A Marketing Person's Prospective

ontrix1

This is a spinoff of The New Reward System Is Not Player Friendly

I know that in order to keep a game moving and growing you need money to hire programmers. Cryptic is constantly playing around with the monetary system, adding new things to spend money on such as the Reforger's Blessing Pack ($50.00). You do realize that $50.00 is a lot of money for anyone to spend in these uncertain times, right?

My husband and I would have loved to buy the Reforger's Blessing's Pack, but to spend $50.00 each when one doesn't really have $100.00 to spare, we had to choose to not purchase it. Even with a 20% off coupon, we still would have had to spend $100. We would have spare Zen to spend in the end.

I believe that if you reduced your prices permanently by 50%, you would probably make double the money in the end because then, maybe people would be willing to spend their hard earned cash.

korpakukac1

I would definitely spend more on this game if the prices were not so goddamn high.

greywynd

"Perspective".

zimxero

While I don't have an opinion on the topic specifically, I think it is a good place to point out that Cryptic would make more money if players could enter the amount they want to spend on Zen and then using a scalar to determine bonus Zen.

I know I'm not the only player who has literally thrown money cards in the garbage that had $1.00 to $9.00 left on them. This is a total waste of money for me and for Cryptic who would have received it.

The demographics of game players is incredibly diverse. Here's mine: I make a very good income and it ALL goes straight to my wife. I never carry cash. She gives me a $50 allowance each month for spending and generally it all goes to the game. I can of course buy necessities or large luxuries we agree on.. i'm not being abused or anything. My point is, I'm a middle class person working 40-50 hours a week and I am literally scrounging for money to spend here. I like that money to count, and it seriously hurts if I invest heavily in gear or stones and a month later, those stones/gear become worthless and everyone is dumping them on the market.

sandukutupu

I agree many of the items they sell are overpriced, the average working wages vary across the US and this game is international. Currently using the cost of living calculator, $50 in Detroit buys as much as $75 in San Jose. That is just the difference of living 2,000 miles apart. It would be my suggestion, they could reduce the prices of many service items that encourage players to invest more into the game. I don't particularly see the Reforger's Blessing's Pack being in that venue.

Meanwhile, I have played this game free of any charges. While I have been tempted a few times, the items I think I might have to buy from the Zen market, end up in the Auction House. Most of the people I know, pay more than $100 per month on internet alone. My utility bills are three times that amount at least. I won't even begin to tell you what medications cost me. My point, we pay for our needs and wants, this game is not a need, it is a want. Unless you are using a free computer you salvaged from the neighbors garbage and stealing wifi from those same people, I doubt you can honestly say $100 is a big amount to spend on a want today.

Have fun!

thefiresidecat

I put forth this argument a couple years ago. fell on deaf ears then will still fall on deaf ears. the problem is there is a difference between in game conversion cost of zen and real life money zen.
the prices are very reasonable if you're converting your ad to zen and absolutely outrageous if you're paying cash.


the fix, imo, is to make a separate cash only market with a much cheaper cost on things like this pack and vip, but to leave the prices on other things in the regular zen market alone.

I'd leave other things out of it (rl cash store) like the mounts and comps and supplies in order to keep the market adx stable. Special things like enchant packs and what not should be there.

They could also put a premium on real cash vip or battle pass type stuff to encourage people to give real money but be sure to make it rare transmutes and dye packs and things to keep it free to play or add things in that you get from end game stuff that you can still earn but can also get this way for real money like lion heart weapons. Yes, game changing but also available in game. So still free to play. Although the backlash QQ would be real if they did.

if they rewarded people for spending money, they might (and probably would) have more people spending real money. imo the costs are very reasonable IF you are converting in game earned Ad to zen and absolutely not worth it by any scale of the imagination for real money; With the caveat, the 10 dollar a month vip thing Is worth it as long as they don't nerf it any more as they've been talking about doing in the cdp.

the battle pass thing on the reforgers bundle isn't worth it really because of the way it's set up. it would have to be available to any level player and xp for all content not just this new zone. but still if they want people to spend real life money for it the price does need to be more reasonable.