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MMOSide Chat: Which MMORPG Business Model Do You Prefer? | MMORPG.com

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  • MischiefMischief Member UncommonPosts: 79
    Buy the game then pay a sub. I get no satisfaction from a character that it only took my credit card number to get his gear or appearance. I want to go find that stuff in the world.
    ultimateduck
  • UngoodUngood Member LegendaryPosts: 7,534
    Imagine you are like six hours into playing WoW and you run out of mana and you get a popup to refill mana for a dollar. In the heat of the moment you're not exactly going to be price sensitive and I'd love to pay a dollar to get my mana back. Bliss.
    I'll be honest, I never played WoW, so I can't tell if you are serious or joking.
    Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.

  • PalebanePalebane Member RarePosts: 4,011
    edited March 2021
    I like ESO model the best. I get the most value for an optional sub, with a highly forgettable cash shop for those with a hole in their wallet. If desperate whales want to pay for the development of a game I enjoy, I’m happy about it.

    Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.

  • waveslayerwaveslayer Member UncommonPosts: 589
    Sub or b2p, I won't touch free ptw games at all.

    Godz of War I call Thee

  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,273
    AugustusG said:
    Marvel Heroes had a F2P model that suited me very well. Non-P2W F2P models are my favourites.
    Welcome to the forums! :)
  • LuidenLuiden Member RarePosts: 337
    Subscription all the way. What people don't realize is that when you make somebody pay every month chances are they are less inclined to troll and try ruin the game for others... this is done several ways but the author highlights one of them as himself couldn't play the early MMORPGs as a kid because he couldn't afford it. Those games back then had a much more mature player base.

    What isn't being talking about is how the subscription price point hasn't changed in the last decade.. that is the real story. For a quality MMORPG and entertainment I would pay 50 dollars a month.. let that sink in.
    ultimateduck
  • phoenixfire2phoenixfire2 Member UncommonPosts: 228
    Ungood said:
    Imagine you are like six hours into playing WoW and you run out of mana and you get a popup to refill mana for a dollar. In the heat of the moment you're not exactly going to be price sensitive and I'd love to pay a dollar to get my mana back. Bliss.
    I'll be honest, I never played WoW, so I can't tell if you are serious or joking.

    Haha sorry just a slight reimagining of the classic EA CEO John Riccitello's famous quote:

    "When you are six hours into playing Battlefield and you run out of ammo in your clip, and we ask you for a dollar to reload, you're really not very price sensitive at that point in time."


    Ungood
  • UngoodUngood Member LegendaryPosts: 7,534
    Ungood said:
    Imagine you are like six hours into playing WoW and you run out of mana and you get a popup to refill mana for a dollar. In the heat of the moment you're not exactly going to be price sensitive and I'd love to pay a dollar to get my mana back. Bliss.
    I'll be honest, I never played WoW, so I can't tell if you are serious or joking.

    Haha sorry just a slight reimagining of the classic EA CEO John Riccitello's famous quote:

    "When you are six hours into playing Battlefield and you run out of ammo in your clip, and we ask you for a dollar to reload, you're really not very price sensitive at that point in time."



    That's hilarious!

    But it made me think of DDO, where you can buy mana pots from the store, and while, truth be told, they only exist as a crutch for players trying to do content that is way out of their league, I was wondering if WOW was the same way, and pulling that kind of crap in a pvp game, lol now that is an ass move
    phoenixfire2
    Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.

  • dllddlld Member UncommonPosts: 615
    full f2p is too vulnerable to botting and hackers and usually comes with extremely obnoxious cashshops since it's their only income.

    Full sub is good but only if you have that one game that completely pulls you in for years.

    B2P with a optional sub is best for me as I don't have to pony up 15 bucks just to check out a new patch for the multiple mmo's I have purchased during the many years. And if i like it I can resub.
  • LithuanianLithuanian Member UncommonPosts: 558
    F2P. Perfect model was Istaria: you get all content, armour/cosmetics/recipes, but are limited to one race (Human) and no housing.

    Lotro's model seems to be perfect: you get start regions and may get enough points to buy what you want, when you want. Only one "but" - store should not sell items that gives advantage in battle. And no, no "mini-expansions" or expansions with ridiculous prices.
    Po_ggNepheth
  • NookierNookier Newbie CommonPosts: 1
    In general, I haven't been so interested in games lately. I follow the gaming industry and when something really interesting comes out, I start to pass.
  • NephethNepheth Member RarePosts: 473
    F2P or B2P with optionlal subscription is my favorite model. I don't like straight up b2p because it can cause slow content releases. Gw2 is a perfect example for this if you ask me. I love the game but sometimes it feels like they could use some extra income with a stable pace so they can release proper content a lot more frequently.

    Albion and ESO are the mmos that I'm satisfied the most when it comes to business model. Sub is very important for Albion and you can either buy it via in game silver or real money. It's up to you. But if you're so tight on money, you can play the game for free as much as you want with a slower pace of progression.

    ESO on the other hand has a perfect business model for earning money while releasing content frequently. But I have other problems with Zenimax. They are too greedy when it comes to shit like new mounts etc. They already have a subscription that most players pay for monthly. On top of that they release chapters frequently and again tons of players buy them. They should add more mounts, pets etc to earn in game. There are couple of mounts you can earn via events and one from a raid. That's all. All the other shit comes from crown store. If they get rid of this greedy mindset, it's a perfect business model. Either buy all the dlc and chapters or pay montly to earn access to them.
  • RungarRungar Member RarePosts: 1,132
    variable subscription based on house size rental. $5-40 a month. 

    instanced small apartment $5
    instanced large apartment $7
    instanced small home         $9
    instanced medium home    $11          
    zoned medium home          $13
    zoned large home               $15
    instanced guild lair            $25
    zoned guild lair                  $40



    no p2W. No cash shop. no bank, No nft's. No bullshit. Expectation of median income of $11 a month per player. Housing determines overall storage capabilities. Guild lairs aren't houses but more like hideouts with special capabilities for handling large number of player guests.  
    Kyleran
    .05 of a second to midnight
  • The_KorriganThe_Korrigan Member RarePosts: 3,460
    I think the business model of ESO is close to perfection.
    Optional subscription, with great advantages but none gamebreaking or "pay2win", but you can still log in and play if you didn't pay.
    That's the model I would implement if I had to create a MMORPG.
    Scot
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  • MaurgrimMaurgrim Member RarePosts: 1,327
    I prefer full subscription, everything can be obtained in game, nothing can be bought in a store not even fluff.
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  • HazenXIIIHazenXIII Member UncommonPosts: 163
    Buy the game + monthly sub in order to get an absolutely full game (deco/customization/etc. all found/bought/looted in-game NOT an item store) is what I prefer a la Star Wars Galaxies. Nothing better in my opinion.
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  • RungarRungar Member RarePosts: 1,132
    I think the business model of ESO is close to perfection.
    Optional subscription, with great advantages but none gamebreaking or "pay2win", but you can still log in and play if you didn't pay.
    That's the model I would implement if I had to create a MMORPG.
    its the best model around currently but I think a variable subscription is the way to go. Even no p2w cash shop devalues the game as everything that looks cool has to be purchased and a lot of development time is focused on getting the money back rather than the game. 


    .05 of a second to midnight
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,975
    I think the business model of ESO is close to perfection.
    Optional subscription, with great advantages but none gamebreaking or "pay2win", but you can still log in and play if you didn't pay.
    That's the model I would implement if I had to create a MMORPG.
    ESO's model is one of the more onerous ones IMO, sure you can play it if willing to put up with all sorts of disadvantages and inconveniences, but it is designed to strongly encourage more and more spending.

    It might not have much P2W but it has pay for advantages all throughout it's design, including avoiding content when leveling up alts.

    Not unusual to hear my guild mates on Discord routinely discuss their latest crown store purchases , 14K for a house, (about $60 worth) just this week, unfurnished no less), trade crowns for gold, or buy off from completing annoying content like the Psijic order or other quest lines.

    For alts, one can purchase with crowns all skyshards in a zone (if previously unlocked by another character) or skip the 90 day horse improvement grind (60% mount speed, 60 slots of player carry capacity being most useful).

    It's like when pot smokers claim it isn't addictive and can stop whenever they wish, yet seem to be high all of the time, the ESO cash shop model isn't as benign as many seem to believe and players including myself even find themselves spending more than most other models, because it's mostly optional.... But not really.



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  • RungarRungar Member RarePosts: 1,132
    I figure over time as players inventory grows they will naturally gravitate to the larger storage solutions but you can still access the game at low cost if needed or preferred. 

    need some sub to keep the "tards" out or else it will be a botfest but you want it as accessible as possible. Except for the apartments which you only need to furnish you would actually have to build your own instanced or zoned houses so you just get a plot of land with an item limit. The rest is up to you but you could hire builders or purchase prefabs ingame (ingame money, not your credit card). 

    You just pay for your space which is more than reasonable and very flexible i think.  


    .05 of a second to midnight
  • olepiolepi Member EpicPosts: 3,017
    I prefer the old-fashioned monthly sub. No cash shop. Everything in the game can be gotten in the game.

    ------------
    2024: 47 years on the Net.


  • Jamar870Jamar870 Member UncommonPosts: 573
    I agree with olepi. 
  • dragonbranddragonbrand Member UncommonPosts: 441
    Sub, in most cases. B2P is a good alternative.

    Gaming since Avalon Hill was making board games.

    Played SWG, EVE, Fallen Earth, LOTRO, Rift, Vanguard, WoW, SWTOR, TSW, Tera
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  • bcbullybcbully Member EpicPosts: 11,843
    olepi said:
    I prefer the old-fashioned monthly sub. No cash shop. Everything in the game can be gotten in the game.
    How much of a sub are you willing to pay for a 500 million dollar AAA mmorpg?
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