$35, really SE?

[Boa-Noah]

I feel like a lot of people do not understand the cost of a subscription and what it goes towards, in a lot of these threads you see people complain that they pay a sub and still have to pay for store stuff... the sub covers the costs for you to play the game, the upkeep of the game, maintenance and server fees, and development for upcoming content. Optional content is pretty much entirely funded by the cash shop and the cash shop in turn further funds development because it goes directly to the developers and not SE, mainly because SE takes the sub money and just tosses it in a giant pile that keeps SE running, by extension this covers FFXIV but it sure as hell ain't paying overtime so you can have a chariot or a recolored mount or a tiny hat. Fantasia costs money not because re-editing your character is drain on the servers, it costs money because the dev team NEEDS money, in an ideal world fantasia would just be a feature of the game and not an item in the store, but this ain't an ideal world... it's a world where money keeps those gears turning and underpaid employees are milked for every ounce of motivation.

It's perfectly fine to be upset about a price SE might set on this stuff, it's perfectly fine to be upset if they locked dyes or something to the online store, it's perfectly fine to be upset if the next relic step required a mogstation purchase.

But to expect that your sub should cover any and all game related costs is just silly, is there ANY sub game that doesn't have an optional cash shop? World of Warcraft is making metric assloads of money hand over fist and their development time is really quick considering how their engine is optimized and they have a massive staff working on it, even they have a cash shop where you can buy mounts and glamor items, the single best selling MMO of all time has an optional cash shop and a sub fee. They're making nearly a billion dollars a year in nothing but sub fees and it's not enough that all content is free in game, there is just no way this unrealistic ideal can ever happen, to further show how powerful a cash shop is you can play games that survive SOLELY on cash shop sales, they're a key component to pretty much every MMO that exists on the market.

Whenever I see someone comment something like: "15$ for a dress in a game I already pay sub for" I die a little inside...

[Juicymama]

I feel like a lot of people do not understand the cost of a subscription and what it goes towards, in a lot of these threads you see people complain that they pay a sub and still have to pay for store stuff... the sub covers the costs for you to play the game, the upkeep of the game, maintenance and server fees, and development for upcoming content. Optional content is pretty much entirely funded by the cash shop and the cash shop in turn further funds development because it goes directly to the developers and not SE, mainly because SE takes the sub money and just tosses it in a giant pile that keeps SE running, by extension this covers FFXIV but it sure as hell ain't paying overtime so you can have a chariot or a recolored mount or a tiny hat. Fantasia costs money not because re-editing your character is drain on the servers, it costs money because the dev team NEEDS money, in an ideal world fantasia would just be a feature of the game and not an item in the store, but this ain't an ideal world... it's a world where money keeps those gears turning and underpaid employees are milked for every ounce of motivation.

It's perfectly fine to be upset about a price SE might set on this stuff, it's perfectly fine to be upset if they locked dyes or something to the online store, it's perfectly fine to be upset if the next relic step required a mogstation purchase.

But to expect that your sub should cover any and all game related costs is just silly, is there ANY sub game that doesn't have an optional cash shop? World of Warcraft is making metric assloads of money hand over fist and their development time is really quick considering how their engine is optimized and they have a massive staff working on it, even they have a cash shop where you can buy mounts and glamor items, the single best selling MMO of all time has an optional cash shop and a sub fee. They're making nearly a billion dollars a year in nothing but sub fees and it's not enough that all content is free in game, there is just no way this unrealistic ideal can ever happen, to further show how powerful a cash shop is you can play games that survive SOLELY on cash shop sales, they're a key component to pretty much every MMO that exists on the market.

Whenever I see someone comment something like: "15$ for a dress in a game I already pay sub for" I die a little inside...

Well said, thank you sir.
Take my upvote.

[Jandor]

Some of you guys need to dial it back a tad, you're not the second coming of Jesus Christ just because you splashed out £30 on the mogshop.

You bought what bought for yourself, you bought it because you wanted it. You didn't buy it to save the game, you didn't buy it as some kind of favour to us smelly poors, and you didn't buy it because the servers would shut down otherwise. Don't go parking your literal whales ass right in my face and getting upset that I don't wanna kiss it.

I mean, call me an untrusting soul if you like, but given the game was hugely profitable back when it had far fewer subscribers and no cash shop I somehow doubt the steady rise in popularity over the intervening years has left them in a massive financial black hole that they NEED cash shop sales to plug. They want the extra money, and you want the extra products, why pretend it's anything other than what it is?

[JohnSpawnVFX]

Some of you guys need to dial it back a tad, you're not the second coming of Jesus Christ just because you splashed out £30 on the mogshop.

You bought what bought for yourself, you bought it because you wanted it. You didn't buy it to save the game, you didn't buy it as some kind of favour to us smelly poors, and you didn't buy it because the servers would shut down otherwise. Don't go parking your literal whales ass right in my face and getting upset that I don't wanna kiss it.

I mean, call me an untrusting soul if you like, but given the game was hugely profitable back when it had far fewer subscribers and no cash shop I somehow doubt the steady rise in popularity over the intervening years has left them in a massive financial black hole that they NEED cash shop sales to plug. They want the extra money, and you want the extra products, why pretend it's anything other than what it is?

Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the shouts of people policing where I can spend or not my hard earned money. Can you repeat again?

Because it sounds those are the ones who need to dial it back a bit. Don't want the mount? Don't get it. Back tf off from berating others who got it.

[Jandor]

Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the shouts of people policing where I can spend or not my hard earned money.

I know, shocking isn't it. Not at all what I was expecting from a thread titled '$35, really SE?'.

[Zukkii]

I feel like a lot of people do not understand the cost of a subscription and what it goes towards, in a lot of these threads you see people complain that they pay a sub and still have to pay for store stuff... the sub covers the costs for you to play the game, the upkeep of the game, maintenance and server fees, and development for upcoming content. Optional content is pretty much entirely funded by the cash shop and the cash shop in turn further funds development because it goes directly to the developers and not SE, mainly because SE takes the sub money and just tosses it in a giant pile that keeps SE running, by extension this covers FFXIV but it sure as hell ain't paying overtime so you can have a chariot or a recolored mount or a tiny hat. Fantasia costs money not because re-editing your character is drain on the servers, it costs money because the dev team NEEDS money, in an ideal world fantasia would just be a feature of the game and not an item in the store, but this ain't an ideal world... it's a world where money keeps those gears turning and underpaid employees are milked for every ounce of motivation.

It's perfectly fine to be upset about a price SE might set on this stuff, it's perfectly fine to be upset if they locked dyes or something to the online store, it's perfectly fine to be upset if the next relic step required a mogstation purchase.

But to expect that your sub should cover any and all game related costs is just silly, is there ANY sub game that doesn't have an optional cash shop? World of Warcraft is making metric assloads of money hand over fist and their development time is really quick considering how their engine is optimized and they have a massive staff working on it, even they have a cash shop where you can buy mounts and glamor items, the single best selling MMO of all time has an optional cash shop and a sub fee. They're making nearly a billion dollars a year in nothing but sub fees and it's not enough that all content is free in game, there is just no way this unrealistic ideal can ever happen, to further show how powerful a cash shop is you can play games that survive SOLELY on cash shop sales, they're a key component to pretty much every MMO that exists on the market.

Whenever I see someone comment something like: "15$ for a dress in a game I already pay sub for" I die a little inside...

Why are you comparing a F2P game with a subscription based MMO?

F2P games need that cash shop to survive. A sub based MMO doesn't. Square Enix keeps making more and more money from subs each year, so I doubt they actually need the cashshop to break even.

Where did you hear that WoW has free content? Requiring you to pay sub so you can play is not free, it's still paid...

The argument is that 36 dollars for a mount that does little to nothing extra compared to literally ANY OTHER MOUNT, is too steep. And there is a reason why microtransactions are called microtranscations. There is nothing micro about an MTX 4 dollars short of an expansion pack.

[linayar]

The argument is that 36 dollars for a mount that does little to nothing extra compared to literally ANY OTHER MOUNT, is too steep.

That argument is irrelevant because it's up to individual player to decide that. If it's too steep, then the answer is not to buy. If not enough people buy it, then SE will have to reconsider its pricing. But if there is enough people who buy it, then it's not too steep. The market decides the prices.

And there is a reason why microtransactions are called microtranscations. There is nothing micro about an MTX 4 dollars short of an expansion pack.

This is not a microtransaction. It's an online store.

[Zukkii]

You're right. I was wrong. I shall no longer asks questions or voice my opinion.

I shall just consume product and get excited for next product.

[linayar]

I shall no longer asks questions or voice my opinion.

You can still do that by not buying the mount. That tells SE loud and clear that the item they're selling is not worth it for you for the price they're asking. Just don't think that's how others should feel as well.

You're not making any argument here. You just have an opinion, and it's been clearly given. SE will take all the opinions it's received (just like with the Firmament titles) and act accordingly.

[MsMisato]

You're right. I was wrong. I shall no longer asks questions or voice my opinion.

I shall just consume product and get excited for next product.

This is way it should be. Thanks for your patronage.

Signed,

SE