Why we don’t want two MMO’s at the same time…
I am nearly 100% sure that this notion is nothing new, but I was way too lazy to dig around the web and find out.
The current method of paying to play in MMO games is terrible in my opinion. Most think that playing more than one MMO at a time is a problem simply because it would be an incredible time sink. Certainly this is true to some degree, but I think the larger reason is simply this: people don?t want to pay 100 bucks up front, and 30 bucks a month for two different games, no matter how great the games might be.
A real world example? I?d be happy to still be playing Aion AND WoW at the same time. With Star Trek Online out now, there are now three games I?d like to be playing here and there.
So there?s the problem. Want a solution?
Stay with me…
Do it like cell phone services, with a couple of tweaks. Charge me 15 bucks a month, but only if I?ve used all my time.
For example, lets say they charge my credit card on Monday the 1st of March. That would included unlimited play time up to April 1st, just as it does now. That is roughly .50 cents a day for that month.
Now, lets say I only played 10 days worth of that 30 days paid time. Carry that unused 20 days over to the next month, and don?t charge me again until I use the 20 hours up. A little like carry-over minutes for your cell phone. In effect, I am paying a per our rate, and not being charged for time I am not in the game.
Now, I know there are some holes here. For one, no one plays a total of 720 hours in 30 days time. So there?s no such thing as someone getting 100% of their paid time completed in a month. A huge portion of the player base will end up in the ?casual? bracket, and 15 bucks could potentially last them 6 months or more, thus effectively killing a substantial portion of revenue for the games developer.
Maybe you don?t count hours or days, but rather you are given a ?credit? system that represent time chunks. Say they are 8 hour ?credits?, and you are given 90 ?credits? for the month, and when you use those up, you?ve used your time. That could be adjusted of course.
All that said, my idea is all about getting these games into more hands. 10 million players in WoW seems like a lot, but a plan that made these games less of a financial commitment for players could potentially bring in tens of millions more.
I am well aware that no one is going to change to this system anytime soon, but some of these failing MMO?s might find some new life if they change it up a little, and give us more ways to pay…and then maybe we?ll play.
Category: Journal 14 comments »
February 5th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Sorry, but there is just no motivation for MMO companies to do this, especially when it just makes you more likely to spend more time with their competition.
However, Sony does (or did, it’s been a while) have a “Station Pass” that lets you play all of their games for the same monthly fee. If Mythic had been able to do that for Warhammer Online along with DAoC, I would have certainly played both, and those who came into WAR could have helped breathe new life into the fading DAoC. NC Soft had the same chance with all of their games, but passed it up. I would love to play Lineage 2 again, once in a while, if I felt like being subbed to Aion or City of Heroes.
I think at the least that companies should have a way to encourage you to play their other games. It’s only good for them as they can charge a little extra and get people to buy more expansions or other premium content overall.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
I doubt WoW would do this, since they’re the one most people would choose in the current pay structure, but this would be a good idea for newer MMOs to consider. As a WoW player who has friends/family in game, I don’t have the desire to even try a new MMO if it’ll automatically double my monthly costs.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
I’m not criticizing you for your idea here. But if they did this, even with the idea of a credit or carry-over system, MMO’s would likely cost 20 or even 30 dollars a month, possibly even more, so that the companies providing service for the game could still generate the same revenue.
Even applying the “Well, they could afford to lose some of the business” idea that so many people use as an argument won’t work, as no business would, or should, apply that sort of reasoning to their business model.
Now, had either of your model been applied first, that might have made a difference.
It would be interesting to see some of the smaller MMO’s or newer ones, maybe without the big names, try one of these methods. That might actually help them compete with the big boys.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
This is a good read and I like the motion where some games would like to go.
I too would like to play a few MMO’s at one time but the cost is to high for me. However for me the biggest issue is getting into the game in the first place. The cost of $50 bucks for each game I want to try is a little bit much for me to try out a game. Especially today where you can get into Open Betas for most popular games. However this usually has me playing a game that is still buggy or the beta is more of a stress test. This doesn’t give me a full depth of the game, so by the end of the beta test I only leveled a few times and left with little to go on. In the end the game goes not bought since paying the full cost is to much of a gamble. And then I return to my happy little life in WoW.
I would love to try out new games however an option that could encourage me and other gamers to experience the full game is a middle ground in cost. Gamers will pay $15 a month to play a game after the initial $50 upfront cost. For me an acceptable middle ground is paying $30 for the first month of game play as a try out. After that first month if I wish to continue to purchase the game at the normal cost and then the normal fee. While if I end up playing a game I’ll be out $15 in the end, if not it’ll be a savings of $20. This is an acceptable trade out in the end. A reasonable gamble for a gamer new to a MMO game. And the publisher gets a little more cash then otherwise thru those additional gamers willing to try it out.
While all these can be nit-picked thru and thru Scott’s article hits at a point that I struggle with, and that cost.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
I agree that the money is one of the main reasons people don’t try new MMOs. I play WoW, and just bought the lifetime sub for STO so I didn’t have to think about how I’m not wasting $15 on those months that I don’t play as much, like I am with WoW all the time. But lifetime subscriptions are expensive and not for everyone.
I don’t understand the economics behind MMOs, but they seem like they must be so expensive to start up. Another possible solution is that they keep the subscription model but get cheaper over time, once the game has some legs and money behind it, like a loyalty program. Still, I can’t see how would it be in Blizzard’s interest to do that. Ah well. Conundrum!
February 5th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
I agree with Rathwirt in the fact that there is no reason for an MMO company to do this as it would encourage people to play the competition’s games. As much as I wish there was some possible solution, I don’t think anything can be done to solve this problem short of companies lowering their monthly cost (Also a stupid solution from the companies perspective because if people will pay $15, then let them!)
World of Warcraft is really the indirect problem here. I love the game and have been playing for a little over a year now, but with Blizzard monopolizing the MMO market, people with little spending funds (Like myself) have to just play the best game, or the game that all of a players friends plays.
The sad truth is that if you are a normal person who is conservative with his gaming money and spending habits, you are essentially stuck with one MMO forever… You end up picking one, getting attached the game and your friends, and then you never really develop a motivation large enough to completely switch over to another game…
Thank you Blizzard and World of Warcraft for completely ruining/completing my MMO experience… I love/hate you!
February 5th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
I think you have a good point, Scott. Would be fantastic if we could get some of these other MMO’s on board. However, what motivates “most” of these companies, is MONEY. The pursuit thereof, often puts customer service a distant second. If I recall correctly, (dont hold me to it) only one of the cell companies is doing the “roll over” thing. I think they should all do it, but they’re not.
The motivation should be getting new players. I think that when one brave company steps forward, with ANY plan, yours included, that allows for simultaneous play, without being out that $100 and $30/month, they might be surprised at how many more players they might get playing their MMO. The content of any such MMO better be spot on in any case, or no radical new plan to move players away from WoW will work.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
I would actually be willing to pay more up front for a rollover plan. I would easily pay $20 for more flexibility in my playtime.
I think this is a very viable business model, and although it would be a riskier proposition for game companies, it would bring in more casual players over time. It’s a great thing to do after your game has gained some traction, after the early adopters and hardcore players have bought into the game, and WoW is in a perfect position for this type of pay as you go system.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Brilliant idea. I’m all for this solution!
Personally I would play a little more Conan if they adopted this method.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
I recently picked up Eve. So I am now playing Eve and WoW. I’m on the first month, and so far things are going well. Enjoying both games and maintaining social life, grades, etc.; however, I am 17 and enjoy playing many games other than mmo’s, so money may become a problem. We’ll see.
I do like your proposed solution though. It would be great; don’t think it’s happening though.
February 5th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
.I played EvE before I started playing WoW. I recall being a bit peeved that Blizz had the nerve to charge for the client AND a monthly fee, because CCP didn’t. But I enjoy the game, so I paid. I still enjoy so I still pay.
I think its quite possible for decent games to thrive on the monthly fee.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:27 am
We all seem to agree that Blizzard isn’t about to drop the $15/mth fee to $5/mth fee just to be nice to 10 million people. However, with two more major properties coming on-line in the next 6-18 months, and the blizzard.net account conversion complete, I would love to see some sort of $15/mth for one game; $20/mth for all games arrangement.
For reasons of time alone, I don’t know how quickly I’ll pick-up either D3 or SC2 if it means another $15/mth to play. However, could I justify another $5/mth? That’s much easier to consider, especially if I think I’m getting ‘double’ the value.
As for new games getting into the market, I think the way to do it is market the MMO for $45/box — cheaper than some games, but not so cheap as to appear like a throw-away title — and include 1-2 month(s), or 20-60 hours of play-time, etc., with the purchase. Make it so people can go home, install, and log on… get them hooked without having to dip into their wallets/purses again. If you’re not sold on a title in the first month, it’s probably not going to hook you ever, regardless of the price-to-play.
Now, all this said, how exactly are games like Team Fortress 2 managing to survive when they cost NOTHING to play each month? Or, heck, the entire PS3 on-line environment (I say, as an xBox owner…)? For me, TF2 is my “I need a break from WoW” title because it’s always there, waiting for me, but costing me nothing in-between sessions. If I don’t play for 2-3 months, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure that the overhead and technology is different between TF2 and WoW, but $0/mth and $15/mth seems like a very large gap.
February 14th, 2010 at 6:31 am
Fricking brilliant idea… seriously pass this on.
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:27 pm
It’s a real shame that the realism of this happening is slim to none, but I agree wholeheartedly that being able to play two MMOs without breaking the bank would be great.
I’d suggest more of an option to ‘suspend’ a service, where the remaining days of the current paid month are frozen until resumed. As a player who tends to ‘hop’ between games every two weeks or so, it would be fantastic to know that I can still get my whole months worth!