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[kswiston]

lol. i'll never understand why these companies love to just throw money in the garbage and think its called investing. if anyone thinks the Elder Scrolls MMO is going to do well, well...your delusional. itll have a modest launch and be free to play in 6 months, then spiral and crash and burn another 6 months after that.

Around the time that this was announced, WoW was bringing in close to $100M in subs (even counting reduced sub costs in Asia) every month. A lot of companies tried to cash in on that. No one even came close to sniffing WoW numbers.

 

[Joco]

Yikes. I already had a feeling this wouldn't meet expectations, and with this insane budget the ESO looks like a top candidate for bomb of the year already. Just goes to show how out of touch some of these top executives actually are with the industry.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

 

[kswiston]

All that Skyrim money squandered :'(.... home some hotshot exec doesn't conclude "ES franchise doesn't make us money... lets ax it!"

A lot of this cash was sunk before Skyrim even launched.

 

[DagnastyEp]

Dang that's a lot of money. Is anyone even excited for this, or considering buying it?

I think it will be interesting to see how sales pan out, especially the breakdown of the platforms.

 

[block tower]

Around the time that this was announced, WoW was bringing in close to $100M in subs (even counting reduced sub costs in Asia) every month. A lot of companies tried to cash in on that. No one even came close to sniffing WoW numbers.

ah, i see, the executives at Bethesda/Zenimax had the me too syndrome set in, and let about 7 years pass without pulling the plug on this future flop. these people should be fortune tellers if theyre really that confident in ESO's sales after seeing EA's TOR flopping haha.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

You mean like The Old Republic, Dragon Quest X, Final Fantasy XIV, Warhammer 40k, DC Universe Online, APB, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Star Trek Online, Marvel Heroes and Lord of the Rings Online?

Not one of these tittles have sold over 10 million copies. The Elder Scroll does. The Elder Scroll name hold much more weight than all of these tittles that you named. PC gamers will eat it up. Console gamers will also add a good chunk of the player base.

 

[GillianSeed79]

I'm curious to see what's going to happen with this being on consoles too. I still think it will be F2P within a year, but I wonder if it will be more successful because of the fact that we are seeing MMO's on consoles now. I'm willing to bet there will be Skyrim fans that pick it up, but I just don't see how the monthly sub thing is going to work in this day and age. I could see them at least breaking even. If EA survived the Tortanic, then Bethesda might be able to survive ESO, although the Elder Scrolls brand by no means has the widespread of appeal of the Star Wars brand, which in the end, couldn't even save SWToR.

 

[Higgins113]

It's too big to fail you guys!

 

[Creaking]

Yikes. What a waste of money.

 

[DarkFlow]

NUMBERS

If they sell 7million (skyrim sold 10 in the first month) units with $45 revenue (consumer paying 60) a pop, they will have made a $115 million profit.

Month two, they make $105 million with no additional work, just on subs.

That's enough.

So it needs to do Wow numbers out the gate. Good luck with that.

 

[Vlodril]

This is going to flop pretty hard. It has abysmal word of mouth. Can it damage the company? Who knows.

If they can take the hit they shouldn't associate the brand with it because it may damage it.

If they can't may as well as go all out.

 

[Schweinehund]

I always wonder why companies make mmo's when the risk vs reward is absurd.

 

[GoofsterStud]

Hmmm...on WOW people don't even talk about this game and when they do its never positive. The wow market seems more hyped for Wildstar? and awaiting more details on Everquest Next.

Even Star Wars was hyped like crazy. This has flop of the year written all over it.

 

[cuyahoga]

Right, but their LinkedIn is now up to 437 people, suggesting that they've averaged a pretty decent size given they started really gearing up a few years ago.

They're stilling hiring a ton of people as well: http://jobs.zenimax.com/locations/view/7 and http://jobs.zenimax.com/locations/view/46

Wow, I assume a good chunk of that is CS people, but the core team is probably twice the size of the dev team for Bethesda's Fallout or Elder Scrolls games, which I heard top out around 125.

 

[dolemite]

NUMBERS

If they sell 7million (skyrim sold 10 in the first month) units with $45 revenue (consumer paying 60) a pop, they will have made a $115 million profit.

Month two, they make $105 million with no additional work, just on subs.

That's enough.

Lets hope the company did more research than something like this.

 

[mattiewheels]

That's the fatal flaw of MMO development, it takes so long to make them that once you realize you're headed into an iceberg it's too late to steer the ship away, they're just preparing to hit it the best way they can.

 

[thekonamicode]

Also keep in mind, they still need to market the game. Ads aren't free.

 

[DarkFlow]

Not one of these tittles have sold over 10 million copies. The Elder Scroll does. The Elder Scroll name hold much more weight than all of these tittles that you named. PC gamers will eat it up. Console gamers will also add a good chunk of the player base.

So you're saying Elder Scrolls is a bigger name then Star Wars and Star Trek... Okay then.
Also there are a grand total of 9 PC games EVER that have sold more then 10 million.

 

[Dysun]

Beta was a complete disaster. I feel for those who will blindly pick this up off the name Elder Scrolls

 

[Clarkus Darkus]

Well i can safely say i wont be participating in TESO, £40 a pop,£7 monthly....no resale value i dont think = no thanks!

I'll wait for the proper Elder Scrolls im used too.

 

[Crawl]

Paging John Riciotello.

 

[JLeack]

Prepare to lose a lot of money.

I've seen games like this try and fail so many times.

 

[SneakyStephan]

I always wonder why companies make mmo's when the risk vs reward is absurd.

Because their greedy little heads are filled with a million voices wailing ME TOO, ME TOO, ME TOO 24 hours a day, even in their sleep

 

[Lunar15]

Well, good luck with that then.

I'd really like to see a chart or graph with all of the major MMO's released since WoW and their profit margins laid out. I'd be interesting to see which ones made money and which ones did not.

 

[Atruvius]

This game should be more like regular Elder Scrolls games but just with online. Be this huge player affected ultra detailed world, be it's own little universe kind of like Eve Online.

This game is going to fail so bad.

 

[Black Door]

.

 

[SlipperySlope]

200million mmo on the hero engine.

what can go wrong?

Oh I forgot it's Bethesda. An MMO on a buggy engine? Recipe for disaster...

 

[Intheflorsh]

Ha ha, Fallout 4 confirmed.

 

[nailbombxx]

Can someone clearly outline all of the problems with the game, at least from what was shown?

 

[Scum]

I fear for Bethesda and all those involved.

 

[Aaron]

Can someone clearly outline all of the problems with the game, at least from what was shown?

1. It's very ugly.
2. It plays poorly.
3. It's an MMO with a monthly fee.

 

[Intheflorsh]

3. It's an MMO with a monthly fee.

Only for six months until they overhaul it as a F2P game as a ditch effort to recoup their losses. I honestly thought Bethesda was smarter than this...

 

[Apollo Cree]

I got invited to the beta and skipped it due to the poor reviews.

Does anyone know the profitability of guildwars 2? It's a f2p mmo that I spend a decent amount of time in. This thread just makes it sound like any new mmo flops.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

The temptation of that steady subscription revenue stream is to great for some to pass up. KOTOR had a better chance at succeeding than this thing does.

 

[BibiMaghoo]

NUMBERS

If they sell 7million (skyrim sold 10 in the first month) units with $45 revenue (consumer paying 60) a pop, they will have made a $115 million profit.

Month two, they make $105 million with no additional work, just on subs.

That's enough.

There is no way, on this earth, that they will shift 7 million copies of this game. A game that requires an online sub, is entering a market dominated by WoW, and a market that is notorious for costing people serious money in wastage. They have no experience in this market either, to my knowledge.

It will be a disaster. I will be genuinely surprised if they sell 1 million in the first ten months, let alone 7. Free to play and this could have been massive for them, even littered with MT's. This is doomed to fail.

 

[Cato the Censor]

Is the MMORPG market even suitable for this sort of thing anymore? Genuine question.

Depends on which one you mean. The one that existed in the money-flavored dreams of executives five years ago? Perhaps. The MMO market today? Nah.

NUMBERS

If they sell 7million (skyrim sold 10 in the first month) units with $45 revenue (consumer paying 60) a pop, they will have made a $115 million profit.

Month two, they make $105 million with no additional work, just on subs.

That's enough.

Now all they need is 7 million people hot for a new MMO that is not WOW, has a box cost AND a full subscription cost. Comparing that to Skyrim is dinsgn... dising.... disengen... bah, you know what i mean. English, how does it work.

Not a big deal. The game'll do well, because it looks great, and I see this because I'm not a bandwagoning asshole.

It looks nothing like WoW, and the animations are incredible for an MMORPG.

Do you guys just get hard ons from making fun of P2P MMO's?

You saw through our "haha p2p MMO" agenda. Curse you!

People are calling it a bomb already? It´s an Elder Scroll game. It will make its budget and then some.

Ever heard of Redguard?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Jesus Christ... what did they spend it on? The quality is just so insanely bad. At least SWTOR felt like a polished product with tons of high-quality voice acting.

 

[leadbelly]

Not one of these tittles have sold over 10 million copies. The Elder Scroll does. The Elder Scroll name hold much more weight than all of these tittles that you named. PC gamers will eat it up. Console gamers will also add a good chunk of the player base.

That's not guaranteed at all. You're assuming that the people that like the Elder Scrolls series are also into subscription based MMOs. For a large percentage of the fanbase, that might not be what they're after.

And even if a good number of them are, they may well be so invested in other MMOs that they would need some serious convincing before they decide to migrate over to The Elder Scrolls Online.

 

[bengraven]

I felt bad for them the day it was announced.

I should have been there to save them all this money.

Sadly, as both a longtime MMO player and TES fan, I am with you on your first sentence.

They should have done something a little more creative and low key.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

NUMBERS

If they sell 7million (skyrim sold 10 in the first month) units with $45 revenue (consumer paying 60) a pop, they will have made a $115 million profit.

Month two, they make $105 million with no additional work, just on subs.

That's enough.

Holy shit... get the hell out of town, dude.

You are assuming they're going to retain every one of those imaginary seven million purchasers? You're flat out nuts. This game is so bad that it will be a miracle if they maintain even 10% of their initial purchasers into the second month. I imagine most will be people who just forgot to cancel.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

So you're saying Elder Scrolls is a bigger name then Star Wars and Star Trek... Okay then.
Also there are a grand total of 9 PC games EVER that have sold more then 10 million.

Of course. Elder Scroll is much bigger name in the gaming world. Oh yeah forgot about consoles, right?

Ever heard of Redguard?

No, and this has nothing to do with TES series.

 

[I-hate-u]

Yeah it will fail but its okay, Fallout 4 and Elder Scrolls 6 will soften the blow to them.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Of course. Elder Scroll is much bigger name in the gaming world. Oh yeah forgot about consoles, right?


No, and this has nothing to do with TES series.

You put way too much stock in brand.

Skyrim only got to where it is because of how hyped up it was by gamers and the gaming press. It turned out to be a very enjoyable game for most people, which further helped spread word of mouth.

This game is awful. It has no hype, and just about anyone who plays it will run away screaming within the first couple of hours and tell their friends to stay the fuck away. They may manage to trick a couple million into buying the box at launch, but you're crazy if you think it will even come close to approaching Skyrim numbers.

 

[Axial]

So much money... I wonder what it could mean for Beth/Zeni if this game bombs, would the potential financial loss have an impact on current and future projects?

.

Unlike the Titanic, the Lusitania did not strike an iceberg, she was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

 

[Rex Griswold]

So much money... I wonder what it could mean for Beth/Zeni if this game bombs, would the potential financial loss have an impact on current and future projects?

Unlike the Titanic, the Lusitania did not strike an iceberg, she was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

Torpedoes come in the form an Elder Scrolls game that isn't intended for Elder Scrolls fans.

This has TOR written all over it though. Minus the hype. And fucking hideous visuals.

 

[BrokenEchelon]

NUMBERS

If they sell 7million (skyrim sold 10 in the first month) units with $45 revenue (consumer paying 60) a pop, they will have made a $115 million profit.

Month two, they make $105 million with no additional work, just on subs.

That's enough.

First month is free. I never subbed to SWTOR after my first month / massive disappointment.

 

[waggabond]

Everyone who decided to chase that WoW money in 2006-2008 is in the process of being burned now that their 4-6 year MMO development times are completed, and the products are releasing to a changed market.

This, although I sincerely hope ESO won't suffer the same fate.

 

[Red Liquorice]

I'vemadeahugemistake.gif

I have zero hype for this game, and nothing I've seen of it has done anything to change that. I just hope working on this thing hasn't slowed down work on the next Fallout or real Elder Scrolls game.

 

[Cato the Censor]

Of course. Elder Scroll is much bigger name in the gaming world. Oh yeah forgot about consoles, right?


No, and this has nothing to do with TES series.

It hasn't? Well, it seems that big flops are easy to forget. I hope we can be as adept at forgetting TESOnline as we were at forgetting Redguard.

I am very good at forgetting Battlespire, let me tell you.

But those are not "real" TES series entries, right? Just like TESOnline.