On the initial topic of industry layoffs & their effect on the games & community...
If a company is doing layoffs (&/or closing games), they've just told me that my next purchase/investment of another MMO should not be from them because they have no loyalty to their customers or employees.
NCSoft is a prime example. I bought Guild Wars & enjoyed it, but started seeing NCSoft layoffs & held back from buying Tabula Rasa & Dungeon Runners. Now both of those games are gone (or going soon) & they want me to buy Aion?
No thanks. I'll take my money elsewhere. Now I'm even skeptical of buying Guild Wars 2.
The market is an unforgiving place, but it rewards success and punishes failure very efficiently.
Industry laying people off? Guess certain companies should have been more concerned with putting out quality product than trying to wring every single cent out of players for everything.
Getting fired out of a gaming company? Too bad for you, blame management.
It is the inevitable consequence of the corporate management being to far removed from the "designers" and the "the players" for too long. It is not an accident that sometimes people/companies become victims of their own success and "forgot" what made them successful in the first place. And this is not a phenomenon restricted the the computer gaming industry, either.
Yes, companies are in business to make money, but you have to provide a quality product first. And it is the paying customer that decides what "quality" is, not some corporate suit that says "Your deadline is this, and not that, and it will have this and not that, based on our business model." Or the spin and viral BS that the various company PR people put out.
I have no pity for companies that are punished because they put out buggy/incomplete/shallow/inferior products. That is what the market does and rightly so. Why have so many of these "recently" released games tanked? Because it was more of the same stuff (be it WoW-like or not) and the market (i.e. the paying public) has had enough of that.
..... Giving the truth to players, if it is bad information, causes panic. Players read into every statement ever mentioned by a producer and come up with crazy stories on what it means, and that the game is closing etc etc. So players then react to this false information and it costs the companies money again. There aren't enough mature players who can take statements at face value and not explode. How many times has a game closed servers to boost population on the other servers and had players scream from the roof tops that the game is doomed and will be gone in 3 months and then quit? Happens everytime and makes the situation worse. They forget games like EQ that closed servers to boost population and then later had to reopen new servers to handle the increased population gains.
......
I agree with the rest. And I even somewhat agree with you here. But the thing I have to point out is that no company has ever even TRIED to be honest. They just assume, without any apparent evidence, that people will panic and tank their product as soon as any truth is released, and only tack on truth after all the advertising and marketing jargon has been thrown at their customer so much that truth is just another flying leaf in the hurricane of bull.
I work in the computer service business, so I know the difference between "doom and gloom" and "truth" when a bad situation arises with a customer. MMO companies just use the basis of truth = doom and gloom, and I believe this is false.
For example, last week, we had a customer in who had a notebook in our shop because it was operating extremely slow. She paid us a bench fee of $80, and we diagnosed the computer. We did the cursory tune-up, and the computer actually got worse. So we started the hardware diagnostic, removed her hard drive so we could plug it in to a dock and test it, and found that it was making some pretty awsome noises (think R-Type 3, or Gatica laser sounds). This meant that her computer would soon be useless to her. It's an old notebook, and the hard drive is a type not very commonly sold. And the notebook itself is old enough that an upgrade to a bigger hard drive is simply not possible.
Ultimately, this made our customer very dissapointed. Not with us, the service techs, but with the situation. And as an experienced tech/customer service person, I was able to tell the difference.
So I told her the truth, which was
"Your computer is usable at the moment, but it is due to fail in the near future. The hard drive is the problem component, but due to the age of the computer, it simply isn't worth buying a hard drive for this computer unless you have no other options. A new computer would be your best first choice. I recommend that you get any data that you don't want to lose off of the computer as soon as possible. We can transfer your photos off of the computer for you(for a fee), but you can also do that yourself if you have the time(for free). Let us know what you would like, and we will do what we can for you."
If I were to take a page from the MMO industry in my attempts to then communicate with my customer at this point, I would say something along the lines of
"Your computer is still usable. It boots up into windows. Your photos are able to be accessed. We are committed to providing you with the best service possible, as always, and we have worked hard to improve performance on your product. Keep in mind, we have many years of experience under our belts, and hundreds of references. Our service is the best in the area. We are here to give you the best product possible."
And this would be because the MMO industry simply is afraid of telling the truth. Yes, I realize that the two differ in that an MMO company is defending/condemning THEIR PRODUCT, not trying to fix a product made by someone else. But the dynamic is the same. Despite the fact that the pre-release developer crew and the post-release developer crew are often the same one, we make a distinction between the two regardless. The people who work on MAKING the product are not the same to us as the people who work on FIXING the product, though they may often be the same individuals.
This is because the developers of a released game are in the service industry, not the advertising/entertainment industry. We expect them to "fix" our problems, and are disappointed when they not only do not do so, but feed us marketing jargon and form letters of intent to do well in the future. We are disappointed because we have already bought their product, and we are hoping for a "fix," but our service techs are stuck trying to sell us more of their product.
And they do this because the powers that be are convinced that even post-launch, it is more important to sell their product than to service it. Granted, I can have this attitude because I get paid to fix things... the difference is that my payments are on a fix-by-fix basis. MMO companies are paid a monthly fee.
For our dollar, it should not have to be a chore for our product developers to say simply and eloquently;
"Our's is a quality product. We stand by its continued improvement, and will continue to do so for as long as it is possible to do so. We are going through a rough time due to the market downturn/reccession right now, but we will continue to keep you updated on the product development. You, our loyal customers, are the reason this game is still here, so we will do what we can to keep you satisfied. To that end, we are tightening our belts (<layoffs, demotions, subscription rate increases, etc>) and working on game improvements (<here's some specifics>). Additionally, we are looking at alternative methods of dealing with <problematic game issue>. There isn't a definate timeline on this, but our best guess is <a largely overestimated length of time from right now>, assuming that things go well. Thank you for continuing to use our product. Keep sending us valuable feedback, and we will continue to do everything we can to continue making this product a high quality and enjoyable experience for you. -Management"
It simply amazes me that anyone in the gaming industry who reads a statement like this just sees the line "We are going through a rough time" or anything like it as THE REAL PROBLEM with this kind of statement. I constantly tell people that Norton anti-virus is trash. This causes Norton to never be sold by me. But how do I make money, you ask? By then selling them service (duh) and offering alternatives to their crappy product (which does not make me money directly, but which increases customer satisfaction and retention). Every customer relations statement should bare this in mind with every sentence. "Tell them the awful truth, but offer them hope by way of alternative."
You can make money, but you don't have to lie and be a douche to do so. But MMO companies rarely seem to care to try and be anything but middle-ground, stagnantly moderate, and unwilling to tactfully tell the truth while still retaining their integrity and dignity. Instead, they tell us only the "good" parts, assuming that any admission that "bad stuff" exists and is a problem will be their doom. I don't think customers are demanding doom and gloom. They are demanding truth.
Supply and demand and all that.
Whew, long post.
[Begin Sarcasm]
Girls don't use the internet unless theres a webcam involved....its a physical impossibility.
They also don't play them thar vidya gaymes, mmorpg = most men online role play girls...even in ventrillo.
Well... Its not just the MMO industry thats learned not to tell the truth for the most part. In all too many cases when told what they need to know, rather than what they want to hear, people can and for the most part do erupt in rage and/or panic. The other area is obviously politics. Its political suicide for most politicians to tell the truth(Ron Paul and Bernie Sanders being one of the few exceptions). Look at it from their perspective. Between distortions, rumors, and out right lies(haters/fan boys of other games) just about any announcement thats made can be used against ones game/or company. Thats not good for either the game, or the companies share price. Yes, I also wish they would tell the truth, but I realize why so many rely so much on vague PR speak. Its a matter of self defense.
As someone who has used MMOs as escape in the wake of being laid off myself, I find it rather startling just how deep my annoyance at this whole debacle has been. Empathy for fellow working stiffs outweighs the enjoyment of the game and it damages not just loyalty to the game, but to the entire concept of MMOs being an escape.
In a sufficiently long-running game, there is also the element of the blurring of the line between being a customer and being a citizen ... I tend to look at the dev team and its leadership more like a local government than suppliers of a product. It's not that town councils don't need to ever cut staff or make hard, unpopular decisions, but there's a layer of democratic accountability before people express themselves and their tax dollars out of town. *ponders the mechanics of switching a game to subscriber-ownership*
Also, I feel a certain amusement that a company would try to withhold restructuring information from a customer community who have a proven ability to assemble spoiler guides within minutes of new content being published.
Ah well, as good an excuse as any to move on to a new hobby.
Nice Article. Didn't like the Daoc letter wasn't for just that game as it should of been but rather a form letter to all 3 games...i wish they would tell it like it is really..
Playing daoc and loving it totally.. have Played Eq,Eq2,WoW,Coh,Cov, and other.. which i have forgotten..
I've said this a couple of times already. We are heading for a MMORPG crash. We had one with arcade games in the 80s and we are at the start of the MMORPG one right now. Companies who should have known better are learning the painful hard way that MMO does not equate to instant fincial success. In fact most of the time it is a continuing loss on investment. For those of you who read this and think "Oh yeah what about Wow?" I'd be willing to bet that Blizzard would had done far better financially if they had just put all the money time and talent into more games such as Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2. (Of course this being Blizzard, none of the single player games would have been released yet so maybe not.)
We are going to have to wait for some upgrades in technology that make creating tons of MMORPG content cheaper and easier, and some innovative new ideas in mmorpg financial models before we see anything but lackluster success in online gaming.
Those of us in the gaming community weaning ourselves off crap products for lack of anything better to do, and forcing companies to come up with something better would not hurt either.
"One important thing to note here is the different philosophies pertaining to huge corporate companies vs the independents in times of strife.
The huge company just cares about profits. They will cut and slash until they get the job done at the right profit level. They will also change the payment models to suit their needs.
The independents are just trying to make a livelihood. They will nurture and pour everything they have into their game to ensure that the customer is satisfied."
Really Ruyn? Then please explain the wooden headed stupidity of Aventurine's handling of Darkfall.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
I've said this a couple of times already. We are heading for a MMORPG crash. We had one with arcade games in the 80s and we are at the start of the MMORPG one right now. Companies who should have known better are learning the painful hard way that MMO does not equate to instant fincial success. In fact most of the time it is a continuing loss on investment. For those of you who read this and think "Oh yeah what about Wow?" I'd be willing to bet that Blizzard would had done far better financially if they had just put all the money time and talent into more games such as Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2. (Of course this being Blizzard, none of the single player games would have been released yet so maybe not.) We are going to have to wait for some upgrades in technology that make creating tons of MMORPG content cheaper and easier, and some innovative new ideas in mmorpg financial models before we see anything but lackluster success in online gaming. Those of us in the gaming community weaning ourselves off crap products for lack of anything better to do, and forcing companies to come up with something better would not hurt either.
"One important thing to note here is the different philosophies pertaining to huge corporate companies vs the independents in times of strife. The huge company just cares about profits. They will cut and slash until they get the job done at the right profit level. They will also change the payment models to suit their needs. The independents are just trying to make a livelihood. They will nurture and pour everything they have into their game to ensure that the customer is satisfied." Really Ruyn? Then please explain the wooden headed stupidity of Aventurine's handling of Darkfall.
Tasco's ego for one... It wouldn't be the first(nor the last) game to have serious difficulties due to the head Dev's ego problems. I well remember the console crash of 84. It took years and years for the industry to recover. While its possible, that MMO's are headed that way, I suspect its not going to be nearly as bad. There is WAY too much money to be made, and there are already WAY too many players much more deeply involved than console gamers of that time were. I totally agree that what is needed is some new methods of content creation though. Some of the middle ware suites show promise as they evolve. But again, I suspect thats years in the future. It will be interesting to see if Blizzard can pull off even close to the same subs with their next MMO. If they can, that alone may prevent any general crash and burn.
The market is an unforgiving place, but it rewards success and punishes failure very efficiently. Industry laying people off? Guess certain companies should have been more concerned with putting out quality product than trying to wring every single cent out of players for everything. Getting fired out of a gaming company? Too bad for you, blame management. It is the inevitable consequence of the corporate management being to far removed from the "designers" and the "the players" for too long. It is not an accident that sometimes people/companies become victims of their own success and "forgot" what made them successful in the first place. And this is not a phenomenon restricted the the computer gaming industry, either. Yes, companies are in business to make money, but you have to provide a quality product first. And it is the paying customer that decides what "quality" is, not some corporate suit that says "Your deadline is this, and not that, and it will have this and not that, based on our business model." Or the spin and viral BS that the various company PR people put out. I have no pity for companies that are punished because they put out buggy/incomplete/shallow/inferior products. That is what the market does and rightly so. Why have so many of these "recently" released games tanked? Because it was more of the same stuff (be it WoW-like or not) and the market (i.e. the paying public) has had enough of that.
I agree.
I feel bad for all the people who lost their jobs as usually its the little guy who is struggling with family and bills who gets the axe.
When it should be the asshats who are making the actual bad decisions who get the boot.
No more half assed products=More money being made=more people working not less.
I feel for the folks who got the axe. Having been there myself this year twice. I know the times are hard. Lots of bussines is down.
However if they would make a quality product, folks would stay. IF they would make the game fun folks would stay. Instead they go about cutting the lower end of the specturm, and forcing the palyer base to play with less, and that is when folks get unhappy and leave.
I think all the game companies can learn from this, and that is you better do what it take to keep your player base happy.
I don't blame the dev's, who I blame is the management. They are the ones calling the orders, and makking a mess of things.
I just hope these guys get new jobs times are tough.
The example is a bit of a different situation, telling someone their computer is dead that they paid you to look at isn't the same as an MMO company telling you something like "We're closing in 3 months" or "Our subscription numbers have been steadily slipping". Telling that customer their computer is broken doesn't effect you at all, in fact it might make your store money if they buy through you. Telling customers the game is closing in 3 months or it is not doing well makes many more players quit which loses you money and then makes more players quit.
Read any official MMO forums, anytime something shows up that players didn't expect they remark along the lines of "This game will be gone in 6 months." For whatever reason MMO players are the most pessimistic people in the world. One single game mechanic changes and they then assume that the whole game will change so they quit. An update gets pushed back, oh the game must not have enough money to support it so they quit. No matter what information you give to players they find a way to twist it into something negative. So imagine what happens when you start with the negative.
I would love more straight forward honesty in the business. I would love to know team sizes and pop numbers. I would like to know if the company is expanding or shrinking and everything they have planned for the next year. But I know I'm not going to get that information because amazingly releasing that information will essentially always cost the game money.
Yes there are certainly those of us who can handle the information without causing us to cancel our subs and put on tinfoil hats, but that isn't the case for most. Even look at the posts on this site. Aion says it will reduce it's queue times, and then the queue times go away. Instantly there are posts of "No wait to get into Aion, the game is dying." It is amazing how people can twist information.
Also every player has a different take on what the company should do and when. The most common thing I read from players on the games I play is "Well that's a waste of the dev time they should do this." and then in responses "No that would be a waste of dev time to they should do this." So even releasing information of what the plan for the next month and year is still has people deciding the company is doing everything wrong.
There's another topic similar to this that i wouldn't mind that one of the Mmorpg.com columnists covered. That of the gaming print journalism shrinking in regards to magazines.
In the last year and a half we as gamers here in the States. Have lost 3 very good gamer magazines that were 10 years plus in circulation. That being "Computer Gaming World" that renamed itself to something else with the "Microsoft" name. Besides that of "Computer Games World" and "Electronic Gaming Monthly" (EGM) also got snuffed out.
I'm sure there are a couple more I could name like "Next Generation". Which lasted like 7 years in total.
Will the Internet be the only viable media outlet for Gaming Journalism? I hope not.
Hi All, There's another topic similar to this that i wouldn't mind that one of the Mmorpg.com columnists covered. That of the gaming print journalism shrinking in regards to magazines. In the last year and a half we as gamers here in the States. Have lost 3 very good gamer magazines that were 10 years plus in circulation. That being "Computer Gaming World" that renamed itself to something else with the "Microsoft" name. Besides that of "Computer Games World" and "Electronic Gaming Monthly" (EGM) also got snuffed out. I'm sure there are a couple more I could name like "Next Generation". Which lasted like 7 years in total. Will the Internet be the only viable media outlet for Gaming Journalism? I hope not.
Print media is fading out in general. News papers(local and national) are having a more and more difficult time keeping subscribers as more people move on line for their information. Its just a sign of the times. I don't see the trend doing anything but growing.
While the economy does its thing, I have to say I hope the MMO industry does not go on the micro-transaction route.
I say this because using micro-transactions, as others have stated in this thread, can cost more than a monthly fee. In addition, I think a standard monthly fee puts the customer and developer on the same page financially. The customer knows what they are paying and has a level of expectation tagged to it, while the developer knows how much they're getting in subscription revenues and works off of this, ideally to meet customer expectations.
A micro-transaction model also creates an imbalance between players; those who spend and those who don't. The paying people get nice things, the others don't. A monthly sub model puts them on the same level. If you don't use the time you pay for, you should probably use the money for something better. =P
I hope the industry takes a turn toward being more open with the customer base. Yeah, it can be pretty nasty, but if you're transparent from the start, you can avoid problems and even collaborate with the community to create more appreciated and dynamic content. Being in the open isn't a bad thing unless you have something to hide. Unfortunately, people everywhere have a lot to hide. =(
To quote "TJKazmark": ---------- "I say this because using micro-transactions, as others have stated in this thread, can cost more than a monthly fee. "
Well it seems the MMO Industry is going in the direction of a mix of the two. That being a smaller subscription price and micro-transactions. (ideal example is "Free Realms") As a way to bridge it's inexperience with micro-transactions they are keeping smaller subscription rates for the meanwhile. When the MMO Industry is fully confident in micro-transactions expect to see variant types of micro-transactions as forms of payment in game play.
Yes, micro-transactions can cost more to players than the typical subscription payment model. But that where "self restraint" comes in your house hold budget. The game developer / publisher wants you to splurge like your going to a real life casino.
When you go to the Mall you don't go bonkers buying all the junk you see. Over time that will be the case with players in terms of micro-transactions.
"I say this because using micro-transactions, as others have stated in this thread, can cost more than a monthly fee. " Well it seems the MMO Industry is going in the direction of a mix of the two. That being a smaller subscription price and micro-transactions. (ideal example is "Free Realms") As a way to bridge it's inexperience with micro-transactions they are keeping smaller subscription rates for the meanwhile. When the MMO Industry is fully confident in micro-transactions expect to see variant types of micro-transactions as forms of payment in game play. Yes, micro-transactions can cost more to players than the typical subscription payment model. But that where "self restraint" comes in your house hold budget. The game developer / publisher wants you to splurge like your going to a real life casino. When you go to the Mall you don't go bonkers buying all the junk you see. Over time that will be the case with players in terms of micro-transactions.
I can agree with that. One thing that I'm unsure of though is the importance of the items obtained from micro-transactions. I wouldn't want to see a model where you won't be able to compete if you don't buy from the shop. I'm actually more keen to see how a hybrid mix would work, with the game having, say, a $5 per month sub and an item shop that actually offers cool stuff. On that note, I'm going to do some musing on the subject and see if I can't come up with a thoughtful blog post.
Comments
On the initial topic of industry layoffs & their effect on the games & community...
If a company is doing layoffs (&/or closing games), they've just told me that my next purchase/investment of another MMO should not be from them because they have no loyalty to their customers or employees.
NCSoft is a prime example. I bought Guild Wars & enjoyed it, but started seeing NCSoft layoffs & held back from buying Tabula Rasa & Dungeon Runners. Now both of those games are gone (or going soon) & they want me to buy Aion?
No thanks. I'll take my money elsewhere. Now I'm even skeptical of buying Guild Wars 2.
The market is an unforgiving place, but it rewards success and punishes failure very efficiently.
Industry laying people off? Guess certain companies should have been more concerned with putting out quality product than trying to wring every single cent out of players for everything.
Getting fired out of a gaming company? Too bad for you, blame management.
It is the inevitable consequence of the corporate management being to far removed from the "designers" and the "the players" for too long. It is not an accident that sometimes people/companies become victims of their own success and "forgot" what made them successful in the first place. And this is not a phenomenon restricted the the computer gaming industry, either.
Yes, companies are in business to make money, but you have to provide a quality product first. And it is the paying customer that decides what "quality" is, not some corporate suit that says "Your deadline is this, and not that, and it will have this and not that, based on our business model." Or the spin and viral BS that the various company PR people put out.
I have no pity for companies that are punished because they put out buggy/incomplete/shallow/inferior products. That is what the market does and rightly so. Why have so many of these "recently" released games tanked? Because it was more of the same stuff (be it WoW-like or not) and the market (i.e. the paying public) has had enough of that.
I agree with the rest. And I even somewhat agree with you here. But the thing I have to point out is that no company has ever even TRIED to be honest. They just assume, without any apparent evidence, that people will panic and tank their product as soon as any truth is released, and only tack on truth after all the advertising and marketing jargon has been thrown at their customer so much that truth is just another flying leaf in the hurricane of bull.
I work in the computer service business, so I know the difference between "doom and gloom" and "truth" when a bad situation arises with a customer. MMO companies just use the basis of truth = doom and gloom, and I believe this is false.
For example, last week, we had a customer in who had a notebook in our shop because it was operating extremely slow. She paid us a bench fee of $80, and we diagnosed the computer. We did the cursory tune-up, and the computer actually got worse. So we started the hardware diagnostic, removed her hard drive so we could plug it in to a dock and test it, and found that it was making some pretty awsome noises (think R-Type 3, or Gatica laser sounds). This meant that her computer would soon be useless to her. It's an old notebook, and the hard drive is a type not very commonly sold. And the notebook itself is old enough that an upgrade to a bigger hard drive is simply not possible.
Ultimately, this made our customer very dissapointed. Not with us, the service techs, but with the situation. And as an experienced tech/customer service person, I was able to tell the difference.
So I told her the truth, which was
"Your computer is usable at the moment, but it is due to fail in the near future. The hard drive is the problem component, but due to the age of the computer, it simply isn't worth buying a hard drive for this computer unless you have no other options. A new computer would be your best first choice. I recommend that you get any data that you don't want to lose off of the computer as soon as possible. We can transfer your photos off of the computer for you(for a fee), but you can also do that yourself if you have the time(for free). Let us know what you would like, and we will do what we can for you."
If I were to take a page from the MMO industry in my attempts to then communicate with my customer at this point, I would say something along the lines of
"Your computer is still usable. It boots up into windows. Your photos are able to be accessed. We are committed to providing you with the best service possible, as always, and we have worked hard to improve performance on your product. Keep in mind, we have many years of experience under our belts, and hundreds of references. Our service is the best in the area. We are here to give you the best product possible."
And this would be because the MMO industry simply is afraid of telling the truth. Yes, I realize that the two differ in that an MMO company is defending/condemning THEIR PRODUCT, not trying to fix a product made by someone else. But the dynamic is the same. Despite the fact that the pre-release developer crew and the post-release developer crew are often the same one, we make a distinction between the two regardless. The people who work on MAKING the product are not the same to us as the people who work on FIXING the product, though they may often be the same individuals.
This is because the developers of a released game are in the service industry, not the advertising/entertainment industry. We expect them to "fix" our problems, and are disappointed when they not only do not do so, but feed us marketing jargon and form letters of intent to do well in the future. We are disappointed because we have already bought their product, and we are hoping for a "fix," but our service techs are stuck trying to sell us more of their product.
And they do this because the powers that be are convinced that even post-launch, it is more important to sell their product than to service it. Granted, I can have this attitude because I get paid to fix things... the difference is that my payments are on a fix-by-fix basis. MMO companies are paid a monthly fee.
For our dollar, it should not have to be a chore for our product developers to say simply and eloquently;
"Our's is a quality product. We stand by its continued improvement, and will continue to do so for as long as it is possible to do so. We are going through a rough time due to the market downturn/reccession right now, but we will continue to keep you updated on the product development. You, our loyal customers, are the reason this game is still here, so we will do what we can to keep you satisfied. To that end, we are tightening our belts (<layoffs, demotions, subscription rate increases, etc>) and working on game improvements (<here's some specifics>). Additionally, we are looking at alternative methods of dealing with <problematic game issue>. There isn't a definate timeline on this, but our best guess is <a largely overestimated length of time from right now>, assuming that things go well. Thank you for continuing to use our product. Keep sending us valuable feedback, and we will continue to do everything we can to continue making this product a high quality and enjoyable experience for you. -Management"
It simply amazes me that anyone in the gaming industry who reads a statement like this just sees the line "We are going through a rough time" or anything like it as THE REAL PROBLEM with this kind of statement. I constantly tell people that Norton anti-virus is trash. This causes Norton to never be sold by me. But how do I make money, you ask? By then selling them service (duh) and offering alternatives to their crappy product (which does not make me money directly, but which increases customer satisfaction and retention). Every customer relations statement should bare this in mind with every sentence. "Tell them the awful truth, but offer them hope by way of alternative."
You can make money, but you don't have to lie and be a douche to do so. But MMO companies rarely seem to care to try and be anything but middle-ground, stagnantly moderate, and unwilling to tactfully tell the truth while still retaining their integrity and dignity. Instead, they tell us only the "good" parts, assuming that any admission that "bad stuff" exists and is a problem will be their doom. I don't think customers are demanding doom and gloom. They are demanding truth.
Supply and demand and all that.
Whew, long post.
[Begin Sarcasm]
Girls don't use the internet unless theres a webcam involved....its a physical impossibility.
They also don't play them thar vidya gaymes, mmorpg = most men online role play girls...even in ventrillo.
-kyte317
Well... Its not just the MMO industry thats learned not to tell the truth for the most part. In all too many cases when told what they need to know, rather than what they want to hear, people can and for the most part do erupt in rage and/or panic. The other area is obviously politics. Its political suicide for most politicians to tell the truth(Ron Paul and Bernie Sanders being one of the few exceptions). Look at it from their perspective. Between distortions, rumors, and out right lies(haters/fan boys of other games) just about any announcement thats made can be used against ones game/or company. Thats not good for either the game, or the companies share price. Yes, I also wish they would tell the truth, but I realize why so many rely so much on vague PR speak. Its a matter of self defense.
As someone who has used MMOs as escape in the wake of being laid off myself, I find it rather startling just how deep my annoyance at this whole debacle has been. Empathy for fellow working stiffs outweighs the enjoyment of the game and it damages not just loyalty to the game, but to the entire concept of MMOs being an escape.
In a sufficiently long-running game, there is also the element of the blurring of the line between being a customer and being a citizen ... I tend to look at the dev team and its leadership more like a local government than suppliers of a product. It's not that town councils don't need to ever cut staff or make hard, unpopular decisions, but there's a layer of democratic accountability before people express themselves and their tax dollars out of town. *ponders the mechanics of switching a game to subscriber-ownership*
Also, I feel a certain amusement that a company would try to withhold restructuring information from a customer community who have a proven ability to assemble spoiler guides within minutes of new content being published.
Ah well, as good an excuse as any to move on to a new hobby.
Nice Article. Didn't like the Daoc letter wasn't for just that game as it should of been but rather a form letter to all 3 games...i wish they would tell it like it is really..
Playing daoc and loving it totally..
have Played
Eq,Eq2,WoW,Coh,Cov,
and other..
which i have forgotten..
I've said this a couple of times already. We are heading for a MMORPG crash. We had one with arcade games in the 80s and we are at the start of the MMORPG one right now. Companies who should have known better are learning the painful hard way that MMO does not equate to instant fincial success. In fact most of the time it is a continuing loss on investment. For those of you who read this and think "Oh yeah what about Wow?" I'd be willing to bet that Blizzard would had done far better financially if they had just put all the money time and talent into more games such as Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2. (Of course this being Blizzard, none of the single player games would have been released yet so maybe not.)
We are going to have to wait for some upgrades in technology that make creating tons of MMORPG content cheaper and easier, and some innovative new ideas in mmorpg financial models before we see anything but lackluster success in online gaming.
Those of us in the gaming community weaning ourselves off crap products for lack of anything better to do, and forcing companies to come up with something better would not hurt either.
"One important thing to note here is the different philosophies pertaining to huge corporate companies vs the independents in times of strife.
The huge company just cares about profits. They will cut and slash until they get the job done at the right profit level. They will also change the payment models to suit their needs.
The independents are just trying to make a livelihood. They will nurture and pour everything they have into their game to ensure that the customer is satisfied."
Really Ruyn? Then please explain the wooden headed stupidity of Aventurine's handling of Darkfall.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
Tasco's ego for one... It wouldn't be the first(nor the last) game to have serious difficulties due to the head Dev's ego problems. I well remember the console crash of 84. It took years and years for the industry to recover. While its possible, that MMO's are headed that way, I suspect its not going to be nearly as bad. There is WAY too much money to be made, and there are already WAY too many players much more deeply involved than console gamers of that time were. I totally agree that what is needed is some new methods of content creation though. Some of the middle ware suites show promise as they evolve. But again, I suspect thats years in the future. It will be interesting to see if Blizzard can pull off even close to the same subs with their next MMO. If they can, that alone may prevent any general crash and burn.
I agree.
I feel bad for all the people who lost their jobs as usually its the little guy who is struggling with family and bills who gets the axe.
When it should be the asshats who are making the actual bad decisions who get the boot.
No more half assed products=More money being made=more people working not less.
I feel for the folks who got the axe. Having been there myself this year twice. I know the times are hard. Lots of bussines is down.
However if they would make a quality product, folks would stay. IF they would make the game fun folks would stay. Instead they go about cutting the lower end of the specturm, and forcing the palyer base to play with less, and that is when folks get unhappy and leave.
I think all the game companies can learn from this, and that is you better do what it take to keep your player base happy.
I don't blame the dev's, who I blame is the management. They are the ones calling the orders, and makking a mess of things.
I just hope these guys get new jobs times are tough.
...
The example is a bit of a different situation, telling someone their computer is dead that they paid you to look at isn't the same as an MMO company telling you something like "We're closing in 3 months" or "Our subscription numbers have been steadily slipping". Telling that customer their computer is broken doesn't effect you at all, in fact it might make your store money if they buy through you. Telling customers the game is closing in 3 months or it is not doing well makes many more players quit which loses you money and then makes more players quit.
Read any official MMO forums, anytime something shows up that players didn't expect they remark along the lines of "This game will be gone in 6 months." For whatever reason MMO players are the most pessimistic people in the world. One single game mechanic changes and they then assume that the whole game will change so they quit. An update gets pushed back, oh the game must not have enough money to support it so they quit. No matter what information you give to players they find a way to twist it into something negative. So imagine what happens when you start with the negative.
I would love more straight forward honesty in the business. I would love to know team sizes and pop numbers. I would like to know if the company is expanding or shrinking and everything they have planned for the next year. But I know I'm not going to get that information because amazingly releasing that information will essentially always cost the game money.
Yes there are certainly those of us who can handle the information without causing us to cancel our subs and put on tinfoil hats, but that isn't the case for most. Even look at the posts on this site. Aion says it will reduce it's queue times, and then the queue times go away. Instantly there are posts of "No wait to get into Aion, the game is dying." It is amazing how people can twist information.
Also every player has a different take on what the company should do and when. The most common thing I read from players on the games I play is "Well that's a waste of the dev time they should do this." and then in responses "No that would be a waste of dev time to they should do this." So even releasing information of what the plan for the next month and year is still has people deciding the company is doing everything wrong.
Hi All,
There's another topic similar to this that i wouldn't mind that one of the Mmorpg.com columnists covered. That of the gaming print journalism shrinking in regards to magazines.
In the last year and a half we as gamers here in the States. Have lost 3 very good gamer magazines that were 10 years plus in circulation. That being "Computer Gaming World" that renamed itself to something else with the "Microsoft" name. Besides that of "Computer Games World" and "Electronic Gaming Monthly" (EGM) also got snuffed out.
I'm sure there are a couple more I could name like "Next Generation". Which lasted like 7 years in total.
Will the Internet be the only viable media outlet for Gaming Journalism? I hope not.
----------------------
The Older Gamers
Print media is fading out in general. News papers(local and national) are having a more and more difficult time keeping subscribers as more people move on line for their information. Its just a sign of the times. I don't see the trend doing anything but growing.
While the economy does its thing, I have to say I hope the MMO industry does not go on the micro-transaction route.
I say this because using micro-transactions, as others have stated in this thread, can cost more than a monthly fee. In addition, I think a standard monthly fee puts the customer and developer on the same page financially. The customer knows what they are paying and has a level of expectation tagged to it, while the developer knows how much they're getting in subscription revenues and works off of this, ideally to meet customer expectations.
A micro-transaction model also creates an imbalance between players; those who spend and those who don't. The paying people get nice things, the others don't. A monthly sub model puts them on the same level. If you don't use the time you pay for, you should probably use the money for something better. =P
I hope the industry takes a turn toward being more open with the customer base. Yeah, it can be pretty nasty, but if you're transparent from the start, you can avoid problems and even collaborate with the community to create more appreciated and dynamic content. Being in the open isn't a bad thing unless you have something to hide. Unfortunately, people everywhere have a lot to hide. =(
Hi All,
To quote "TJKazmark":
----------
"I say this because using micro-transactions, as others have stated in this thread, can cost more than a monthly fee. "
Well it seems the MMO Industry is going in the direction of a mix of the two. That being a smaller subscription price and micro-transactions. (ideal example is "Free Realms") As a way to bridge it's inexperience with micro-transactions they are keeping smaller subscription rates for the meanwhile. When the MMO Industry is fully confident in micro-transactions expect to see variant types of micro-transactions as forms of payment in game play.
Yes, micro-transactions can cost more to players than the typical subscription payment model. But that where "self restraint" comes in your house hold budget. The game developer / publisher wants you to splurge like your going to a real life casino.
When you go to the Mall you don't go bonkers buying all the junk you see. Over time that will be the case with players in terms of micro-transactions.
----------------------
The Older Gamers
I can agree with that. One thing that I'm unsure of though is the importance of the items obtained from micro-transactions. I wouldn't want to see a model where you won't be able to compete if you don't buy from the shop. I'm actually more keen to see how a hybrid mix would work, with the game having, say, a $5 per month sub and an item shop that actually offers cool stuff. On that note, I'm going to do some musing on the subject and see if I can't come up with a thoughtful blog post.