Forbes article on why SWTOR had to go F2P

[Count Sacula]

Good stuff and it is always best to get the story from someone who does not have a dog in the fight. I am sure some drones will come up with a way to blame the players......

Five Lessons Learned as SWTOR Surrenders - Forbes

[brisselio]

Count you make no sense what so ever. You say how you love the game and everything else.

Just because we defend the game that we all love does not make us drones it ceases to amaze me that someone would want to join a fan forum site and then start calling every one a drone or a fanboy.

Do you think in some big way you were right? That bioware loved your posts and really took it to heart? If you are so unhappy with the game quit now and just let the rest of us enjoy the game in peace.

Go ahead and defend yourself and say your vocal and just point out the flaws and what not. If you truly loved the game you wouldn't be picking apart every aspect of the game because something is wrong.

You seem to have ruined this site for quite a lot of people who used to absolutely love it. After seeing all your trollish posts and name calling you destroy what the site is.

[Jetsu]

I actually agree with the first part of that article. BioWare got burned largely because they developed using an inaccurate guess as to what the future of games hold. Personally, I'm still surprised there aren't more subscribers (though I wouldn't have bet near that much money on it :p). Hindsight and all that. However, to their credit, they've been reacting very quickly to everything (from adding features to going F2P).

I don't think it's "wrong" for them to gone MMO with this title though. It's not going to be a game for everyone, but I've been having a blast playing through a story with other players (especially seeing different personalities in flashpoints). If they now release Dragon Age Online, Mass Effect Online, etc... I'll start agreeing that they're looking too much into MMOs but as it is now SWTOR is still the BEST online story experience.

Edit: Inappropriate punctuation!

[SoulBender]

There ya go...

[clamus68]

I have stated multiple times that this game was short sided in the planning stages here. The game never took certain features into account that WoW added over the years while swtor was in development. I basically understood that and enjoyed the game nonetheless. I believe certain things contributed mightily to the failure of the P2P model. Most fairly well enumerated within the article linked above. In the end I believe that even though SWTOR is far ahead of where WoW was after 7 months, in today's far more toxic gaming community it wasn't nearly enough. WoW reset the playing field in 2k6. I personally won't play it again, but then again we could argue we have been playing it with a new background in SWTOR. The only thing that will make SWTOR viable in the future is more content. You can not move at Blizzard's pace because you do not have the goodwill built up that they do. You need more content now. Not new races, cosmetic touches, new armor or new harder modes of existing content but new places to go and new things to do. Its a fun game but you can reach the end of content pretty fast for any one toon. I like the game and will play through my remaining time which will put me mid way through October, either well into f2p or just on the cusp of it. At that point I will see what direction the game is headed and if I like it then i stay. If not then I walk knowing I had a hella good time.

[Hastur242]

This article is absolutely trash. It was written by another whiner who got paid for writing an article yet never understands why developers, writers, programmers, etc deserved to get paid. The game was not a failure in the slightest. It had its share of problems but dropping to below 1 million subscribers for the first time a few months after launch can hardly be called a losing model. I didn't enjoy WOW but they gained subscribers through years of fixes add ons and more content. F2B works in certain scenarios but not on quality mmo's in IMHO. What this game ran into is lack of endgame bugs and of course a slow economy. EA's lack of vision and the heart to see this game expand and grow just put the nail in the coffin.

[Zargs]

And WOW lost 1,1 mille Subscribers in Q2 2012. Now its 9,1 mille Subscribers.

Previous Subscription Losses
Q1 2011 - 600,000 subscribers lost
Q2 2011 - 300,000 subscribers lost
Q3 2011 - 800,000 subscribers lost
Q4 2011 - 100,000 subscribers lost.
Q1 2012 - 0 subscribers lost.
Q2 2012 - 1,100,000 subscribers lost.

[Lucious]

Here's the rub, there was a mention of time to play. Yes, that is true. Some people are fortunate to be able to work 2 or 3 jobs to keep their family alive. Not many are just working 1 job in the US any more. The pay won't allow that. Also, those who are unemployed usually don't sit around and play games. They are looking for jobs or can't afford a subscription. Depending on how you work it, 15 bucks can mean 10 meals served.

I'm saying this because most subs are US and then Euro based. The economies in Europe are ablaze and that of the US has already burned to ash. Now, it appears that subs are leaving WoW at a record pace. Considering they have a massive Asian sub base, this isn't surprising. The economy sucks in all of the consuming countries. Those in China aren't working like they were 5-10 years ago When Americans and Europeans had the credit to buy their crap.

And yeah, you Sac of crap, it is the players that destroy or elevate a game to success. You are a hurtful individual, I would really like to know what made you so bitter. It certainly wasn't a game. I am sure you are just the same on any topic you would care to interject your opinion into.

[clamus68]

This article is absolutely trash. It was written by another whiner who got paid for writing an article yet never understands why developers, writers, programmers, etc deserved to get paid. The game was not a failure in the slightest. It had its share of problems but dropping to below 1 million subscribers for the first time a few months after launch can hardly be called a losing model. I didn't enjoy WOW but they gained subscribers through years of fixes add ons and more content. F2B works in certain scenarios but not on quality mmo's in IMHO. What this game ran into is lack of endgame bugs and of course a slow economy. EA's lack of vision and the heart to see this game expand and grow just put the nail in the coffin.

Okay, this article appears in a financial magazine not a gamer rag whose readership includes teenagers. The demographic for Forbes readers is substantially more financially able and sound. They are also older so there is no real axe to grind unlike Gamespy. If you fail to see this shift as a failure then you misunderstand basic business. Simple question: would EA make SWTOR f2p if the subscriber base was at 2.5m? Would they at 1.5m or even 1.0m? Simple answer no. When SWTOR was in development way back when, they figured to get YEARS of subscriber fees from hopefully millions of people. Not 5 or 10 million like WoW but hopefully 2 or 3 million. Now the only way they make a good level of profit is to abandon a pay model, which is by far preferred, to a free to play model + microtransactions. Is there money to be made that way? Sure. Is it close to what they could make off of two million paid subscribers? Hell no. See had the subscriber base remained strong at one million then EA would HAVE to hold on to p2p, but subscriptions fell well below that they had no choice but change their thinking. That is failure defined. It is a RESPONSE to the loss of cash flow. The reasons cited are legitimate. Simply put this is an unmitigated disaster for EA. Their stock took a huge hit because so much was riding on the projected income SWTOR was supposed to generate. I have said this many times and will say it again, I enjoy the game but there are some SERIOUS flaws within the game. They haven't been addressed, the subscriber base shrank because of it. SWTOR became f2p because of those flaws that weren't addressed and the players voted with their wallets. Given that EA had to save face by going f2p.

T L : D R: The game is an unmitigated disaster financially and the article was dead on. And yes I still enjoy playing.

[clamus68]

We will not know if the drop is a blip like it is EVERY time before WoW drops an expansion or a real loss. If it rebounds then all is well in WoW land. If not then don't be surprised about a mass exodus and possibly Activision going f2p and pushing Titan out the door then.

[clamus68]

Players dictate the success or failure of a game by reaction. Had BW offered the SWTOR of right now back on day 1, I betcha SWTOR chugs along as a p2p model for a long time. Kill some of those bugs, deWoW the game some and this game easily hits 2.5 million subscribers at this point. Bioware/EA drove this bus but as passengers we left and didn't come back. I like the game but there is no denying this is bad.

[Jetsu]

And WOW lost 1,1 mille Subscribers in Q2 2012. Now its 9,1 mille Subscribers.

Previous Subscription Losses
Q1 2011 - 600,000 subscribers lost
Q2 2011 - 300,000 subscribers lost
Q3 2011 - 800,000 subscribers lost
Q4 2011 - 100,000 subscribers lost.
Q1 2012 - 0 subscribers lost.
Q2 2012 - 1,100,000 subscribers lost.

I'd be surprised if this doesn't pick back up for a little in a month though. At the end of every expansion Blizzard lets people sit with content for easily 4-5 months before they release the next and lose a lot of subscriptions only to get a bunch back after launch.

[SoulBender]

And it's summer.

[Jetsu]

And it's summer.

Very true. I think it's weird that when so many kids have so much free time games see less activity, but for some reason there's a summer slump for video games.

[Hastur242]

This article is absolutely trash. It was written by another whiner who got paid for writing an article yet never understands why developers, writers, programmers, etc deserved to get paid. The game was not a failure in the slightest. It had its share of problems but dropping to below 1 million subscribers for the first time a few months after launch can hardly be called a losing model. I didn't enjoy WOW but they gained subscribers through years of fixes add ons and more content. F2B works in certain scenarios but not on quality mmo's in IMHO. What this game ran into is lack of endgame bugs and of course a slow economy. EA's lack of vision and the heart to see this game expand and grow just put the nail in the coffin.

Okay, this article appears in a financial magazine not a gamer rag whose readership includes teenagers. The demographic for Forbes readers is substantially more financially able and sound. They are also older so there is no real axe to grind unlike Gamespy. If you fail to see this shift as a failure then you misunderstand basic business. Simple question: would EA make SWTOR f2p if the subscriber base was at 2.5m? Would they at 1.5m or even 1.0m? Simple answer no. When SWTOR was in development way back when, they figured to get YEARS of subscriber fees from hopefully millions of people. Not 5 or 10 million like WoW but hopefully 2 or 3 million. Now the only way they make a good level of profit is to abandon a pay model, which is by far preferred, to a free to play model + microtransactions. Is there money to be made that way? Sure. Is it close to what they could make off of two million paid subscribers? Hell no. See had the subscriber base remained strong at one million then EA would HAVE to hold on to p2p, but subscriptions fell well below that they had no choice but change their thinking. That is failure defined. It is a RESPONSE to the loss of cash flow. The reasons cited are legitimate. Simply put this is an unmitigated disaster for EA. Their stock took a huge hit because so much was riding on the projected income SWTOR was supposed to generate. I have said this many times and will say it again, I enjoy the game but there are some SERIOUS flaws within the game. They haven't been addressed, the subscriber base shrank because of it. SWTOR became f2p because of those flaws that weren't addressed and the players voted with their wallets. Given that EA had to save face by going f2p.

T L : D R: The game is an unmitigated disaster financially and the article was dead on. And yes I still enjoy playing.

Just because it's in a financial magazine doesn't make it true. WOW started with less then a million subscribers and worked its way up and yes lost subscribers along the way. A steady million plus subscribers is not a financial disaster far from it. My point was that EA didn't want to put the time or resources into growing SWTOR they thought that WOW has 10 million subs they should also just by launching the game. Mmos take time and need patience to grow and expand. On top of everything else this is just one opinion among many I'm just upset that my favorite game may be on a downward spiral because of some trend that may or may not work for this game