Kadin Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Obviously none of us know how many current subs were active as of yesterday at 12PM CT and will make the cutoff by the 22nd get in on the promo. How many would you guess? 300k? 500k? more? less? The point is even if you take a very low number like say 200k and multiply that by $14.99, you come up with just shy of $3 Million. Big company or not, that's a large chunk of cash. The fact that they're willing to essentially write that off in a month (or later due to some people paying multiple months), is a big deal. To each of us it's not large but certainly a large impact on their bottom line and it would be nice to think of it when people scoff at what they consider a paltry offer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorellianWannabe Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Obviously none of us know how many current subs were active as of yesterday at 12PM CT and will make the cutoff by the 22nd get in on the promo. How many would you guess? 300k? 500k? more? less? The point is even if you take a very low number like say 200k and multiply that by $14.99, you come up with just shy of $3 Million. Big company or not, that's a large chunk of cash. The fact that they're willing to essentially write that off in a month (or later due to some people paying multiple months), is a big deal. To each of us it's not large but certainly a large impact on their bottom line and it would be nice to think of it when people scoff at what they consider a paltry offer... So you're saying that they're so desperate to retain subs that they're gambling a month's worth of revenue on their patch being enough to keep them around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadin Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 So you're saying that they're so desperate to retain subs that they're gambling a month's worth of revenue on their patch being enough to keep them around? Where exactly did I say that? I'm saying they realized they needed to make up for what they possibly considered some poor issues and offered something back as an apology or a 'thank you for sticking with us'. There are a LOT of companies out there that would have done nothing and simply moved along as if it was just a typical bump in the road... People say EA is cheap and all about money. This offer clearly says otherwise me thinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livnthedream Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Where exactly did I say that? I'm saying they realized they needed to make up for what they possibly considered some poor issues and offered something back as an apology or a 'thank you for sticking with us'. There are a LOT of companies out there that would have done nothing and simply moved along as if it was just a typical bump in the road... People say EA is cheap and all about money. This offer clearly says otherwise me thinks. agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminova Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Obviously none of us know how many current subs were active as of yesterday at 12PM CT and will make the cutoff by the 22nd get in on the promo. How many would you guess? 300k? 500k? more? less? The point is even if you take a very low number like say 200k and multiply that by $14.99, you come up with just shy of $3 Million. Big company or not, that's a large chunk of cash. The fact that they're willing to essentially write that off in a month (or later due to some people paying multiple months), is a big deal. To each of us it's not large but certainly a large impact on their bottom line and it would be nice to think of it when people scoff at what they consider a paltry offer... Or it could mean that they have far exceeded the number of subs they ever expected to retain or needed to retain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonelead Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 or they are worried about GW2 coming which has no sub fees at all... and also worried people will realise that Subs are not needed, that people shouldnt have to pay for bugs to be fixed etc.. that should just be fixed. and you should only pay for expansions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PostalTwinkie Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Well, let's use the last official numbers that were posted by BioWare. 1,700,000 subscribers. x $14.99 -------------------------- $25,483,000 Now obviously not all 1.7 million subscribers qualify for the 30 day trial, this is just the highest last verified number. Though with the new qualification of just having Legacy Level 6 I imagine a large portion of the population will get it. Now taking that number in comparison to the total development cost of this game, which was $200,000,000 it is just under 13%, which is fairly significant. Now to plays Devil's Advocate, Why did they do this? Is it because investors are getting a little antsy at this point and are concerned? So this is a way of keeping subscriber numbers high through the release of 1.2? Was this done because Ranked PvP was not released with 1.2 and it was known far enough in advance, and the ramifications would be a spike in subscription loss? I personally think it was a mix of all those things. Shortly after the release of the game EA stock dropped by double digits, investors stating they had concerns about the potential of SWTOR. We also know that the PvP community is very upset over 1.2 in general, not even including the issue with Ranked not being released. Another factor to consider in the numbers are the people that aren't going to even use their free month, because they have left or are leaving........ All in all it is a gamble for BioWare/EA at the end, but I think they will be safe. They have enough resources to ride it through until they recover from any potentially negative effects of doing this. Though it does make one wonder, free weekend and buddy pass, now this? Who is giving who heat in the company to push these things so close to release? It, on some levels, gives the impressions that the game isn't performing like anticipated and they are trying to drive numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
System_TOR Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) In my book its a desperate attempt to keep people playing and not canceling their sub, which will probably work in the short term. Yeah it may cost them quite a number of millions but it is better than people leaving by the masses and the game dieing, which could so easily happen given the amount of blunders Bioware are making with patches and implementations. Edited April 14, 2012 by System_TOR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyaka Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 And yet....people still complain. Thank you for proving my original thought, that even if Bioware changed the qualifier to include MORE people... Someone is still going to cry about it. Can't please people these days...it's impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raximillian Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 EA is a business, and the point is to make money. No single move they do is made with the intention of losing money. I'm sure they have a lot to gain with it, so they did it. If TOR ever starts losing them money, they will close it on the spot. They are not here to make us happy, or make us favors, they are here to make money. And as long as TOR is running, it will make them money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminova Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 In my book its a desperate attempt to keep people playing and not canceling their sub, which will probably work in the short term. Yeah it may cost them quite a number of millions but it is better than people leaving by the masses and the game dieing, which could so easily happen given the amount of blunders Bioware are making with patches and implementations. This doesn't do what you think it does... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedexmatt Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I canceled my account last week, about 30 in my guild went on to other things or back to WOW. Grind rep and credits for gear over and over and over. Same **** different game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PostalTwinkie Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 This doesn't do what you think it does... Inconceivable!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinfony Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) I think I am within my rights to state that this move could only be described as Bioware/EA giving me a gift card after screwing up what I ordered. It is actually quite genius because we have no choice to spend that money straight back into their pockets while they prey for "Brand Loyalty". Edited April 14, 2012 by Sinfony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinfony Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I canceled my account last week, about 30 in my guild went on to other things or back to WOW. Grind rep and credits for gear over and over and over. Same **** different game! Just unsubscribed last night /signed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyranoc Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I hope they go bust. Would rather be back in Afghan patroling in -20 centigrade on foot alongside the Afghan National Army, running the risk of being stabbed/shot in the back by them rather than have to deal with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KotchaYankinov Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Wow I have been subscribed since the day of launch but I don't have a level 50 yet. Thanks SWTOR, although next time, let me at least lube up first. Good way to make me stay subscribed. Sorry I don't have the time to play as much as the level 50s in the game, I didn't realize you charged them a different rate than me. But since they are more loyal than I am I guess they deserve it. At least when SONY boned the SW IP they took over a year to do it. I will at least give you credit for doing it efficiently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PostalTwinkie Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I hope they go bust. Would rather be back in Afghan patroling in -20 centigrade on foot alongside the Afghan National Army, running the risk of being stabbed/shot in the back by them rather than have to deal with this. Really? I would recommend you seek professional help. My brother in-law had these same feelings on many things, but after getting this PTSD a bit more in order those thoughts subsided. 5 tours will do that to you I suppose..... Thanks for your service, hope things get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idunhavaname Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Where exactly did I say that? I'm saying they realized they needed to make up for what they possibly considered some poor issues and offered something back as an apology or a 'thank you for sticking with us'. There are a LOT of companies out there that would have done nothing and simply moved along as if it was just a typical bump in the road... People say EA is cheap and all about money. This offer clearly says otherwise me thinks. Watch this and tell me EA is not all about getting more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WLpride Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) iNTERESTING, but not what BW was thinking about. They may not have understood why they made the decision to give the game away when it's really, a very front-end loaded MMO. The First experience is the best.... but they don't want that to be true, so they are just trying to be friendly and curteous and professional and hope that you will come back after. Even years later because they have a pretty big game plan I think. I think up until the second complete year there will likely be no decrease in development, they seem to have the machine on work-mode and intend to stay that way. So until EA announces new big MMO they can likely afford to add content to the MMO. It's good being EA favorite child... This is roughly how launch should have looked in terms of polish and features, so that means a lot of work still to do, and I don't doubt it will not come. So for anyone panicking I'd check back in a year and see what is up. Edited April 14, 2012 by WLpride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullenz Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) Wow I have been subscribed since the day of launch but I don't have a level 50 yet. Thanks SWTOR, although next time, let me at least lube up first. Good way to make me stay subscribed. Sorry I don't have the time to play as much as the level 50s in the game, I didn't realize you charged them a different rate than me. But since they are more loyal than I am I guess they deserve it. At least when SONY boned the SW IP they took over a year to do it. I will at least give you credit for doing it efficiently. EA/Bioware only reward those who play hours after hours not those that showned loyalty since launch and still with them. You are not allowed to be a casual gamer, eventhough you have paid the same amount of money as others. I see more lost subs in the next few weeks. Most people i known have left, I still like the game... only time will tell with GW2 and D3 due for release. Edited April 14, 2012 by Tullenz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyaka Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I hope they go bust. Would rather be back in Afghan patroling in -20 centigrade on foot alongside the Afghan National Army, running the risk of being stabbed/shot in the back by them rather than have to deal with this. That's the most offensive and outrageous thing I've ever read in a gaming forum. Seriously. No one in their right mind would rather be in a war zone risking their life thousands of miles from their friends and family, than deal with NOT getting 30 days of free play time. What a disgusting thing to say. I know veterans. Real ones. And none of them would ever think twice about choosing between being at home..or being shot at. You lessen yourself and disgrace any one who has ever really fought for their country when you make gross comparisons like that. You should be ashamed of making comments like that, I know you aren't, or you wouldn't have said it to begin with. But you should be. I hope you meet a real veteran one day. Then you might begin to understand how offensive it is to compare this insignificant event with something as serious as combat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinfony Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 That's the most offensive and outrageous thing I've ever read in a gaming forum. Seriously. No one in their right mind would rather be in a war zone risking their life thousands of miles from their friends and family, than deal with NOT getting 30 days of free play time. What a disgusting thing to say. I know veterans. Real ones. And none of them would ever think twice about choosing between being at home..or being shot at. You lessen yourself and disgrace any one who has ever really fought for their country when you make gross comparisons like that. You should be ashamed of making comments like that, I know you aren't, or you wouldn't have said it to begin with. But you should be. I hope you meet a real veteran one day. Then you might begin to understand how offensive it is to compare this insignificant event with something as serious as combat. I would say don't fall into his post, but I see that you already have. What you have explained in your current post can only be described as self explanatory. Not a personal attack at all. Just don't want you to waste your time with posts like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PostalTwinkie Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 That's the most offensive and outrageous thing I've ever read in a gaming forum. Seriously. No one in their right mind would rather be in a war zone risking their life thousands of miles from their friends and family, than deal with NOT getting 30 days of free play time. What a disgusting thing to say. I know veterans. Real ones. And none of them would ever think twice about choosing between being at home..or being shot at. You lessen yourself and disgrace any one who has ever really fought for their country when you make gross comparisons like that. You should be ashamed of making comments like that, I know you aren't, or you wouldn't have said it to begin with. But you should be. I hope you meet a real veteran one day. Then you might begin to understand how offensive it is to compare this insignificant event with something as serious as combat. Woa, chill out. You have no idea if he was a vet or not. As I said in my response to him my brother in-law would say the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonBraun Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 here's the thing... People are unhappy about less people in the game and on the servers... When this happens they either leave the game or re-roll on other servers. This causes a trickle down effect that gathers speed. By offering time and getting more players in game, by offering it to people who are playing, they are promoting the building of the game community... And that's a good thing. We want busy, full servers with lots going on... People have asked for this. Here is your responce. Loging, invite your friends, play. Populate the servers and watch more come in. If people are so into conspiracy theories, then don't play. But if want to play and have fun and watch more poeple join, then do it. We've just gotten some incentives to play. Let's play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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