So who stuck around?

[ChefMasterRock]

I reject your hypothesis. I wasn't at all interested in the game, and didn't follow it at all during development.!

 

I will admit my claim was a bit steep; I myself didn't even follow the game during production either. I'm just very aware of the fact that people were more excited about the release of this game than most that have been released in recent years (excluding WoW expansions, of course.)

 

To stay on topic, though, I'd like to pose a question to everyone involved here: We're getting a lot of observations based on the released numbers of sales. IMO boxes/cards that were bought off the shelf does not represent retention rate in any form or fashion. The real question here is how many people have actually stayed since they bought the game. Initial public release Game sales really only tell us how many people played the game at launch.

 

 

I think people's definition of what a successful subscription number is is far too bloated. If it's not in the millions of millions, people begin the doomsaying. Word of Warcraft completely skewed the definition of "success." WoW wasn't a typical game, it evolved into a pop culture phenomenon. Expecting everything else to reach that benchmark is ridiculous.

 

I completely agree with you. Before the south park plug, WoW was doing well but it became almost what you would call a "viral MMO" because of a few events. The game should be a foundation for future MMOs as far as features but shouldn't be the standard as far as subscriptions are concerned.

 

"Special" people for the most part. This is one of the main reasons they left the UI so large. For special people with physical/mental disabilities?

 

I'm missing how this pertains to the topic at hand? Actually i don't even understand what you're talking about lol

 

If you knew it was pointless, and mostly your wild and most likely incorrect opinion, then why post?

 

First of all, you misquoted me. The real quote was: "I haven't had much time to search around, so if they have already reported new numbers I apologize for the pointless post."

 

My apology was for my lack of time and thus my lack of ability to extensively search for published numbers. Therefore I did NOT know if the post was pointless which is exactly what i said - This is reading comprehension on probably a 4th or 5th grade level. Not really that hard to understand.

 

Secondly, how was this thread mostly my wild and most likely incorrect opinion? I stated "SWTOR may have set many records at it's release, in terms of numbers" This is a fact. TOR did set records at its launch. I also said that the first quarter of 2012 is drawing to a close. This is also a fact - the end of the quarter is at the end of this month.

 

Finally, my only opinion in the whole post was that i thought the records were set because of hype. Seeing as how half of my post was based on facts, a quarter of it my opinion based on the drop in subscriptions, and the rest of it being a question, the post is hardly "wild" and my statement about hype is backed up by the fact that the game topped the "Most anticipated games of 2011" lists of several websites, including Gamespot.

 

Did you even read the original post, Voqar?

[SirRobin]

Yep, same situation, different MMO.

 

Too early to tell how the game will fair in the mid-long term. The first few months of an MMO's life are certainly not the best indicator.

 

Yep and even if TOR is flopping, EA gave Mythic almost a year before heads started rolling. So its not like they are going to start a purge in Austin tomorrow or anything. The fact that a trial was launched so quickly seems a little odd to me, but its simply too soon to call it one way or the other.

[Esaru]

LOL at people who think this game is failing...

 

LOL at people who think this game is flourishing

 

damn, that was easy

[Odyssean]

I m in a small casual guild of 30 people that has created a great relationship amongst it's members, many of us met on playing SW:TOR and quickly became friends, thanks to this game.

Yesterday we had our monthly guild meeting and we talked about our future here. A small minority (4 peeps) said they are not happy with TOR or on what 1.2 brings so they will not resub, and an equal minority was satisfied from the game so far.

The rest of us decided to give SW:TOR a chance till 1.2 hits and we actually see all those things the devs are making for us, but we are all very frustrated from the lack of variety in endgame content. Other issues mentioned were the large number of bugs and the lack of basic functions, few of them addressed(?) in 1.2.

Allthough we like the story content in TOR we find that making alts is not as immersive as the first time.

We agreed to do the usual events as Operations and PvPs but we are focused to spent our time on other MMOs just to pass time till 1.2 hits live.

So the majority of our guild will stick around.

 

To my understanding 1.2 will determine the future of this game. If it is successfull then people will resub and more people will come, if it is not, well there is a huge MMO market out there....

[Icebaron]

Yep and even if TOR is flopping, EA gave Mythic almost a year before heads started rolling. So its not like they are going to start a purge in Austin tomorrow or anything. The fact that a trial was launched so quickly seems a little odd to me, but its simply too soon to call it one way or the other.

 

You know what is funny, You, Tarka and I all saw this coming as soon as they announced details of the space combat. How many subs did that alone cost Bioware?

 

They should hire us on as advisors for their next project.

[Taleek]

I think all the speculation and theorycrafting about subscription numbers is idiotic. All it is, is theory. We can't know for sure, only BW/ EA know, and they're going to have to tell us soon. Then we will know for sure. That's it.

[Meldwyn]

Who cares!!

 

For those that like the game, it doesn't matter. For those that don't, why should it matter? Honestly, if the numbers are there to support the expenses for BW/EA, then it will be here for folks to play for the foreseeable future. If not, it won't.

[hadoken]

These things are impossible to really know until the company itself comes forward with information. Even then (in the case of WOW for example, asian 'subs') the data can be manipulated heavily to favor the company releasing the information.

 

Sites that try to build a picture based on logins or other data have been very inaccurate in the past so I would be careful to use/cite any of their data too. They cannot differentiate between a character and an account.

[YeknomStun]

There is more bs in this thread than a cow farm

[DiscoEwok]

Except all you doomsayers seem to have missed the fact they have released numbers, 2M sold, 1.7M active subs, which is an 85% retention rate.

 

http://www.swtor.com/news/press-release/20120201

 

Austin, Texas – February 1, 2012 – Just six weeks after launching one of the most anticipated videogames of all time, BioWare™, a Label of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA), is continuing to set new standards in online games with Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. Already the fastest growing subscription MMO ever, Star Wars: The Old Republic has sold over 2 million copies, with a thriving base of over 1.7 million active subscribers, as gamers around the world have immersed themselves in the story-driven, online Star Wars universe from BioWare and LucasArts. Helping drive The Old Republic’s early success has been the quality and reliability of the game’s service, with servers being available for more than 99.5% of the time outside of scheduled maintenance. BioWare has also delivered on the promise of continually adding new content by releasing Rise of the Rakghouls, which added new, higher level group content, less than 30 days after launch. The next game update, featuring even more content, new game systems and additional guild features, is scheduled to be released in Spring 2012.

 

 

Check out this site.

 

http://www.mmodata.net/

 

Even though he gives his accuracy ratings, most of the data seems close to actual #'s for other games. He also gives his accuracy ratings for SWTOR as a "B".

 

According to this site, SWTOR has 1.2-1.3 subs atm. I find this extremely reasonable 3 months after launch.

 

Additionally, the people saying this game has 3 million subs are out of their minds.

 

Personally, out of the 10+ people I knew playing this game, only 1 remains currently subbed. I just unsubbed this past week.

 

The game wasn't terrible like some mentioned in this thread, but from a PvP standpoint, it was unprepared for that community. It really didn't bring anything groundbreaking to the genre and played things way to safe. Additionally, the server population level is way too low for an MMO.

 

Unfortunately the game plays like a single player game, and in that aspect, its great. As an MMO player, I'd expect more of a social environment.

 

That's just my $.02.

Edited March 7, 2012 by DiscoEwok

[Esaru]

Check out this site.

 

http://www.mmodata.net/

 

Even though he gives his accuracy ratings, most of the data seems close to actual #'s for other games. He also gives his accuracy ratings for SWTOR as a "B".

 

According to this site, SWTOR has 1.2-1.3 subs atm. I find this extremely reasonable 3 months after launch.

 

Additionally, the people saying this game has 3 million subs are out of their minds.

 

Personally, out of the 10+ people I knew playing this game, only 1 remains currently subbed. I just unsubbed this past week.

 

The game wasn't terrible like some mentioned in this thread, but from a PvP standpoint, it was unprepared for that community. It really didn't bring anything groundbreaking to the genre and played things way to safe. Additionally, the server population level is way too low for an MMO.

 

Unfortunately the game plays like a single player game, and in that aspect, its great. As an MMO player, I'd expect more of a social environment.

 

That's just my $.02.

 

This guy knows what's what

[SirRobin]

You know what is funny, You, Tarka and I all saw this coming as soon as they announced details of the space combat. How many subs did that alone cost Bioware?

 

They should hire us on as advisors for their next project.

 

No thank you. The stress they must go through is probably ridiculous. I exited the rat race when I was young and have zero desire to reenter it.

 

Its not like we have not seen developers make design decisions before that look completely boneheaded in hindsight. WAR got to Asia too before sputtering out and I expect TOR will do better. For two hundred million it sure as hell better do better.

 

How well it lasts though in as grind happy a market as the Far East? What it took us weeks to burn through they'll devour in days.

Edited March 7, 2012 by SirRobin

[Phaedrynn]

Not many people stuck around.

 

Bioware won't give exact numbers, EA will have to at their next investors meeting.

 

Bioware did say 3.3 millions characters have been created so far. Everyone I know makes 8 chars just to reserve names, so divide that by 8 is 412000, then knock off a bunch of those who unsubbed, probably 2/3 and you're at 272000 accounts probably active. I'd expect that number to keep plummeting. *The 272k is probably fairly accurate looking at numbers so far extrapolated by the community*

 

It shows too with their scheduled changes. Least amount of work to make as many patch notes as possible to make it look like a lot of work. It's obvious theyre scaling back support for the game.

 

No new races, just make the races we have available to all. No neutral gear just remove all the restrictions. No better engine to have more than 8 people in a warzone, just reskin a current warzone and call it new. On and on.

 

Game is finito. TORtanic.

 

 

LOL...stay in school kid

[Vincynt]

While Fanbois say 5 Million, and the Drones say 500 players

I am having fun, and thats the most important thing out there

 

/\ THIS!

 

I really don't care, if people don't like the game then that's cool, it's not for everyone. I enjoy it and I'm still paying my sub fee even though my play time has dwindeled with other games of interest. It's my one and only MMO at the moment.

 

And for those that say I should care because if there aren't lots of sub's it'll tank? I'll find a new game, it is afterall just that.

[dagrouch]

People want to say other games will deter swtor players away from the game, but I think for a lot of us, it's the complete opposite. I haven't touched any of my other games since Swtor came out. I haven't even bought Mass Effect 3 after playing the first two and having my ending saved.

 

I think it just depends on what server you're on. The server I'm on is very lively, even in the late night hours.

[MrPlastic]

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-03-03-star-wars-the-old-republic-could-secure-1m-long-term-subscribers

 

Quite an interesting article

 

Nobody in my 50 player(not characters, actual players) guild in SWTOR, and nobody that I've managed to ask in my 120 player(same) guild in WoW uses xfire. Most, including myself, have never even heard of it.

[ChefMasterRock]

Nobody in my 50 player(not characters, actual players) guild in SWTOR, and nobody that I've managed to ask in my 120 player(same) guild in WoW uses xfire. Most, including myself, have never even heard of it.

 

Yeah, when i originally laid out this thread i was aiming for numbers straight from the source. I too have never heard of xfire in my 12 years of playing MMOs

[Phenyr]

Not many people stuck around.

 

Bioware won't give exact numbers, EA will have to at their next investors meeting.

 

Bioware did say 3.3 millions characters have been created so far. Everyone I know makes 8 chars just to reserve names, so divide that by 8 is 412000, then knock off a bunch of those who unsubbed, probably 2/3 and you're at 272000 accounts probably active. I'd expect that number to keep plummeting. *The 272k is probably fairly accurate looking at numbers so far extrapolated by the community*

 

It shows too with their scheduled changes. Least amount of work to make as many patch notes as possible to make it look like a lot of work. It's obvious theyre scaling back support for the game.

 

No new races, just make the races we have available to all. No neutral gear just remove all the restrictions. No better engine to have more than 8 people in a warzone, just reskin a current warzone and call it new. On and on.

 

Game is finito. TORtanic.

 

Err? Can give you credits for that but did you know that mathematiclly speaking it's a formulae that proves the God do exist and also can be another one that can prove that Unicorns do exist also?

 

How can you know that there are 8 toons per account?

[Tarka]

You know what is funny, You, Tarka and I all saw this coming as soon as they announced details of the space combat. How many subs did that alone cost Bioware?

 

They should hire us on as advisors for their next project.

 

Personally, I think it may be too early for "I told you so's". I'm less interested in box sales and more interested in sub retention beyond the obligatory "honeymoon period" that we're currently in.

 

The next few months will be interesting to watch. The three month period end's in two weeks for some people. And then 1.2 hits the live servers. Apparently, even some who were at the "summit" apparently weren't exactly pleased with what they heard when it came to "end game". Then there's GW2 looming, and Tera launching on 1st May, and TSW launching in June (i think). I'm not saying they are better than SWTOR, but nevertheless new launches often cause drops in populations on existing games.

 

The pressure will begin to rise from hereon out.

Edited March 7, 2012 by Tarka

[Shivetya]

I am gone after what they have done to the game. No restrictions on colors of crystals, force powers for anyone (I don't give a **** its only ever twenty minutes), no race and class restriction to include faction cross over.

 

This isn't Star Wars anymore. Lore Whore, call me what you will, but they just jumped the shark. To think I though Blizzard was being silly with Pandas.... Bioware had to just take lore and shove it out the nearest airlock

[Behrit]

Not many people stuck around.

 

Bioware won't give exact numbers, EA will have to at their next investors meeting.

 

Bioware did say 3.3 millions characters have been created so far. Everyone I know makes 8 chars just to reserve names, so divide that by 8 is 412000, then knock off a bunch of those who unsubbed, probably 2/3 and you're at 272000 accounts probably active. I'd expect that number to keep plummeting. *The 272k is probably fairly accurate looking at numbers so far extrapolated by the community*

 

It shows too with their scheduled changes. Least amount of work to make as many patch notes as possible to make it look like a lot of work. It's obvious theyre scaling back support for the game.

 

No new races, just make the races we have available to all. No neutral gear just remove all the restrictions. No better engine to have more than 8 people in a warzone, just reskin a current warzone and call it new. On and on.

 

Game is finito. TORtanic.

 

LMAO. Are you serious dude? Yeah, we all created 8 characters. Bwahahahha.

[Tarka]

I am gone after what they have done to the game. No restrictions on colors of crystals, force powers for anyone (I don't give a **** its only ever twenty minutes), no race and class restriction to include faction cross over.

 

This isn't Star Wars anymore. Lore Whore, call me what you will, but they just jumped the shark. To think I though Blizzard was being silly with Pandas.... Bioware had to just take lore and shove it out the nearest airlock

 

Gotta admit, they seem to be laying on the "legacy" thing a bit thick at the moment. Possbily at the expense of those who are perhaps more of the "MMO mindset" (to quote Daniel Erickson) and are focused more heavily on end game and content beyond the scope of the "class story".

Edited March 7, 2012 by Tarka

[Glowrod]

I unsubscribbed last week. A friend of mine the week before. And the guild I was in is like a ghost town compared to when the game was first released. It's busy if there are 3 people online at once now.

 

I played on a FULL server, but when I left, you would be lucky to encounter more than 2 people questing with you in the same zone (that you actually see).

 

Things are definitely slowing down.

[Maltuvion]

Yeah....because over 3 million in sales and subs is tanking.

 

 

That is your fine little homebrewed number based off conjecture.

[Maoxx]

Not many people stuck around.

 

Bioware won't give exact numbers, EA will have to at their next investors meeting.

 

Bioware did say 3.3 millions characters have been created so far. Everyone I know makes 8 chars just to reserve names, so divide that by 8 is 412000, then knock off a bunch of those who unsubbed, probably 2/3 and you're at 272000 accounts probably active. I'd expect that number to keep plummeting. *The 272k is probably fairly accurate looking at numbers so far extrapolated by the community*

 

It shows too with their scheduled changes. Least amount of work to make as many patch notes as possible to make it look like a lot of work. It's obvious theyre scaling back support for the game.

 

No new races, just make the races we have available to all. No neutral gear just remove all the restrictions. No better engine to have more than 8 people in a warzone, just reskin a current warzone and call it new. On and on.

 

Game is finito. TORtanic.

 

 

Erm, yea..........I think somebody needs to be pulled away from the drugs a little bit....

 

Aside from that, honestly why get all up in a tizzy over how many are/are not playing atm.....unless you BW/EA obviously. Ask this "Are you the player enjoying the game despite what flaws it has?" If you lean more to yes then keep on playing, if not don't. It really is that simple.