Brand loyalty?

I've brought up this a few times in my posts and I thought it might be interesting to start a thread to focus just on this issue.
To start, I'll quote wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_loyalty
I find this explanation to be completely sufficient for the purpose of our discussion.


What I am interested in is - are you loyal to (or interested in) Guild Wars because it's Guild Wars OR because it's actually a good product?
Did anything change in how you view GW?
Will that influence your decisions regarding GW2?



To start it off - my view on GW has changed. I started off as a VERY loyal customer. I would introduce other players to this game or buy GW-related material (stuff like magazines that contained info on GW, ...) just because it was GW-related.
Once C3 arrived - my view towards GW changed a bit. Despite the fact that I still supported the brand, I started to question the product. Once GWEN was released - I made a conscious decision to not support the brand any longer. So, the only reason why I do have GWEN, is because I received it as a gift. And looking back - I feel I made the right decision in not buying it.
This also means I currently also have no interest in further supporting the GW-brand UNLESS the quality of the product rises to meet my demands. Thus, regarding GW2, I will be following previews to determine if the game is actually worth purchasing or not instead of just blindly purchasing it.

I still play GW. But I don't really play it because it would be superb, I play it because I don't feel there are games out there that would offer me the same (or better) experience than GW.
If I were to find such a game - I wouldn't hesitate switching.
(Before I get tons of replies telling me how destructive such behaviour is - of course this led to modifying the way I play this game. Most noticeable in the quantity of my playtime.)



So, how about you?

I like GWs because it's different and fits what I want to play, not to mention there are no regional boundaries, like some OTHER games out there.

Great post upier. I still play it from time to time thanks to always being able to put it down and come back when I want to. I do however think that the positive game time I had with guild wars in the beginning will play a role in purchasing GW2.

I play it because it fits my style, nothing anet has done to it has made me dislike it at all.
I will buy any content for it that I can from a retail store, not online.
I'm sold on gw2.

I like GW because I find the game enjoyable. I don't normally like MMOs at all but the differences between GW and the others I've tried (WoW, FFXI, Ragnarok) got me addicted to it.

I'm actually somewhat iffy on GW2 so far. We don't know much about it, but it seems that a lot of the things that I like so much about GW are being done away with. So I don't know. I'll see when it gets closer to that game coming out.

i guess you can say i'm loyal to gw the game...anet the company not so much.

they have changed direction so much over the years, that gw isn't quite the same. its hard to be loyal in such a situation.

I'm Loyal,and always will.
Even when I was playing WoW for 6 months,when people would talk shit on GW,I would protect it and talk shit about WoW

I've never been loyal to a "Brand". I've been loyal to great products, but never the maker. Gaming, or otherwise. Just like for clothing, I purchase what I like regardless of who made it. If it's a great product, I'll spread the word. If it isn't, chances are I'll forget about it the next day.

To use another example; For years I have, or was, loyal to my cable and internet service provider. Their service was exceptional, above all previous services I had prior. When someone would ask me what I use I would inform them of who, but most importantly, I'd tell them why.

That was until very early this year when, for whatever reasons, the service truly began to degrade. Service outages without any explination, customer service that was once outstanding turned into an automated game of phone tag. A spike in pricing and overcharging me on my bills (talk about fuzzy math). I didn't hesitate in dropping all their services and switching to the competition. The name behind the service isn't what I need. The service itself is what I look for.

Certainly you do "get what you pay for" in this world. Certainly some brands, in whatever market, are often far more exceptional than others. However, I've always been someone who shops around for the best deals in the best of both worlds to best suit what I am seeking in whatever product I'm shopping for.

So carry that to the gaming world. I wouldn't care if Anets brand name was behind Guild Wars, or someone elses. It could be EA for all I care. I play(ed) Guild Wars because the product was exceptional...and still is in my opinion.

I'll choose to buy, or not buy Guild Wars 2, based not on the Anet label, but on the quality of the game. It's simple for me - If Guild Wars 2 is a great game I enjoy playing, based on beta, or from a trial, I'll invest the money into it. I'll be happy and thankful for a the quality. I'll show my support for the game, I'll tell people about it. If Guild Wars 2 shows me nothing new and nothing worth the investment, it won't be the first time I've passed on a game.

Yes I'm loyal to a brand. I look for quality and support/aftercare and in this case also contact with the playerbase.

I was loyal to Blizzard for like a decade until 3 of their employess (Jeff Strain, Mike O'Brian, Patrick Wyat) started their own campany: Anet. They had their own great view on a free to play mmo, with new technologies and stuff: GW. They didn't agree with Blizzard's approach anymore.

They were involved in the games I played for years, like warcraft and starcraft series and the wonderful infrastructure (at that time) called Battle Net.

Yes, something changed, I can't really explain it in detail as it would take too long.

I recently bought Warhammer: dawn of war2 and for 50 euros I'm having the best gaming experience since Prophecies. It's like diablo but in space with space marines and I was surprised by the quality and the new rts approach with lots of rpg elements in it.

I'm more looking forward to Diablo3 than GW2 atm. This was not the case 6 months ago.

I feel trapped a bit. Anet saying we don't have many recources left for gw1, we're working on the best mmo evar. At the same time they say, look you wanted storage etc., we provided it, look how nice and talented we are. Yes, but we don't get actual content anymore.

The MTG model is fantastic, but it seemed too complex to keep producing chapters for GW1. I feel trapped again as GW2 is in a way the next chapter.

We'll see.

LOYALTY? My loyalty isn't with Guild Wars itself. It is with ArenaNet!

Unfortunately, I know what this means. CG was fail after season 1.

I dont think Guild Wars has existed as a brand long enough to have garnered Brand Loyalty. They have put out 3 campaigns and an expansion of sorts. The examples given in the OP are brands that have built strong customer loyalty and have grown it through years of quality products backed by GREAT customer development and advertising.

If guild wars continues to GROW and DEVELOP new products while retaining its current customer base while building on it, say 3-5% anually then id say it is a brand loyalty issue




Cronk

lol i moved on to FFVII like two whole weeks ago. my favorite character is probably aerith, i can't wait to use her limit break in the final boss fight with sephiroth (yeah i know that sephiroth is the final boss already, but hopefully that huge spoiler wont ruin the game for me)

i suggest you all move on to new and exciting games too.

ANet has been very shady over the years with what kind of product it has sold me. There is one core thing that has remained: this is a non-subscription CORPG. So many aspects of the game seem to have changed from when they first produced GW and through each following release. I can no longer say I am playing GW because it is a "good product," because I have no clear idea of what this product was supposed to be.

Concerning GW2, if I find that it really turns out to be something extraordinary, then I will buy it, and I may additionally have the benefit of having previously played GW. If it turns out to flop, then that's that for my relationship with the GW franchise. My interest in playing GW2 was a lot greater back around the time before the expansion was released, but subsequent changes to the game have left me considerably less interested.

This hurts me inside, because a game as unique as GW should not be something I am disappointed with. I really want to have a good reason to enjoy GW and know that it will be moving in the right direction. ANet gives me no such confidence, and I have similarly low expectations for GW2 because of it.

..
I'm pretty loyal.

Gw has been very enjoyable for me and has, so far, represented very good value. The loyalty is based on that value so as long as that remains the norm I'm going to stay with NCsoft/Arenanet.

I have no desire to go hopping around hoping to find treasure under a rock
I'm not familiar with. This is a familiar rock, and so far, a good one to pick up.

'throws a rock at Urgoz....oops'

I was never extremely loyal as to buy stuff just because it was Guild Wars. I played the game because it was good, and then I stopped because it got boring, nothing more.

I told people it was good until it was bad, and then I said the truth when it was asked, otherwise I wouldn't even bring it up.

There are things in the game which I will always continue to praise though. No other game does PvP like Guild Wars does. GvG in GW is something no other game has yet to compare to; however, for me that has simply become not enough for my continued playing.

I stopped playing because GW became boring. I stopped recommending it because it became boring.

If GW2 is a good game, I will buy it. If it is a bad game, or simply to my taste, I won't. No blind loyalty from me.

The only reason I'm around GW at all anymore, is the same reason you mentioned in the OP. There just isn't anything that stacks up to it. It got boring, but it's still amazing quality, especially for as much crap that we give it. It really was a great game, it just wasn't meant to be interesting for so many years, that's all.

I just log on, get my zkeys, change it into ecto or plat, look at my chars a bit, maybe talk to someone on my friends list, log off.

But, right now I'm playing Age of Conan and having fun, so I'm not worried. By the time AoC gets boring for me, maybe GW2 will be out, or perhaps Aion, assuming I'm going to like either of them. And if not, well, you know. I'll just go to something else...

To answer the original question: The only thing that changed for me was the community and repetitiveness of repeated play, with no real new content, and if new content, then nothing that really made any kind of big difference to me, same stuff, different day. Nothing really "fresh" y'know.. That's what GW was when it came out, it was fresh, different. That's what made it good.

I always stop playing GW for a random new mmo/fps for awhile but always find myself coming back to GW. I recently quit WoW and found myself back on GW again. It's boring stuff but I just keep playing it for the same reasons you posted.

In a way, brand loyalty is one of the reasons I initially got Guild Wars. I held Blizzard Entertainment in high regard so a new company founded by ex-Blizzard lead developers gave me high hopes from the start. ArenaNet did not dissapoint me with the Guild Wars series. This game has many flaws, as does any game, but it was a fantastic first effort on their part. Its obvious they have learned alot about what works and what doesn't. You can feel the passion they have for this game and its upcoming sequel. These guys really love what they do and they truely want to make the best gamer ever. I respect them for that. As far as I am concerned GW2 is the deciding point on where loyalties should lie. You can't tell if a young child is an athlete of not while he is learning to walk.

Brand loyalty is crap for people that need to feel they belong to something bigger.

When buying your loyalty should be to your wallet and to what is best to fulfill your needs.

I think you are brand loyal to Anet and GW Upier. You are just a bit tired of a 4 year old game.

I'll be loyal to GW and ANet when they take the steps towards pleasing those who are loyal.

I can't say I'm as loyal as I used to be in the past (we'll get to that below), but I still love GW's PvP. Even with it's issues it has the most in-depth, fun, and non-annoying PvP still on the market. While it's horrendously tragic how far GW's PvP has fallen, it's still BILLIONS OF EONS ahead every other online-RPG out there. PvE is still pretty enjoyable, although it has a room for a whole lot more potential and depth.

And yeah, my view changed when GW changed. Some for the better, some for the worst, and as evidenced from above the "worst" overshadows the better.

Overall, unless they announce something as retarded as micro-purchases that don't affect being pretty, keep PvP maxed level, and (hopefully) don't have the PvP *not* UAX, I'm likely to purchase GW2 (computer willing, of course ;p).

I don't think you know Upier too well, if that's the case.

It's a solid concept, and this was shown in Prophecies. What happened, though, is that they already covered all the bases in terms of classes. JR demonstrates it beautifully here.

In terms of how they'll expand on PvE, it'd probably be safest to say they'll add more areas to explore. Still not enough info, though.

No "Brand loyalty" here. I play GW because it's unique and it suits my needs.

No need for huge time investment? Check.
Being able to play without full human party? Check.
Ability to filter idiots and stay away from them? Check.
Interesting build system? Check.
Free unlimited respec? Check.
Free world travel? Check.
Casual/Serious PvP? Check.

And, above everything, it's FREE.

Yeh, game is not perfect but there's simply nothing like that on the market. I understand some worries about GW2 (grind, micro-transactions and stuff like that) but IMO it was bearable until now. Once GW2 is out I'll make my decision based on what I'll see. I won't buy it without gathering information or playing it beforehand but I'm not into running around screaming "Omg!!!GW2 is dead!!!" before it was born.

It's not brand loyalty so much as there isn't anything remotely like the game. Nearly every other MMO is loosely based on the EQ-WoW model which bores me to tears, plus I'd much rather deal with microtransactions than monthly fees. No other RPG comes even close in terms of balanced and diverse pvp, nor has as little grind (even if that's a lot) to get competitive items/skills, nor has as diverse as PvE "endgame", especially with the zquests now... but most importantly, creating different skillbars and trying them out can be alot of fun, and you aren't tied down into cumbersome respecs whenever you want to play something completely different.

I am disappointed how they introduced the promise of challenge in hard mode, and then completely chucked that out the window with heroes removing coop, completely ignoring PvE balance issues, and then introducing PvE skills/consets and then the PvE/P split on top of that. I'd much rather hard mode actually be hard instead of it just being Diablo-style "nightmare" where the numbers on players and monsters just go up, both getting increasingly imbalanced instead of any real challenge being added.

I'll likely buy GW2 but unless the either A) start giving a crap about high-end PvE or B) improve the PvP dramatically, I'm not likely to stay with it and keep buying whatever addons come out.

I've bought the collector editions of ALL 3 campaigns. That should say enough about how much brand loyalty I used to have for GW and Anet.

"used to".

that pretty much says it. too many disappointment lately that I don't even bother to log into the game, even now, there are birthday cupcakes and celebration going on, I use to pre-farm exchangeable item like..., i can't even remember what they are called now, from Gates of Kryta. Couldn't be bothered now. you push your loyal customer away Anet, we didn't leave, even now I am hoping you read all my posts regarding no-more micro-transaction, sync and etc. but too bad, you do not respond or want to do anything regarding this situation while consciously knowing that the customer "rage" about micro-transcation.

I am not even excited about getting the "free" storage tab that i have to exchange with my personal information. lol, webpage too slow, too much trouble. if i get it fine, if i dont well. lol

Well, as more than one may have noticed, I'm more loyal to the 'pay once' method of payment than to any brand or trademark, and I will always stick to that.

There were other games I liked, but instantly discarded due to their methods of payment, that prevented me from accessing the whole content, and kept searching for 'pay once' games. And I stil lgo with those.

For me it was like that:
- Like the game mechanics? Yes.
- Like the game setting? Yes.
- Have to pay just once for all and any content or features? Yes.

Now the last one is a no... ¬¬...

I'm thoroughly enjoying the game, but I don't think I can say that I have brand loyalty to it.

When I got into it, I'd never heard of ArenaNet. I'd heard of Blizzard, but had never played one of their games. My reason for picking up the game was because someone whose opinion I trusted was playing and told me it was enjoyable, and I wanted to play with them. I wasn't all that into PC games, apart from the occasional MMO.

I took an 18-month/2 year (I can't remember how long it's been now) break after Eye of the North because the game was no longer amusing me. I came back because there were features I wanted in a game that Guild Wars has, and that other games I've investigated do not appear to have. I am, however, unimpressed with the prospect of Guild Wars 2. I am not in the market for a persistent world game, and I am not in the market for an equipment-collecting game, and what little information we've had so far suggests that GW2 will be both of those things. I'm not going to change my mind about what I like simply because the new game has Guild Wars stamped on it. I may, however, change my mind about it if further information indicates that my current impression of it is incorrect.

I like online PVP. Everyone was going on about how good Guild Wars PVP was. So I started playing, and after 4 years it's a hobby.

Loyal to Anet however? ....... hmmm.....

- Free for hackers maybe. Rest of us paid 50 bucks per expansion for it.

I have enjoyed GW for nearly four years. Every member of my family has at least two campaigns with two of us having all campaigns and EotN and extra character slots.

However, this month has caused me to rethink Anet and any future purchase of their product(s). First the new (oops, the "updated") Naming Policy, unadvertised until many of us questioned Support's sudden zealous implementation of the ban stick even though by their own rules, several of Anet's NPC names should themselves be banned. Then an Alliance member being terminated after purchasing two storage panes, allegedly for fraud (Support had better have a very good paper trail for that allegation). He's checking to see if the cc payment went through now (it appeared to at NCSoft, but who knows with their completely fubar system).

Giving us the option of purchasing name changes (coincidence that it follows the stepped up banning of names ingame? Pay us or we'll ban you.), stylist procedures (many wanted this, but I spend time choosing carefully so won't be using that feature), and now a rather steep 'price' for the large equipment bag - seems like maybe Anet has new management and I do not think it for the better.

No, I was a loyal customer and player of GW. Now.........I'll continue to play a bit but we'll not be purchasing GW2 or any other anything from Anet.

i wouldnt buy a product blindly from any source

that being said i wouldnt automatically be interested in anything ncsoft produces *cough aion*, but something from anet, yes

if gw2 came out tomorrow, without any information (the current situation) would you really buy it?

Well Brand loyalty huh… Well this is not Tide and I guess Mark Martin is not driving the GW EOTN car. But to be honest I have a lot respect for guild wars I have bought all the campaigns and 4 characters on my dime. I have been playing steady for 3 years. So to me they put out a quality product that at least keeps me interested. I will buy the next campaign they produce and hope it keeps me entertained.

I have played GW for 42 months now. I have purchased at least one of everything they have to offer at the in-game store; approximately $550.00 plus shipping, handling, and tax where it applied. I have in that time logged around 8,000 hours, averaging over 6 hours a day. I have promoted the game by word of mouth. I have demonstrated the game to others.

However, after Factions came out actions taken up through that time by ANet really pissed me off. So, I left the game for about 9 months. Most of what I found inappropriate was eventually, when they felt like it, corrected. Correcting my above play time with the 9 month hiatus, this means I have spent about 8 hours a day playing the game.

There are features of GW which I like. Especially when combined with Ventrillo or Team Speak, I enjoy the friends I have made in game. I like the appearence of the game, that for me has been important. I have enjoyed exploring the game areas, exploring the different styles of story line (each to some extent based in the cultures the areas were modeled after), and I have felt they did a better job with each release.

I have always liked the limitation of levels, though I wouldn't have minded more attribute points. I have enjoyed the simplicity of the skill bar, though I would not have minded being able to use all 10 number slots. (I have detested having to guess each time what functional and effective skills were going to be destroyed today.) I have been a solid PvE player for two reasons: 1) the early game made no effort to ensure the matches started ony once everyone was loaded, and 2) the PvP arenas seem to promote dishonor and disrespect. Later, this included the exclusion of others based upon build, class, or rank. The skill balancing was never effective in ensuring equal opportunity of play and play style. Once PvE and PvP skills were separated there was No reason to have continued destroying PvE skills.

However, as of yesterday, I am now looking at other games. I have been disillusioned for sometime with ANets lack of integritty when dealing with players. For months and months and months we were repeatedly told there is no farm code, while players continued to amass data that there was and explain to others how to work it off their account. Then all of a sudden we got the, well there was a farm code but we got rid of it, you believe us now right? line tossed at us. There are in-game bugs and glitches that prevent game play. Most of my experience has been Togo and Mhenlo failing to stay with the party in V-square, Danika's refusal to follow the party in Arborstone, and Korlis Deeprunner getting stuck on chests in the Secret Lair of the Snowmen. When I ended up spending hours one day redoing V-Square HM because of this action I finally managed to get their attention. The response: Well, we just can't duplicate any of these problems. I do not believe that in three to four years of players having sufficient repeated trouble, enough that it makes it into wiki, that they are incapable of reproducing the problem. Nor do I believe it impossible to code in a /bump so players can get NPCs needed to complete a mission unstuck - except they have not wanted to.

However, the kickers, the things that have me looking for another game to play with my neighbors, allies, and gaming clan came this month. The quote, "New Naming" policy that is not supposed to be new. The holding of players accountable to slang in languages they do not speak, things which cannot be learned in a standard class, text book, or dictionary - and destroying their guilds for things they cannot have intended is dead wrong. Then, as of yesterday, a friend with more integritty than ANet has ever displayed was terminated by ANet.

We suspect a typo in the number sequence of his credit card. But you do not perminently terminate someone for something like a typo or a glitch in transfer of codes. You withhold the item purchased (two storage panes in this case) until such time as contact can be made and the purchase effort corrected. Instead, ANet finds it more appropriate to terminate a player of integritty, honor, and means who has spent over $200.00 on their products. The correct thing to do is provide a means to start a trouble ticket, where in the player can begin directly correcting any problems in the transaction. The incorrect thing to do is immediately terminate a long time player and alienate all those he plays with.

For this reason I and others are now considering ending our loyalty with ANet. A change in treatment of their player base will very likely affect whether we ever consider recommending the game to anyone and continue making any purchases.

I were so loyal to GW that I purchased the full collection of skill pins on Ebay for £80.

I wonder how much they will sell for now.

I feel like an idiot for buying them out of blind loyalty, and they being constantly shafted by Anets gradual deteriotion of the game over the last few years.

I also bought the GW mouse, but only because I wanted a mouse and keyboard with orange lights to match my orange monitor.

"Brand Loyalty" is marketer-speak for "Consumerist zombie-slaves." Seriously, how completely bodged up in the brain do you have to be to put any company's interests and well-being ahead of your own(obvious exception for entrepreneurs with their own companies)?

I've lost count of the people i've recruited to this game, LOL