new business model for guild wars 2.

warcrap

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2007

somewhere on earth!

E/Me

you know anet has a business model of releasing an expansion/chapter every 2 years but for gw2 how about we try a new payment method here is my idea.

you have purchased gw2 now 2 years have gone by and they have released an expansion but you don't wanna pay 50 dollars up front to expand your world so instead you'd rather do a layaway type of deal.
its like a monthly fee but not really.

the expansion is released and anet is allowing us to pay as little as 4$ a month for it until we pay it off completely.
we get to play the expansion while paying for it.
you may pause your payment at any time and you may not enter the expansion again until you resume payment.
so you buy the expansion box at the store or micro payment it little by little using surfpin, credit card, or any other payment method.
it should in no way be an obligation to keep paying.

doomXL

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Jun 2007

I like it! it makes sense.

Nevin

Nevin

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2005

That would result in people paying $4 dollars for 1 month. Then just rushing through to get the armor and/or end game weapons. Not a good idea. Hardcore gamers can do in a month what it takes casual gamers a whole year.

warcrap

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2007

somewhere on earth!

E/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevin
That would result in people paying $4 dollars for 1 month. Then just rushing through to get the armor and/or end game weapons. Not a good idea. Hardcore gamers can do in a month what it takes casual gamers a whole year.
they payed didn't they at im sure anet will give the expansions more that just new armor and weapons.
as long as they introduce huge new features like maybe if the expansion offers some type of flying then if they stop paying they lose the ability to do that.
so as long as they offer a crucial feature with every expansion this problem will be avoided.

Zinger314

Zinger314

Debbie Downer

Join Date: May 2006

N/Me

If you are too poor to purchase a $50 dollar product upfront, you might want to GET A LIFE.

warcrap

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2007

somewhere on earth!

E/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zinger314
If you are too poor to purchase a $50 dollar product upfront, you might want to GET A LIFE.
why do you think gw has no monthly fee its a game designed for poor people.
unnecessary flaming will do you no good.

Zinger314

Zinger314

Debbie Downer

Join Date: May 2006

N/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by warcrap
why do you think gw has no monthly fee its a game designed for poor people.
unnecessary flaming will do you no good.
So...your solution is to ADD A MONTHLY FEE?!

Lonesamurai

Lonesamurai

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2006

Cheltenham, Glos, UK

Wolf Pack Samurai [WPS]

R/A

Quote:
Originally Posted by warcrap
why do you think gw has no monthly fee its a game designed for poor people.
Are you serious?

honestly? are you really being serious?

go look up Guild Wars and the ethos behind it and stop spouting drivel you have no comprehension of please

CyberMesh0

CyberMesh0

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2005

Charter Vanguard [CV]

N/Me

Quote:
Originally Posted by warcrap
why do you think gw has no monthly fee its a game designed for poor people.
Poor and intelligent with use of money *can* be interchangeable you know.

I have to agree though with the previous posts, they'd have to do a lockout on all campaign/whatever-specific items if you don't have an active payment so as to keep the money flowing in.

Cargan

Cargan

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2007

Scotland

[ESP]

W/

How about when you're given like a years noticed that there's going to be an expansion, stick $4 a month in a jar and buy it when it's released. You've heard GW2 is expected to be released sometime late 2009, start saving now if you're really that poor. Although, to be honest, if you're that poor then you should maybe start thinking about cutting out unnecessary expenses, like your internet provider.

Jake_Steel

Jake_Steel

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Oct 2007

Portland, OR

The Older Gamers (TOG)

N/Me

I'm gonna go with no on this one. I'll pay for my Gw2 and expansions up front and hopefully never have to pay to access them. (short of the money I give Comcast every month got Cable Internet)

Lord Darksoul

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Nov 2007

R/

I say still pay upfront.

The hardcore gamers running through the game in a month WILL happen. I say add new expansions and make people pay upfront for them, and once a while, make some stuff like the BMP for us to buy for cheap while waiting for the next expansion.

Personette

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2007

I very strongly suspect that we're not talking here about somebody being poor here, we're talking about somebody on an allowance. If you're a kid, and your parents give you limited spending money, scraping together $50 could seem like quite a chore (though a chore easily solved by the piggy bank suggested by Cargan).

Anyway, if you ask me it's not a good idea to price items so that children can pay for them on an installment plan.

zxuy

Academy Page

Join Date: Mar 2007

Refuge from Exile [RFE]

E/

good for us not for anet. i think the current scheme is more than reasonable. good idea though, but i see no reason why anet would implement

Neo Nugget

Neo Nugget

Site Contributor

Join Date: Jan 2006

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevin
That would result in people paying $4 dollars for 1 month. Then just rushing through to get the armor and/or end game weapons. Not a good idea. Hardcore gamers can do in a month what it takes casual gamers a whole year.
Exactly what i was thinking.
Reminds me of factions headstart lol.

Terraban

Terraban

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zinger314
So...your solution is to ADD A MONTHLY FEE?!
OVER NINE THOUSAND!!!!!!!!!111

Vale Todo

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Sep 2007

Just save a dollar a week from now until 2009 and you should have $52 saved up!

Fates

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jul 2005

Kanuckistan

Mirror of Reason [SNOW]

R/

Ya, how many people would continue to pay $4 a month for GW:EN for 10 months to pay for it? Your "new" business model would bankrupt them.

HawkofStorms

HawkofStorms

Hall Hero

Join Date: Aug 2005

E/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zinger314
If you are too poor to purchase a $50 dollar product upfront, you might want to GET A LIFE.
Agreed.

It isn't like you are refinancing a house or buying a car.

It is $50 people. That's less then one day's work even at minimum wage. If you don't have dispossible income enough for that, then you shouldn't even own a computer that can run GW...

maraxusofk

maraxusofk

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2005

San Francisco, UC Berkeley

International District [id多], In Soviet Russia Altar Caps You [CCCP], LOL at [eF]

W/

im pretty sure this idea is epic fail b/c ppl will pay 4$ for 1 month and beat the game to get everything. yeah they will have paid the 4$ but that isnt nearly enuff to reimburse the cost of MAKING the expansion. if it was, they would sell the game for 4$.

=HT=Ingram

=HT=Ingram

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2005

Anchorage Alaska

Haz Team [HT]

R/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevin
That would result in people paying $4 dollars for 1 month. Then just rushing through to get the armor and/or end game weapons. Not a good idea. Hardcore gamers can do in a month what it takes casual gamers a whole year.
exactly.. This would be too much a benefit to gold resellers and exploiters.

while I like the idea of having a more affordable game now and again, I say this to you... look at the game today. Most retail stores sell Prophecies and factions for 29.99 or less, and the expansion for around $20. just to get it off the shelf... so there are bargains out there... Beware of Amazon marketplace and Ebay however cause those are almost certainly scam artists selling illegal USED games! Which they can hijack back and loot at a whim...

But ultimately Its by far the cheapest top selling MMO out there today. When compared to any subscription model out there, GW even if you get Collector editions of everything, you would have still saved more the 1/2 the money you could have wasted on a subscription game paying every month, AND forced to buy $50 games and expansion on top of that for that matter...

Hyper.nl

Hyper.nl

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Oct 2006

Defending Fort Aspenwood

E/

The current business model is my favourite; as I don't like to buy time but products. No need for change imo.

Rhedd

Rhedd

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

You ever have to clean up after a Moa bird?

True Solunastra [SLA] Profession: Moa Wrangler

I sure am glad people keep making posts like this one, because, as we all know, game publishers make all of their financial business decisions based on posts by random people on teh internetz.

How else would they manage?

Redfeather1975

Redfeather1975

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2006

Apartment#306

Rhedd Asylum

Me/

I'm actually the one who calls the shots.
And I drop a pencil on a giant sheet of ideas in order to do it.
GW2 will use the jelly bean business model.
So stock up on jelly beans everyone.

Nevin

Nevin

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Terraban
OVER NINE THOUSAND!!!!!!!!!111
KAKAROOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!

HuntMaster Avatar

HuntMaster Avatar

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Feb 2007

Around

Pillar's of Earth [ROCK]

W/

two reasons i do not like this idea.
1. requirement of a credit card. those of us without some form of credit card would not be able to make payments.

2. i like going to the store and buying a game in a box, i like getting my game manual and installing the game using a cd. i like having the security of knowing if my pc blows up or my HD stops working i can always install the game on a new pc.

also being "poor" isn't the problem. and is quite offensive to say if i can't afford 50 bucks for a game i need to get a life. bills stack up, cost of rent, utilities, gas, food, child care and many other things leave my wallet sorely thin. its better to say if you can't afford 50 bucks then try budgeting alittle bit so you can. whats with people being so hostile and offensive?

lay-a-way gaming is a bad idea because you never know what next month will bring, you may lose your job, insue new bills or just be unable to make the payments. then you can no longer play the game.

Malice Black

Site Legend

Join Date: Oct 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhedd
I sure am glad people keep making posts like this one, because, as we all know, game publishers make all of their financial business decisions based on posts by random people on teh internetz.

How else would they manage?
This says it all.

artay

artay

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Feb 2006

Australia

The Agony Scene

E/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zinger314
If you are too poor to purchase a $50 dollar product upfront, you might want to GET A LIFE.
Or a job ^_^

It's not your fault Russia!

Avai

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zinger314
If you are too poor to purchase a $50 dollar product upfront, you might want to GET A LIFE.
I agree with you; I believe I make around 50 USD sitting in front of my PC reading GW Guru for about two hours? Getting a life isn't required...just get a job like mine.

captain_carter

captain_carter

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2007

England

The X Viles [TXV]

R/

From my interpretation of this, you would like the merging of 2 purchasing systems.
The kind of deal where you pay a certain amount per month for 1 or 2 years at which point you would have paid off everything is well known and widely used. I have never heard of this system not involving interest (except for short periods of time). This kind of credit offer is usually available(and with good reason) on goods that have a high value. They would benefit the company by allowing them to sell their product to a market that would otherwise be unable to buy from them because they cannot afford the huge one-time cost. This is a succesful and useful deal when purchasing cars of sofas.

A monthly subscription to a game or other online service involves paying for the content each month, you pay for access that month and that month alone, if you stop paying you lose access. This appears to be a succesful model, many consider it the only option for MMOs(an asumption which GW proves wrong).


Merging these 2 models/things in the way you propose does not seem like I good idea for the company.
The "monthly fee" proposed is not sufficient to cover producing and delivering the service if the full value is not payed eventually. This would seem likely to occur with this system as many people would be able to get all they want from the expansion in 1-6 months, then they can stop paying and the company recieves only up to one half of the money they "need".
As for it's similarities with the first model I described, there is the option to stop paying. This never happens with this deal, you always have to keep paying even if the car breaks down, you still have to complete your payment, just as if you borrowed a book from your library and burnt it, you would have to pay for the replacement. You cannot simply say "I'm not going to sit on the sofa again so I won't continue to pay".

The model you propose is, IMO, a flawed and impracticle merging of 2 distinct systems. I would be very surprised if this idea was adopted by any online game.

Shadow Spirit

Shadow Spirit

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2006

Chicago

your cat eats dog food [pup]

N/E

There's nothing broken with the current system. Monthly fees FTL...

Mordakai

Mordakai

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Aug 2005

Kyhlo

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Avai
I agree with you; I believe I make around 50 USD sitting in front of my PC reading GW Guru for about two hours? Getting a life isn't required...just get a job like mine.
LOL, I want your job!

But on topic, micro-transactions (like $30 over time to get the Bonus Mission Pack), could be the way GW2 floats.

So I wouldn't denounce the idea too strongly.

quicksilv3r

quicksilv3r

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Dec 2005

SA, TX

R/W

no1 going buy GUILDWARS 2, so y even talk about it, or try to promote it WITH MONTHLY FEE!

people goin on strike and going Protest GW2 to make the dev's come back to gw1 and edit/ make new expansion for it.. we dont need better graphics
death to gw2.

netniwk

netniwk

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Mar 2005

Bellgium

W/E

Quote:
Originally Posted by quicksilv3r
no1 going buy GUILDWARS 2, so y even talk about it, or try to promote it WITH MONTHLY FEE!

people goin on strike and going Protest GW2 to make the dev's come back to gw1 and edit/ make new expansion for it.. we dont need better graphics
death to gw2.
retard of the thread.
/applause

kingoffly

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Nov 2007

none always changing

P/

really i don't like the idea at all!!!
i played Wow and quited because of the fees (didn't know GW back then )
so if anet add a monthly fee then they are going to have alot of games who are turning to other games
there are plenty of fee-less games on the market!

Lonesamurai

Lonesamurai

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2006

Cheltenham, Glos, UK

Wolf Pack Samurai [WPS]

R/A

Quote:
Originally Posted by quicksilv3r
no1 going buy GUILDWARS 2, so y even talk about it, or try to promote it WITH MONTHLY FEE!

people goin on strike and going Protest GW2 to make the dev's come back to gw1 and edit/ make new expansion for it.. we dont need better graphics
death to gw2.
a, better spelling/english please

b, GW1 is dead, long live GW2

Aerian_Skybane

Aerian_Skybane

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2006

House of Caeruleous [HoC]

R/E

Did you ever hear of this invention called a credit card? Its this plastic thing with numbers on it that you can use to buy things without "paying" for it right away. Instead, you can pay it off in a month, or you can pay the minimum payment, with an interest (APR) charge, over time. Its called financing, and ANet shouldn't be doing it for us.

If you are not old enough to have a credit card, then you are clearly not old enough to choose a financial business plan for a major software company...

Oh and to remove some of the venom from this thread, has anyone else been freaked out by the classmates.com ad up above where the two dreamboats pics are freaking the F out and shaking like they had serious vitamin deficiency?

tmr819

tmr819

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Nov 2007

W/Mo

This may be a bit off-topic, but I have sometimes wondered if some sort of "a la carte" menu for expansions/campaigns might be workable.

As an example, WoW's monthly fee included a lot of updates that I, as a casual player, would never see and really did not want to pay for, e.g., the development 20- to 40-man raid instances (Naxxramas, Ahn Qiraj) back in the "old days" of lvl-60 cap WoW meant nothing to me, as a casual player.

I wonder how successful WoW would be if they offered "package deals" on expansions in the same way a cable TV company might do by offering "standard" (base expansion) and "deluxe" (base expansion plus raid/elite content) options.

Likewise, if GW had operated like that, and UW, FoW, and similar instances of that ilk had been optional and offered like a kind of "$5 to $10 Bonus Instance Pack," I would not have purchased them, not because they aren't good but because I know I would not be able to play them.

Say, The Burning Crusade had been offered as a tiered expansion:
(1) Tier 1: 2 new playable races plus Outland regions/all base instances
(2) Tier 2: Tier 1 plus high-end raid content.

I wonder how a model like that would have affected sales -- and, in turn, I wonder how such a model would affect future WoW expansions and development?

My theory is that the high-end raid content does not make money for WoW, though it might, and that the high-end content is being heavily subsidized by the basic content in much the same way all those "junk channels" you get from your TV cable company are being paid for by the channels you actually want and watch and are willing to pay for.

Personally, I would like to see high-end content (particularly anything that is not soloable) be made an optional add-on in any and all MMOs.

For example, you might pay $30 for the base expansion and an additional $10 for the high-end content associated with said expansion if you wanted it. Some MMOs are already dabbling in having players pay-for-specific features, and I do not like that idea much, but the idea of offering "tiers of game service" does appeal to me somewhat.

Mordakai

Mordakai

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Aug 2005

Kyhlo

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by tmr819
For example, you might pay $30 for the base expansion and an additional $10 for the high-end content associated with said expansion if you wanted it. Some MMOs are already dabbling in having players pay-for-specific features, and I do not like that idea much, but the idea of offering "tiers of game service" does appeal to me somewhat.
It's an interesting idea, and one that Hellgate: London is trying.

I've been thinking about Wrath of the Lich King for WoW, and if I don't have a level 70 by then, there's no reason to buy it.

But, I can't see Blizzard lowering their monthly bill just because I don't do high-end raids. It's not like they're starving for new players....


As for GW2, it depends on how many people play the elite areas: ie, would Anet make enough money by selling access to elite areas to justify the cost?

The Great Al

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jun 2005

ALOA

E/Me

I can't say I like this. You do realize that you can make $50 in less than a day, right?