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Its really refreshing to hear reaffirmation from the game director that they will always stay subscription regardless of whatever "the market" thinks is the new direction of online gaming.
taken from pangamers.com:
PSLS: Have you taken, or are you going to take any steps to respond to some of the upcoming changes in the MMO market, such as with Elder Scrolls Online, which is now coming to consoles and moving to a free-to-play model?
NY: No, we do not feel that we are being influenced by that kind of model shift. Especially with an MMORPG, it is a kind of a game as a service, where we are kind of almost in the service industry.
Say you are in the restaurant business and you own a steakhouse, and you see another competitive steakhouse that a popular feature or some other element that draws people in, of course you would have to look at what they are doing and they are keeping their quality of meats, and what they do in terms of service. In that same respect, we do look at the other MMO titles that are out there and do some research on what they do and have,Elder Scrolls Online included. But, for FFXIV and the players that belong to the world of Eorzea, we feel that we don’t need to put things in that are not necessary for that game.
So, just because ESO moved into a free-to-play subscription model, it doesn’t necessarily mean for us to move into that direction as well. Also, for use we have taken player surveys and took a look at what our customer satisfaction level is and we actually garnered data that shows that over 80% of our players are satisfied with the subscription model and they feel very assured that it is a constant. You are safe to be in that environment, and you know that you can expect a decent amount of updates and content. So, we don’t believe that FFXIV needs to shift in that direction and not everything that other competitors or titles do will necessarily apply to our title.
If WOW ever goes completely free-to-play, maybe we will consider it. (Laughs)
Most memorable games: AoC(Tryanny PvP), RIFT, GW, GW2, Ragnarok Online, Aion, FFXI, FFXIV, Secret World, League of Legends (Silver II rank)
Comments
I'm glad someone took a stand on this. Not every game needs a F2P/Freemium model to survive. While it works for some, I think the trade offs are not worth it. I like to pay my sub and get it all, now having said that I think paid DLC/expansions are just fine as long as they add to the game ie... new classes, new lands, quests, recipes for crafting and so on. I also don't have a problem with a cash shop even in a P2P/B2P game as long as it's just fluff stuff. In my experience most but not all F2P games become Bot/Hacker fests that the Devs could give a shit less about as long as they make their money on the cash shop.
Just my 2 cents worth. IMHO
"If WOW ever goes completely free-to-play, maybe we will consider it. (Laughs)"
Lol that actually made me laugh a lot more than it should have. Truth is though SE isn't gonna do much f2p because they are too cheap/greedy/stubborn.
or it could be most of their player base doesn't want them to. I personally don't like F2P games, they just feel like getting a steak from waffle house. Sure for the price it's not bad, but doesn't compare to a premium steak at a dedicated steakhouse
the missing link in a chain of destruction.
All spelling and typographical errors are based soely on the fact that i just dont care. If you must point out my lack of atention to detail, please do it with a smile.
They managed to get cash shop in without going F2P/B2P.
Of course they dont need to go F2P/B2P now lol
I like FFXIV a lot and i m happy that game goes well. On the other hand while i own so many quality titles and i can play them for free, like WoW (Token), WildStar (CREDD), EvE (PLEX), GW2 & ESO (B2P) and SWTOR (F2P even not that great), i dont think i will pay a sub again for a mmo. At least not for those that exist in todays market. Maybe for some exciting new mmo in the future, but not now.
Still glad for FFXIV doing well.
All Time Favorites: EQ1, WoW, EvE, GW1
Playing Now: WoW, ESO, GW2
This isn't a signature, you just think it is.
Has the market not been saying F2P is making more money than a sub model ,at least that is what all the devs have been telling us,so who would be the greedy one then ?
Also Square has several gaming divisions 6+ with FULLTIME teams,i rather see that than these 20 man teams pretending to give us quality games and just lie to us about how dedicated they are.
The real truth is PLAYERS are cheap,i would love to roam around a game for FREE<but there is NO such thing as free,you get exactly what you pay for.Even GW2 is a big LIE,you get the quality and content you expect from their pay model,geesh they struggle to get out content and can't even announce what content is coming.I am playing FFFXI,steady content for free and they constantly announce the next update before it happens,all these other f2p devs everything is a secret because they DON'T have any organized structure or big enough team to produce quality content.
I feel 100% more at ease in a subscription game than not.I know it took Square far too long to get after cheating and RMT but with a sub model,once they started to ban them,they won't easily come back knowing they have to pay a sub fee.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
except the F2P version charges extra for cooking the steak, extra for a table to eat it at, and extra for a chair to sit on while your eating it, oh, and theres also a microtransaction for utensils and a plate.
Maybe, but at least if you are hungry and broke, you can eat the free steak, without using a plate or fork. Just take it and eat it. Even this is better than an empty stomach
All Time Favorites: EQ1, WoW, EvE, GW1
Playing Now: WoW, ESO, GW2
maybe, except, the P2P version the steak is cooked exactly how you like it, there are clean tables and utensils, and a waiter service, its not just about eating the food but enjoying the meal 'experience'.
I wont disagree with that, but many times i prefer having a bit of a small taste of many foods, even if they are of lower quality, than a huge and quality steak.
If someone would cook me the steak of my dreams, then maybe it would be fine, but as long as the expensive ones are not that better than the free, i will stick with them.
Btw just a question. I always was paying sub (and still i m in some cases) in my mmo's, but do you think P2P offers so much more, in order to justify the sub? We are not talking anymore about some retarded f2p games, but games like wow, ws, gw2, eso, swtor etc which can be played as f2p, at least for those who already own them. Do you think both quality and customer service will that better in a P2P game? Imho i dont think so, at least not anymore.
All Time Favorites: EQ1, WoW, EvE, GW1
Playing Now: WoW, ESO, GW2
FFXI is still p2p and it's "only" bout 13yrs old, what makes you think SE would drop the sub on FFXIV?
The more i hear people talking about how P2P is dying, the less i see it happening though. Like at the moment i am playing 3 games as a subbed player, and none of them are WoW, not to say i won't be subbed to WoW again in the near future though.
P2P is far from dying, its not just WoW after all, that is thriving despite not being F2P.
Its not about if P2P is dying or not. Its about the quality F2P / B2P choices you have anymore and the question if the quality / services of a P2P mmo are that superior to justifie the sub.
All Time Favorites: EQ1, WoW, EvE, GW1
Playing Now: WoW, ESO, GW2
Boobs are LIFE, Boobs are LOVE, Boobs are JUSTICE, Boobs are mankind's HOPES and DREAMS. People who complain about boobs have lost their humanity.
He can say this as long as the shareholders agree with him.
The moment they estimate that F2P or whatever "payment model" exists at the moment can bring more money in, he will do another interview where he explains to us how they are listening to the desires of their player base and feel this is the best model for the future of the game, etc.
Yup, just as at the moment cash shop and mandatory sub are what players desire the most
Going by these forums cash shops are big no no in F2P game, let alone in P2P game
It's not a "stance", they actually polled their user base to know what they would prefer (stance = developer originated). Meaning, the minute NOT 80% of their player base prefer the sub model, you can expect a shift.
i wonder how many wanted cash shop along with mandatory sub, why wasnt that info disclosed, at least he said that its in "because players wanted it"
How about taking a stance "not buying PR BS from companies any more" lol
I recall for years people asked for mounts in cash in WoW. We even had polls on the boards for it. People who could not afford it asked for real money mounts. Something different they asked for it. Just because you may not want something there is no indication your choice is shared by all and sundry.
I recall this guy in my guild changed his appearance every month in FFXIV with that bottle that allows you do it with real cash.
Anyway good on you Yoshida. FFXIV ARR is doing well and they have content coming fast and I love the game.
for most of the items on the cash shop I have no problem what so ever. now if they did things like limit you to two classes and have to buy a cash shop item to unlock an additional class then I would be upset.
I appreciate the fact that the sell cosmetic items, the ability to change your race and server transfers for a fee even if I have no intention on ever buying any of them.
the missing link in a chain of destruction.
All spelling and typographical errors are based soely on the fact that i just dont care. If you must point out my lack of atention to detail, please do it with a smile.