Free 2 Play still being considered?

[ssppiikkeeyy]

There's nothing wrong with kids playing, I know a kickass RDM that was only 14 years old back in Siren server.

u were on serin to woot

[Zenaku]

if FFXIV goes f2p and it have cash shop and stuff i don't know what i'll play o.o i may quit MMO all together ffxiv is pretty much my last hope for a good MMO. everything else is a wow-clone with no story at all just quest,dungeon,pvp -.-

[Tricksy]

F2P and Cash Shop- No Thanks!

[TheVedis]

So...you agree with me? >.>

EDIT: I already realize that "f2p" doesn't mean actually "free." I was trying to say a cash shop would inevitably hurt the game, despite the potential to increase sales and bring in more players.

cash shops DO NOT hurt games, EVERY game has them, even p2p games(those who claim they dont are fooling themselves)

the problem with them is that you gotta do it right based on the model you are using

with f2p games, anything goes
with p2p games it has to be 100% cosmetic and not game affecting(asthetic gear with no stats purely to look different, or mounts which do nothing special, pets, name changes, server change tokens etc etc)

and before the RPists chime in that it ruins their gameplay to have stuff cost money they may want, your roleplaying isnt real gameplay, you can do it without special gear that may or may not become available or without that special mount you want to show off that everyone else has to buy to get too, game play = actualy content in game thats used for game mechanics themselves! your damn chat isnt gameplay(had to add this because they always chime in and whine about how its unfair to their gameplay)

[Asiaine]

Yes,

What we ened are more dedicated worlds:

F2P World -- Free to play designated world for people who like that model and can redeem money for gil (therefore bypass RTM).
WoW World -- For people who like how WoW is played and want everything to be the same but with FFXIV skins.
Elite World -- For people who think they are better than everyone else and want to not be with the 'newbies'.
DF World -- The Drama Free world for people who just want to play and have fun with other people.


You'll find me on a DF World, hiding in a corner, crafting cookiees for friends.


Thank you.

[Arel203]

They don't have much of a choice if they don't get subscription numbers up.

Come 2.0 release, they have to map out a realistic business model. If the game doesn't sell significantly, they need to decide to;

A: Introduce a cash shop that is aggressive enough to substain profit while maintaining P2P service.

B: Go F2P, attract a TON of players, and rely on an aggressive cash shop to bring in profit (This almost ALWAYS works, but it can also lead to the game tanking fast, and hard, as a poorly developed cash shop that is too limiting, will cause the game to become 100% loss)

Or C: Attract enough sales across all platforms and maintain enough subscriptions with minimal development cost to map out a profit to break even and more, within a few years.

At this point, they've lost millions. And SE as a company wasn't doing that well even before this. But this has hurt them more then anything before, they're lossing a lot of money every day in this game.

And E3 coming up can hurt them even more, not showing the game, and not providing interest, will just cause it to be a sleeper release and it'll die fast.

Or, hyping it too much, will get people to rush out and buy it, they'll see the game in its current state, likely hate most aspects of it as with launch, and they'll lose that playerbase for good. First impressions for MMOs are everything. SE has a lot of brand loyalty, and there's a huge market for an MMO in the console industry, but only being on the PS3 isn't going to help them much. The PS3 is not that strong in software sales, and the want for an MMO on PS3 alone is not a proven market. Because the PS3 was initially more of an entertainment system, a lot of the owners are enthusiasts that own PCs already.

Granted, a lot of speculation. But the simple fact is; the playerbase needs to realize that like any company, SE needs to make money, if this game doesn't turn around fast with 2.0, they need to make a decision quickly, and effectively. F2P models have proven to be succesful more so then any other business model when done right. Look at games like GW, Lineage 2, GA, AION EU, the playerbase and profit margian for these games has doubled and tripled in just months of being switched.

But, the key always comes down to what the major playerbase will want. This is going to be all about marketing. FF has never really attracted the younger playerbase in the US, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Most of us from XI played it because of the somewhat mature nature of the community. Part of what made it popular was the mentality, it favored lore, real RPG elements, and visual effect over "omg let's kill stuff".

All in all, like all of you i'm hoping SE pulls out all the stops. But as a consumer we need to realize their position, and respect what's best for them as a company, because it's either that, or let the game die. With the digital and physical distribution cost for the re-release, there's not a lot of room for error.

[buritoslicer]

Yes,

What we ened are more dedicated worlds:

F2P World -- Free to play designated world for people who like that model and can redeem money for gil (therefore bypass RTM).
WoW World -- For people who like how WoW is played and want everything to be the same but with FFXIV skins.
Elite World -- For people who think they are better than everyone else and want to not be with the 'newbies'.
DF World -- The Drama Free world for people who just want to play and have fun with other people.


You'll find me on a DF World, hiding in a corner, crafting cookiees for friends.


Thank you.

Sounds like your trying to please everyone.

Doesn't really work that way. sorry.

[Zenaku]

Yes,

What we ened are more dedicated worlds:

F2P World -- Free to play designated world for people who like that model and can redeem money for gil (therefore bypass RTM).
WoW World -- For people who like how WoW is played and want everything to be the same but with FFXIV skins.
Elite World -- For people who think they are better than everyone else and want to not be with the 'newbies'.
DF World -- The Drama Free world for people who just want to play and have fun with other people.


You'll find me on a DF World, hiding in a corner, crafting cookiees for friends.


Thank you.

Forgot FFXI world

[Alhanelem]

F2p doesn't necessarily mean no subscription. There are MMOs that went free to play but kept the subscription as an option which gives you full access to everything and a monthly bonus of game points on top of that.

[Gramul]

Yes,

What we ened are more dedicated worlds:

F2P World -- Free to play designated world for people who like that model and can redeem money for gil (therefore bypass RTM).
WoW World -- For people who like how WoW is played and want everything to be the same but with FFXIV skins.
Elite World -- For people who think they are better than everyone else and want to not be with the 'newbies'.
DF World -- The Drama Free world for people who just want to play and have fun with other people.


You'll find me on a DF World, hiding in a corner, crafting cookiees for friends.


Thank you.

You would find everyone in the DF world...And that's when the drama would begin...