Elder Scrolls Online (MMO)

[Nefaro]

Is it because the new MMO's aren't as good or have expectations become so high now, no new MMO can meet the content level of older MMO's at launch?

Most of the new full-featured MMORPGs do nothing new.  So people either don't bother buying into them because they already have other MMO(s) they've invested time & money in or they did try it out at release and realized after their first month or two that it's the same thing they've been playing for years (with new window dressing).  The launch day numbers are always immense for these big name MMOs so I'm guessing quite a few are of the latter category.  I know because I've been with them many times over the years. 

One of the latest examples was SWTOR.  It was more of the same, with lots of voice acting added.  Many un-subbed not long after release due to it feeling like the same 'ole stuff.  It's initial sale success was pretty much just due to it being 1) Star Wars, 2) from the makers of an earlier popular single-player RPG series, and 3) Pre-release hyped like crazy.  Sound familiar?


Edit:  Terrible grammar fixed.  "Do" instead of "due"?  I should be shot by a Spelling Nazi Firing Squad!  :o

[Toonces]

If you read the comments at RPS that's exactly what they say.  Further, it doesn't really matter if the game has "legs."  As long as it cleans up on release (with the $60 buy-in) then longevity almost doesn't matter.

I almost sound like I'm hoping the game does poorly, which isn't the case at all.  I'm really excited about the prospects.  I hope this game is awesome.  I have problem investing in it if it's worth it. 

[Nefaro]

If you read the comments at RPS that's exactly what they say.  Further, it doesn't really matter if the game has "legs."  As long as it cleans up on release (with the $60 buy-in) then longevity almost doesn't matter.

I almost sound like I'm hoping the game does poorly, which isn't the case at all.  I'm really excited about the prospects.  I hope this game is awesome.  I have problem investing in it if it's worth it.

I agree.

That's why these big brand MMOs charge sixty bucks up front and a monthly fee.  They're raking in all they can from the initial hype before it goes free-to-play in a year or so when their subs drop off immensely. 

I, too, hope it will have a lot of innovative stuff and turns out something quite unique but I really doubt it.  The Fantasy MMORPGs have been stuck copying each others' features so much that they're all pretty much the same these days.

[Yskonyn]

MMO's have become a strange business, older MMO's can still charge monthly fees and get away with it, but I don't know of any new MMO in the last few years with a pay to play model that as made it.

Is it because the new MMO's aren't as good or have expectations become so high now, no new MMO can meet the content level of older MMO's at launch?

Final Fantasy 14 A Realm Reborn is doing very well and has the traditional sub.

[skeptical.platypus]

The Elder Scrolls Online has free beta keys available through a site/service, www.curse.com. Sign up for a free account at Curse, get a TESO beta key.

[Tpek]

The Elder Scrolls Online has free beta keys available through a site/service, www.curse.com. Sign up for a free account at Curse, get a TESO beta key.

Thanks. I'll try this out.

[Tpek]

Anyone knows if there is an actual official forum up for this game?
It seems everyone's using Facebook to communicate with the devs :P

[skeptical.platypus]

I couldn't find one; until your post I assumed I wasn't looking hard enough.

[Tpek]

There are so many bugs to report, and yet I can't find where to do so :(

[son_of_montfort]

MMO's have become a strange business, older MMO's can still charge monthly fees and get away with it, but I don't know of any new MMO in the last few years with a pay to play model that as made it.

Is it because the new MMO's aren't as good or have expectations become so high now, no new MMO can meet the content level of older MMO's at launch?

Final Fantasy 14 A Realm Reborn is doing very well and has the traditional sub.

Also, WoW is still going strong and actually saw a growth in subs in the last few months.

[Tpek]

MMO's have become a strange business, older MMO's can still charge monthly fees and get away with it, but I don't know of any new MMO in the last few years with a pay to play model that as made it.

Is it because the new MMO's aren't as good or have expectations become so high now, no new MMO can meet the content level of older MMO's at launch?

Final Fantasy 14 A Realm Reborn is doing very well and has the traditional sub.

Also, WoW is still going strong and actually saw a growth in subs in the last few months.

From what I know it's been in decline for years.
They've started offering more and more freebies to attract new players, and the fact they relaunched Diablo 3 (after originally cancelling the project to prevent "collision" with WoW) is another good indication of its slow death.

As for FF14, it's pretty new (the revised edition), so it might just be become F2P.

[son_of_montfort]

From what I know it's been in decline for years.
They've started offering more and more freebies to attract new players, and the fact they relaunched Diablo 3 (after originally cancelling the project to prevent "collision" with WoW) is another good indication of its slow death.

If you consider 7.8 million subscribers and a last month growth of 200,000 people "in decline." If this is a slow death, it is a very very slow one, given that it launched 10 years ago (hard to believe)!

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/02/07/world-of-warcraft-still-pulls-a-crowd/

I think F2P is a fad. I have yet to play a single F2P that had the quality of content that I see in the subscription model, with the possible exception of Neverwinter and Guild Wars 2 (although I did not much care for GW2, the build quality was evident). Besides, they are not really "free," considering you eventually will need or want to put in some $$ to even the odds. Currently I am playing Marvel Heroes off and on, but it really is a lame version of Torchlight. That being said, I've never tried Path of Exile more than a few hours, and I have heard it is an excellent F2P.

[skeptical.platypus]

Man, I was really hoping that WoW would be definitive proof that when you introduce pandas or ewoks, you've killed your IP.

[Yskonyn]

Lol, I am already looking forward to the articles where cynics and naysayers all jump on how WOW was a failure because it ended not looking at the fact how long it ran.
Of course WoW will have a decline in pop and eventually closes down. Be it due to another MMO by them, being just obsolete from a technical standpoint or whatever else might come up.
But the fact it already runs for 10 years makes the game and the sub model a success no matter what even if its only an example and many others didn't pull it off.

As for FFXIV; Naoki Yoshida still firmly believes the sub model is the best way for his game for now and the near future.
So I wouldn't expect the game to revert to free to play anytime soon at All. FF11 still runs with a sub too.

[Tpek]

From what I know it's been in decline for years.
They've started offering more and more freebies to attract new players, and the fact they relaunched Diablo 3 (after originally cancelling the project to prevent "collision" with WoW) is another good indication of its slow death.

If you consider 7.8 million subscribers and a last month growth of 200,000 people "in decline." If this is a slow death, it is a very very slow one, given that it launched 10 years ago (hard to believe)!

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/02/07/world-of-warcraft-still-pulls-a-crowd/

I think F2P is a fad. I have yet to play a single F2P that had the quality of content that I see in the subscription model, with the possible exception of Neverwinter and Guild Wars 2 (although I did not much care for GW2, the build quality was evident). Besides, they are not really "free," considering you eventually will need or want to put in some $$ to even the odds. Currently I am playing Marvel Heroes off and on, but it really is a lame version of Torchlight. That being said, I've never tried Path of Exile more than a few hours, and I have heard it is an excellent F2P.

I've read different statistics.
Not to mention how many of those 7.6 accounts are real subscribers, and real unique individuals who play for fun (not some chinese prisoners toiling in the gold-farms).

As for Marvel Heroes, it's pretty awesome.
I'm sorry you didn't like it (maybe you should give it another try), but I find it quite a lot of fun. Much more fun than Torchlight 2.
And that's even without the constant stream of new content that you get in MH.