I H8 Memes
Member
What were the sales numbers like for SSX? That thread seemed to die off pretty quickly. Usually not a good sign for any major games performance.
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Rumor: EA to layoff 500-1000 people [EA: We're hiring 100's, headcount up this year]
- Thread starter Wario64
- Start date
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
There is no decline in the monthly fee MMO business model. There's just been an increase in the F2P market. There's still a sizable amount of people willing to pay a monthly fee for a good MMORPG.
In my opinion, SWTOR was a shitty game. It tried to be both a single player RPG while hamfisting in MMORPG elements that made it a very bad game in both areas. Oh sure, it's polished and has plenty of production values, but it's not much fun to play. It plays it safe in all areas and takes no risks or attempt to advance or improve upon the MMORPG genre. It's just boring.
mclaren777
Member
I still don't understand why EA isn't doing better financially.
I think it's been the best publisher of this console generation but it doesn't seem to be reaping the rewards of its stellar software lineup.
I think it's been the best publisher of this console generation but it doesn't seem to be reaping the rewards of its stellar software lineup.
I'll admit I never even tried it because it looked like a bog standard dikumud game with a star Wars skin mashed up with standard Bioware single player. I wanted something different mechanically.
EA's games of the past few years have actually gotten better, but they push so many anti consumer practices its insane. The push for preorder bonuses, day 1 DLC, and generally not giving developers enough time is ridiculous. Also, Origin is utter horseshit. Hopefully those who lose their jobs will move onto greener pastures.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
At what point do we accept the fact that the industry, at least as is, is dying? Someone post that list of studios that have closed this generation so I can let the full on depression set in.
I see no evidence of it dying. I just see alot of companies heading in the wrong direction.
Because a company is laying off workers, the industry is dying? By that standard, every industry is dying. These things happen during the economical times we are in right now.
the industry isn't dying, but the studios which are focused on AAA console projects certainly do.
but it's only a niche.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
Just seems like every week there are layoffs or closings. This is what I was refering to:
Thread.
That is a crazy fucking list.
I feel like that is a major part of the problem, these companies seem to bet it all on one game and if that doesn't catch the world on fire, it's layoffs and closures time.
boiled goose
good with gravy
We want powerful consoles and AAAA games that sell only to us!
No matter what it takes.
No matter what it takes.
Hehe, quite weird to read AAA being called niche.
Yeah. The number of new developers out there in other parts of the industry probably at least balance out the number of console devs who have shut. Gaming is changing...painful so in some cases. The transformation of the PC industry is an example of this.
but it is in the current climate with tons of different business models on PCs and mobiles which are more profitable than AAA and have a bigger userbase.
Fixed.
This business model isn't sustainable. That list Hero of the Day posted is just depressing.
As i said heading in the wrong direction.
All those companies had reasons for closing. Some for making shitty to mediocre games (biggest reason), for signing a contract with the devil, poor management and some for taking risks in the MMO business.
I don't really see why that list is shocking. How many studios have opened up since 2006? A ton more.
Oh I agree. It was a bit weird because AAA development is focused on mass market but the development itself is niche.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
Greed and stupidity.
I agree with this entirely.
Sentenza
Member
Mysteries of the mainstream market.
Arenanet has proven twice over you don't need subscription fees to have a content rich MMO. I never once bought the excuse 'They do it for server costs and content patches'
funkystudent
Member
Yeah I think the next gen is going to be very interesting.
Development costs for AAA games are already out of line. I dont think anyone is ready to see there dev costs triple or more for next gen.
Plus I'm not sure next gen consoles would even have large enough audiences to support those kind of games for a few years ether and I don't see sony or MS raising the price of retail games.
Dying is a bit much.... I would say we are nearing a big shift in how publishers spend money.
There will still be a few crazy budget AAA games and there will still be casual games but its the people who make games in the middle who are a bit screwed.
There will be another wow . I tend to not understand the Free MMO busniess at all. You get a ton of old or failed games that go F2P and we hear of great player increases in the first few months and then the press releases stop. We don't know if after the intial rush (like a paid mmo launch )the numbers tank.
The problem with SWTOR as a player is that there is crap to do once you hit level 40. They made to much of a theme park with out any sand box. I still pay $10 a month of UO 15 years later because of the sand park.
They need to add more things aside from raiding to the end game for people to stay.
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
SWTOR aside due to strong IP, I think it would be an asinine move to launch a subscription MMO at $60 in this day and age with the WoW entry point being $20 or less (obviously more costs are tacked on when including expansions although you don't need them to start playing, and BC is free for everyone now), but I think companies are forced to do so in attempt to recoup at least some development costs upfront if the game doesn't take off after the initial hype has died down.
That said, I think there could be a huge market for a subscription MMO with WoW or near WoW quality, but at a lower monthly rate - $12-$5. This would attract people who enjoy MMOs, but maybe don't have as much time to play and want to log in only once or twice a week. Comparatively, MMOs are a really cheap form of entertainment at $15 a month when a single movie ticket might cost $10+ (not including refreshments), but I think there's just a stigma associated with having to pay every month to keep on playing. Hell, even at $20 or $25 a month, an MMO would still be a good deal if you put enough time into it.
Because of the sandbox nature and the way the skill training works, I only seriously sit down and play EVE a couple days out of the month (read as: more than an hour or two at a time) and I can still extract some enjoyment out of it. The PLEX system helps though, as the current month I'm on I was wealthy enough to afford with just in-game currency, and I should have enough for another month at the least, unforeseen circumstances notwithstanding.
Sentenza
Member
Layoffs confirmed.
2 Slice Toaster
Member
That would've been the worst, hitting people with layoffs just after they got off spending all the money on the easter holiday.
The money ads up and there is no logical reason why a MMO should have a monthly fee in this day and age. We have already established the 'server costs' excuse is BS and that content can be supported through DLC, expansion packs, micro transactions, and/or in game ads.
I have had GW 6 years, in that time it's cost me $60 and I could go back to it whenever I want. What is a P2P MMO going to cost in 6 years? $1400, and that's not including the box.
What pisses me off about EA is they refuse to adapt. They are the type of shitheads they would rather shut down an MMO than try the F2P route.
except guild wars is a shallow experiance .
There is nothing wrong with spending $15 a month if your constantly getting new content. I've been paying for ultima online since its release and its been worth every penny .
In the end looking at F2P games I"d be spending the same $15 or more a month to get all the content anyway
What does the bolded even mean?
You aren't *constantly* getting new content in most MMOs though. In Cataclysm, Blizzard has gone like 5-6 months between their major patches.
This seems cute, are you trying to say that you have to buy all the content in F2P games? Ever seen F2P games like TF2 where the items are cosmetic? They seem to be doing pretty well to me.
Blizzard makes a ridiculous amount of money off of their micro-transactions, they could easily be free-to-play and still make an insane amount of money. You pay them $25 to run a SQL query that transfers your character to another server, all on top of paying $15 a month to access what's currently 5-6 month old content.
Guild Wars perceived shallowness is not because it's F2P but by design though.
Let's ignore GW and replace it wi GW2 or better yet replace it with LOTRO which is free. LOTRO comes out with heaps of content for free, not only that they are making more money than they did while they where P2P.
The $10-20 a month excuse for content and server costs needs to die in a fire.
IrishNinja
Member
that fucking sucks. gg EA management.
condolences to all affected, gotta be terrifying to lose your job in this generation/market.
condolences to all affected, gotta be terrifying to lose your job in this generation/market.
5th on the NPD for March.
Software is down 25% compared to this time last year, so that certainly didn't help anyone this month.
I'm not worried about his welfare so much as I was thinking how much it would suck to leave a company for a different one, have your old employer buy your new one, then fire you.
Dude! You forgot, it's the PIRACY as well!
Also, for those saying the industry is dying: tell that to Valve. And Bethesda. Bottom line: EA sucks, they buy up good companies and ass fuck them for all they are worth. Case in point: Bioware. Watch, SWTOR will go down the F2P route by Christmas or maybe next spring. The game is boring as shit. Endgame content is total shit. They spent $200-250 MILLION on this ffs. And we get voice acting? Play it safe and in the process STILL fuck up? None of you SW fanbuttbois give me any shit, I saw Star Wars in a theater in '77, I paid my dues for being a SW fan. I can and will talk shit about SW all I want. I paid $60+$30 for 2 months sub for TORtanic. Was the worst game investment I have made.
Hey, Skyrim has voice acting, except Skyrim is a good game. I don't see Bethesda going belly up. Oh that's right, they make good games. Who woulda thunk it? Battlefield 3 is the only EA game I still have installed on my computer. And I don't play it as much as I would want to (mainly because my C2D CPU sucks).
Also what's hurt sales is EA being greedy and wanting to cut Valve out of the picture by making BF3 and ME3 Origin-only. You know how many lost sales resulted from that? I bought BF3 reluctantly because I love the BF franchise. But other than that? Origin is a waste of space. I have 45 people added to my friends lost on Origin, everyone was hyped for BF3. Now? I never see anyone on Origin. But, I sure see a fuckload of them on Steam. EA thought they were going to be clever by making Origin and hoping to get people to come over from Steam. But no one wants to because there is zero reason. You can't buy other companies games (yet), there is no community or even a basis to get one really started. The GUI is limited with hardly any options to mess about with to change things. It's just a giant waste of effort.
And as one of the people said above me: it irks me that Kotickvision, oops I mean Activision, is doing really good while EA should be all rights being doing good with the companies they have bought up. But as usual when large corporations buy smaller ones, they ass fuck the smaller one to fit their shitty culture and totally forget why they bought them out in the first place. And I have first hand experience seeing how a large corporation buys a smaller one and just bleeds it dry over a couple of years where there is nothing left but a rotting husk.
ps, if I was an employee of a company that got bought out by a bigger company, especially one like EA, I would be looking for another job. It's just a matter of time.
a good post.