Why can't Dungeons be longer/harder, but more... piecework?

[Barraind]

the fact is that the casual gamers have always paid the bills for MMOs while the "hardcore" reap the reward

That depends on which of the numerous axis' you're choosing to define hardcore on at any given time.

Theres multiple games which only have a "hardcore" base, and theres several who make more money off a hardcore base than the "casual" base.

The freemium model of games, MMO's included, is overly dependent on the whale spenders to stay alive, and theres entire sections of the industry dedicated to the psychological manipulation of the reward cycle to promote that spending.


I've worked with publishers that make clash of clans style games with different skins and korean-style MMO's. The top .2% of spenders spend more than the entire "casual" base combined, per month.