Quote Originally Posted by Brainles View Post
Server costs are not a fraction, having to look at them for my current company, they are a hefty cost, especially when attempting to procure them overseas. They are also not easy to repurpose, unless you have other projects or companies willing to purchase at a much reduced rate. Specifically dedicated servers (which is what they run).

And yes those other costs all factor in, it is why companies layoff employees, shut down departments, etc. Unless a company wants to go under they are continuously weighing cost vs service.

Yoshi said as much when he discussed F2P vs subscriptions.

All I was offering is a different perspective for anyone that is willing to view things from the other side.
Hardware isn't that costly compared to development. Besides, their server infrastructure is likely virtualized which saves boatloads of money and is far more reliable. I'm not downplaying the cost of getting this game off the ground, but I don't think infrastructure is the bulk of the ballast.

All in all, given the history of this game and, frankly, the franchise lately, a lot is at stake with this launch. I have no idea what the problem is but it probably isn't as simple as server load. It's just easier for most people to digest.