It wasn’t too long ago that Sony Online Entertainment boss, John Smedley, boldly predicted that The Old Republic would be the last of a dying breed. He said that it would be “the last large scale MMO to use the traditional subscription business model”.
With so many major MMO releases going “freemium”, it’s difficult to argue with his logic. It seems that if it’s not World of Warcraft then people don’t want to pay every month to play. Of course, Star Wars has a special kind of pull so it might buck the trend. Is it really going to be more popular than the ill-fated Star Trek MMO or the more recent DC Universe Online? Both of those titles struggled to find enough subscribers to keep the game world busy enough and subsequently went free-to-play.
BioWare bosses, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk think the model has a way to go yet, though. Speaking to Industry Gamers, they extoll the virtues of “premium content at a premium price” and go on to say that they think premium MMOs, with the right licences, can exist for years to come.
Source: Industry Gamers
MayContainEvil
Well of course they say that, they’re just about to release one of their own. Surely we can’t expect them to come out and admit it’s a dying business model that’s coming to the end of it’s time?
I won’t be getting this, while I love bioware there is still no way I’m paying every month for the privilege of playing it.
kjkg
Would be a bit stupid but I do have to agree with them a bit. For some unknowen reason, I always think of free to play mmo as a lesser game to the subscription. No idea why though.
KeRaSh
Same here. Many MMO players think free to play means the game is not as polished and doesn’t get as much new content as monthly fee MMOs. I kind of feel the same way.
Lifetime subscriptions is where it’s at for me. Thinking back, I would have saved a lot of money if they had something like that back then. Seeing that the game is still going strong (after what now, 8 years?) I’m pretty sure monthly fees are more profitable because you have so many people who play the game even after the life time subscription fee would be paid for.
MayContainEvil
Lifetime subs are fine with me, will this game have one? It’s more a phobia of bills and an intermittent internet connection that put me off MMO’s that require a sub.