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MMORPG Subscription Economics Discussed

Posted by simoniker on from the why-should-you-pay-to-play? dept.

Thanks to GamePro for their article discussing why MMORPGs charge a monthly subscription fee, discussing the "extra developer attention and player community" a monthly payment allegedly brings. It quotes a Blizzard spokesman as saying "running a massively multiplayer game like Blizzard's upcoming World of WarCraft costs about three times as much as running an online server like Battle.net, because MMO games require constant maintenance, 24/7 customer support, and an ongoing dedicated development team", and NCSoft's Robert Garriott, brother of Richard, says: "Think of it as running a small city. Many of these games have hundreds of thousands of 'citizens.' NCsoft operates the 'government' that builds new roads, puts criminals in jail, and digs new caverns for citizens to explore and enjoy. All of that costs real money."

2 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. I disagree completely by neostorm · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This article seems to be trying to stem the flow of complaints concerning online fees with fluffed up examples. For instance, when I was working at Sony (Electonics) in 2000, it was a widely discussed phenomenon concerning the $3.5 million in pure *profit* that Sony raked in per *month* from Everquest. This was after server fees, support fees, and everyone involved had gotten thier paychecks, and if you recall in 2000 EQ cost $9.95 a month.
    I knew Sony had a lot of balls several months later when they raised their monthly fee citing extended expenses. And then they did it again, and again...

    Furthermore: "...and all people interviewed for this article feel you have nothing to lose by trying it out."
    I have to disagree with this, as there is a lot to lose out on when trying out these games. It costs $50 to pick up a game at the store, and everytime I've checked they are non-returnable due to their online-game status.
    I think it's an excelent move when developers started to release demos for their new MMOs online, because I am not about to plop down $50 for a game that may be utter crap that I can't return. However, when I can download the full version of this game online to try it out, I then question why I would need to drive to the store and pay an extra $50 for a box and manual in the first place.

    I think it needs to be said that the industry has identified a new rush of revenue. MMOs are hot right now, and with the insane amount of profit abailable it's like a new gold rush, or a second .com era. I really wish gamers would step back and take a look at the real facts however, because developers could still make plenty of money by releasing these games online or in retail for (very) minimal prices, and still only charge $10 a month. The last MMO I was tempted to play appeared recently a $16/mo, and that's the last time I even thought about checking one out.

  2. Tier-based Subscription by Allaran · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I too have often wondered why they don't implement a system which allows you to choose a payment plan that is most economic for your playing style or even just lets you graduate to a different level depending on your play.

    For casual ( 10 hours/month) players, $1/hr.

    For midrange ( 10-40 hours/month ), $10/month.

    For hardcore (40+ hours/month), $20/month.

    Naturally, they'd do research to determine ideal numbers, but this would encourage more casual people to play, and give them higher revenue from hard-core players.