But they don't need them to. Sure they would love it if everyone spent loads, but they understand the player base dynamic. Al MMOs have two main type of dedicated player, and yes I know not everyone falls into one of these two camps but most hard core players will. Time rich/Cash poor, and Cash rich/Time poor. The FTP system allows the cash rich to subsidise the entire game by allowing the time rich to trade with the cash rich. This means, with no price wall, everyone can access the top end. Because there is no price wall time rich players don't drop out, and a healthy player base remains for the cash rich to buy from keeping the game busy. The game NEEDS players who don't pay, but who play a lot. That's the beauty of the business model. And if the time rich guys drop ten or twenty dollars every so often, so much the better.
I don't think anyone suggests dropping the prices to little or nothing. I'm saying that even if they did the 3rd party guys would better it to the point where the the only way to cut prices to stop them would be to give it away, at which point the game closes.
If PWE/Cryptic cut their price by half, the 3rd parties would keep their prices the same but just double the amount they offered. Thay way the 3rd parties still earn as much, but PWE/C cut their revenue in half, and the game is no longer viable as fully FTP to everyone.
Comments
Sure they would love it if everyone spent loads, but they understand the player base dynamic.
Al MMOs have two main type of dedicated player, and yes I know not everyone falls into one of these two camps but most hard core players will.
Time rich/Cash poor, and Cash rich/Time poor.
The FTP system allows the cash rich to subsidise the entire game by allowing the time rich to trade with the cash rich. This means, with no price wall, everyone can access the top end.
Because there is no price wall time rich players don't drop out, and a healthy player base remains for the cash rich to buy from keeping the game busy.
The game NEEDS players who don't pay, but who play a lot. That's the beauty of the business model. And if the time rich guys drop ten or twenty dollars every so often, so much the better.
I don't think anyone suggests dropping the prices to little or nothing. I'm saying that even if they did the 3rd party guys would better it to the point where the the only way to cut prices to stop them would be to give it away, at which point the game closes.
If PWE/Cryptic cut their price by half, the 3rd parties would keep their prices the same but just double the amount they offered.
Thay way the 3rd parties still earn as much, but PWE/C cut their revenue in half, and the game is no longer viable as fully FTP to everyone.
[]Full Metal Witch[]
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