only get all available transmogs in game. This alone is a reassuring feeling imo and is a big deal. The amount of items in WoW Cash Shop is small enough (for how long it exists) that you won't immedietaly get suspicious that they do or will decrease the quality of items ingame to drive up Cash Shop sales (especially for glamours since there are none in Bliz Store). Not saying this is the case in FFXIV but the concern will be there and that alone is not pleasant.

Meanwhile you go to FFXIV Mog Station and see pages upon pages of items, easily makes it look like a b2p game with no supscription. In fact I'm sure it offers more items than ESO or GW2 offer in their ingame stores (especially for glam attires) at a given time and those aren't even supscription games. (of course the nature of GW2 and ESO stores are more greedy, as they probably should be being b2p)

I'd be much more happy if we only had 5 minions/glams/mounts that each cost 100$ than have a Cash Shop of this magnitude. If that doesn't make sense to you, then so be it, we can't always understand each other's perspective and that's okay.

[Halivel]

I agree that the sub cost may be too low and that most players likely aren't ready yet to pay more.

They will never be for a variety of reasons, and MMO games don't aim only at those who can pay as much as possible, they try to catch people with different wealth backgrounds (even f2p games do, as much as greedy they are). Cash Shops are a compromise for that. Having 10 items for 5$ each instead 1 for 50$ is also a compromise because:

1. They give more options for same price

2. It places lesser stretch on consumer's wallet than one single pruchase for a significant amount you owed to pay immediately. I will much more willingly buy an item for 5$ then buy one more released later also for 5$ than one single item for 50$ even if it's astonishingly amazing. No way I will buy a minion for 100$ which is 25% of my monthly wage, my (and hundreds other people) only reaction will be "are you mad there? do you suppose your players have 4000+$ wage or what?" And even for 4000$ wage asking 100$ for a minion is a poor marketing decision. It won't make the game more attractive for players.

That said... thanks god you're not developing this game.

[SamRF]

I agree that the sub cost may be too low and that most players likely aren't ready yet to pay more. I've acknowledged this before (in this thread and others) and it might be true that a Cash Shop may provide a good middle ground for now. I wish that the MMO market (players as well as games) was more saturated so more players would have more choice and that a solid game with higher sub fee and no Cash Shop would indeed exist, then I likely wouldn't be voicing my concerns and feedback here but instead pull the trigger way faster and switch game.

That said... thanks god you're not developing this game.

Was hoping we could get to a respectful agree to disagree conclusion, with how much room I was giving your argument. Can't expect people to be decent on the internet I guess.

[Halivel]

Was hoping we could get to a respectful agree to disagree conclusion, with how much room I was giving your argument. Can't expect people to be decent on the internet I guess.

Just as much as I was trying to give a room to yours in the beginning, and I didn't mean that sentence as an insult - you just don't seem to be suitable to work in marketing. Every time I see you in threads you're claiming you want the game to be better, but ideas itself just aren't any good in long time perspective (some of them could give an improvement for a short time). Your idea to give "5 pets for 100$ each", even if it's an exaggeration, is very weak from marketing standpoint, because that's not how consumer's mentality works. At this point I wonder if you're geniunely that naive or just a troll.

[SamRF]

Just as much as I was trying to give a room to yours in the beginning, and I didn't mean that sentence as an insult - you just don't seem to be suitable to work in marketing. Every time I see you in threads you're claiming you want the game to be better, but ideas itself just aren't any good in long time perspective (some of them could give an improvement for a short time). Your idea to give "5 pets for 100$ each", even if it's an exaggeration, is very weak from marketing standpoint, because that's not how consumer's mentality works. At this point I wonder if you're geniunely that naive or just a troll.

Yeah I thought it was pretty obvious what I meant with that 100$ example.. you're taking it out of context and I hope not with awareness just to score points. I'll clarify just in case though.

That 5 items for 100$ was just an example to clarify how and why I believe the amount of items are more important to me instead of the price. Of course I know that it won't sell at that price. It wasn't an idea at all, it was just an example to give perspective.

[Eldevern]

I believe the amount of items are more important to me instead of the price.

Unfortunatly, it doesn't work like that and the food is a fair example of customers behavior, a lot of them look at the price first and the quantity after. That makes they will pay more for less thanks to the false feeling they save money.
100g for 2€
90g for 1€90
People will take the one at 1€90 thought they pay actually 10 cents more, the price should be 1€80

[Halivel]

Yeah I thought it was pretty obvious what I meant with that 100$ example.. you're taking it out of context and I hope not with awareness just to score points. I'll clarify just in case though.

That 5 items for 100$ was just an example to clarify how and why I believe the amount of items are more important to me instead of the price. Of course I know that it won't sell at that price. It wasn't an idea at all, it was just an example to give perspective.

I get it. It's just that we have to take into consideration that it's not as simple as it looks to be. Quantity and price both work in tandem, and they work in tandem with payment model of the game itself. No cash shop at all means higher sub and its increasing after some period of time. It's not a bad thing technically, but it will attract less players, and games are usually aimed at different kind of players, not only wealthy ones.

For same reason, cash shop with less quantity for a higher price has less potential than higher quantity for a lesser price. Yes, you can see the second as a bit more greedy model, but it gives more freedom and choice (and, in fact, possibility to spend less money in some cases) to those who buy these items.

So while your idea potentinally could work in ideal circumstances, it won't be that good in reality.

[SamRF]

I get it. It's just that we have to take into consideration that it's not as simple as it looks to be. Quantity and price both work in tandem, and they work in tandem with payment model of the game itself. No cash shop at all means higher sub and its increasing after some period of time. It's not a bad thing technically, but it will attract less players, and games are usually aimed at different kind of players, not only wealthy ones.

For same reason, cash shop with less quantity for a higher price has less potential than higher quantity for a lesser price. Yes, you can see the second as a bit more greedy model, but it gives more freedom and choice (and, in fact, possibility to spend less money in some cases) to those who buy these items.

So while your idea potentinally could work in ideal circumstances, it won't be that good in reality.

Yes and again, I generally agree what you're saying. As a player who gives feedback though I don't like this model.

Beside the sub cost argument, consider that Cash Shop may or may not drive players away from the game and stunt its player growth (I've seen FFXIV Cash Shop as argument against playing this game on other forums), the amount of players that are driven away would perhaps cost FFXIV more than current Cash Shop sales in terms of profit.

However there's no obvious indication Cash Shop is driving that many players away so it's not unreasonable to disregard this argument. I wouldn't say it's a meaningless argument though and I'm sure SE considers that (it's the reason there are no P2W items in Cash Shop).