Please stop simplifying and homogenizing the game. Please.

[Xirean]

Give it a week and it'll go right back down. That's a whole separate issue with this games content and it's retention rate.

I'm confused as to how this is a problem. People play when they want to and stop when they don't. Is the game supposed to capture them or something?

[LittleImp]

I'm confused as to how this is a problem. People play when they want to and stop when they don't. Is the game supposed to capture them or something?

The game uses a monthly subscription model to make money, so it's within their interests to try to keep players around. Their continued success is closely tied to their ability to retain players.

With their current 4 month patch cycle, players are potentially spending around $48-60 usd per major patch if they remain subscribed between.

[Xirean]

The game uses a monthly subscription model to make money, so it's within their interests to try to keep players around. Their continued success is closely tied to their ability to retain players.

With their current 4 month patch cycle, players are potentially spending around $48-60 usd per major patch if they remain subscribed between.

And yet the director of the game flat out stated that he doesn't mind if people don't play all the time. He wants people to play multiple games.

[LittleImp]

And yet the director of the game flat out stated that he doesn't mind if people don't play all the time. He wants people to play multiple games.

Ah yes, Yoshida who has said things like "We will never force you to stay subbed for housing", "We're planning to add more egi glamours", or "Hrothgar and Viera will get additional race specific hairstyles over time". His entire job revolves around trying to create positive optics for this game, which in many cases is completely divorced from reality. Clearly people swallow it whole with how often this nonsensical talking-point gets parroted.

Ahh. The crippling truth.

It's only really true because the developers don't seem to care; The forums are absolutely promoted as one of the primary places to give the developers direct feedback, by the development team itself. It ends up being nonsensical to shutdown people sharing feedback here in the hopes that the forums will fulfill their intended purpose.

[Xirean]

Ah yes, Yoshida who has said things like "We will never force you to stay subbed for housing", "We're planning to add more egi glamours", or "Hrothgar and Viera will get additional race specific hairstyles over time". His entire job revolves around trying to create positive optics for this game, which in many cases is completely divorced from reality. Clearly people swallow it whole with how often this nonsensical talking-point gets parroted.

Do you think my bringing up his stated opinion on people subbing and unsubbing is defending those other points? Cause it's not. I just really don't see an issue with fluctuating game populations.

[LittleImp]

Do you think my bringing up his stated opinion on people subbing and unsubbing is defending those other points? Cause it's not. I just really don't see an issue with fluctuating game populations.

No, I'm pointing out that things Yoshida say tend to reflect very little about the reality of running a game as a business. He says things about player retention not mattering because his competition in the genre are publicly known for being too heavy-handed in their attempts at creating retention systems, not because players taking breaks is a genuine objective of SE as a business. He wants to create the perception among potential and current customers that this game retains players organically, and is going so far as to publicly pretend it isn't a major internal objective.

It is absolutely not within this games interest as a business to have a decreasing retention rate. A game that makes 12-15 usd per person that is subscribed makes less money when there are less people subscribed. Regardless of what Yoshida tries to say, this game absolutely aims to hold onto as many players as possible. Housing demo, loot lockouts, tomestone caps, long relic grinds, expert delivery, etc.

[Xirean]

No, I'm pointing out that things Yoshida say tend to reflect very little about the reality of running a game as a business. He says things about player retention not mattering because his competition in the genre are publicly known for being too heavy-handed in their attempts at creating retention systems, not because players taking breaks is a genuine objective of SE as a business. He wants to create the perception among potential and current customers that this game retains players organically, and is going so far as to publicly pretend it isn't a major internal objective.

It is absolutely not within this games interest as a business to have a decreasing retention rate. A game that makes 12-15 usd per person that is subscribed makes less money when there are less people subscribed. Regardless of what Yoshida tries to say, this game absolutely aims to hold onto as many players as possible. Housing demo, loot lockouts, tomestone caps, long relic grinds, expert delivery, etc.

Why exactly do you care so much about what this game does as a business? I don't care if that statement he made is genuine or not. It's a statement I agree with. I don't want a game that expects me to log in literally every day. I don't care for those kinds of systems and I don't understand why it's a problem that people sub when content comes out then unsub when they are done. You're making this sound like it matters more than it should.

[IdowhatIwant]

And yet the director of the game flat out stated that he doesn't mind if people don't play all the time. He wants people to play multiple games.

That's not really healthy for a MMO when it relies on active players for people to complete content.