Lifetime Subscription

[Starlord]

An apology is not owed just because it's demanded.

Common courtesy

Only, that's not what it is. And ALL companies benefit from large quantities of money dropped on them all at one time. No matter their solidity. Even more so publicly traded companies, as income attracts investment.

It's how I feel the term Lifetime Subs is to me. Opinions are wonderful .

[Abriael]

It's how I feel the term Lifetime Subs is to me. Opinions are wonderful .

Only when they're based on something.

[Kallivis]

It's how I feel the term Lifetime Subs is to me. Opinions are wonderful .

Two consumers purchase "lifetime subs" at $300 each. The total comes to $600. Square Enix now has $600 in revenue.

Standard option - $15/m

Month 1) $30 2) $60 3) $90 4) $120 5) $150 6) $180 7) $210 8) $240 9) $270 10) $300 ... ... ... 20) $600

1 year 8 months worth of subscription fees. It would of taken Square Enix 1 year and 8 months to collect the revenue matching those two lifetime subs. Square Enix can't even guarantee those two players will stick around that long. The likelihood those two players would of quit for any amount of time in between that is over 60%.

When someone has a lifetime membership to something they don't feel inclined to use it all the time, so they are more likely to take breaks from the game.

Furthermore, the average consumer is far more likely to leave the game early. Hardcore players that stick with a game for every single month of its life are few. Go look up statistics for any MMO.

In addition, Square Enix isn't creating furniture or selling food. To create furniture, you must purchase materials to build furniture with, so you have to at least break even on your materials cost. For food, all the ingredients and condiments associated with it along with packaging cost money. Square Enix is selling access/data. The only money directly lost is how much data that consumer is using (therefore the more often they play the more money they lose). Since lifetime subs are more likely to play the game less, and Square Enix already has a huge chunk of change from them, they are actually making more money.

It is going to be a VERY rare case that a lifetime sub will play every single month for 10 years. Even if that happens, Square Enix won't be losing that much money considering how many people would of bought subs and how many active subscribers they already have. Those very active consumers would probably be a positive force in the community and be assisting in maintaining an in-game economy and making other people stick around longer.