Freemium vs Subscription

[Ferrel]

Since EQ2 is going Free To Play Sorta ™ I thought I'd ask this age old question again and get people talking.

What way do you prefer to go? In EQ2's case if you look at what you get for $15.00 a month on the sub side vs the Freemium side you come out a LOT better. The extended service is literally a bad value proposition for players but it gives a lot of freedom.

Put aside the "power for cash" concept a moment and lets look at "content for cash."

Would you like a free game that you had to pay for content or do you prefer the subscription model? (I prefer the purchase of hours model myself).

[bonecarverpm]

I Prefer the monthly subscription dont care for the so called FTP its a slick marketing Ploy to prey upon that impulse buy mentality,OH OH MUST HAVE SHINY ,......."SQUIRREL "

Just give me the game and take your micro transaction and *#^#%$^&& up your *(#&$%^5

sorry every one thats about as animated as you will see me get, I obviously dont like slick marketing S(&$ in my fantasy worlds/games .

[Finneon]

I haven't played a "free" game yet where I didn't feel cheated at some point because what I thought was "free" was truly just an incomplete game that I'd have to pay for eventually in order to enjoy higher level content.

I also believe that the health of the game company is extremely important and unless it could be proven that the "free" game profits are higher than a monthly subscription then I would want a game I truly enjoyed to be as financially successful as possible through monthly subs.

BUT... I think there is a limit to what people will pay per month, now that there is an option for playing free games. If it runs over $15 per month, then the game will lose subs. Or never get them in the first place.

[Nybling]

yeah, Free-to-Play or Freemium should basically be labeled "Unlimited Trials". I mean, I don't think you can really play any of these games without spending some coin here or there, or doing serious grinding.

[Mustardo]

DDO and Allods are the only two "free" games that I've managed to get all the way to the level cap in. I quit both of them very quickly after reaching that cap, because it's at that point when "pay to win" turns into "pay to do pretty much anything other than reroll". I don't feel like I wasted my time in either case, since I had fun playing for as long as I did. My rule is this; the moment I cannot enjoy myself without paying money in a "free" game is the moment I stop playing it. In some cases, that moment comes sooner than others.

[Nybling]

Actually, looking at the chart for the plans for this EQ2F2P system? I don't know wtf SOE is smoking. I mean limiting the $200 per year sub to only 4 races and having to buy more?

[agra]

As long as there is a subscription option, I don't personally care how they spin it.

But if there is no subscription option, my personal experience has been the game does not have the same sense of community as a game with a subscription option.

Also, freemium/pay-to-win games generally have some or one of the following:

No grouping until max level.
No grouping required, ever.
Solo to max level is faster than grouping to max level.
Soloing providing better loot & xp than grouping, in the same amount of play time.

As such, I'm not a fan of the model, but only in light of the current implementations. I prefer subscription-only games, but I have played games that call themselves free to play.

[Hannar]

I left LOTRO a few months back because it finally got to the point where the lack of challenge overcame the enjoyment of the setting. They have recently moved to this tiered subscription service as well.

As for EQ2, it's times like these that I'm glad I have my SOE press pass and can ignore anything to do with my station account . There are a number of decisions relating to EQ2 that I'm not fond of, but unfortunately it's still the closest thing to my ideal MMO that's out there currently, so I'll still be involved. I don't feel strongly about this subscription model change.

The guys in suits (speaking, technically, as a guy in a suit myself) will continue to look for ways to innovate pricing models and expand subscription numbers beyond the current audience. It's not in our nature to say "you know, enough profit is enough." What I wish we had more of were developers and marketers and publishers that had a more keen instinct for how these decisions impact communities. I am sure there are focus groups and surveys, but the landscape is littered with failed examples of developer efforts to mesh retention with growth.

[Valdur]

I prefer a monthly subscription over Freemium as no matter what people may think you will have to throw a lot of money to be able to play.

[Ferrel]

(07-27-2010 08:03 PM)Hannar Wrote:  There are a number of decisions relating to EQ2 that I'm not fond of, but unfortunately it's still the closest thing to my ideal MMO that's out there currently, so I'll still be involved. I don't feel strongly about this subscription model change.

That is how I feel about it. I am concerned for the Live game though. It seems like there will be little in the way of new player growth for us.

As Nybling pointed out though. The deal you get for EQ2x is not that great.