Step back and look at the potential cost to EA/BW for them giving the free 30 days

[terminova]

If your think EA/BW are giving people free 30 days subs our to the kindness of their hearts, or just a random act of graciousness, you are a fool. The free 30 days is a damage control ploy. 1.2 is a complete disaster. Most players are unhappy with it and not all of it made it live. The free sub time is a damage control tool, as well as a premise to what lies ahead. SWTOR will be free to play by the end of the year. I promise you.

 

Stop with the doom and gloom. People have been making those ridiculous claims FOR MONTHS.

 

Stop making promises you cannot keep.

[MahBo]

LOL @ HATERZ IN DENIAL

Go back to 4chains and MySpace ya dame trolls !

The game is the most successful MMO ever which is clearly why BW and EA are engaging in philanthropy!

Edited April 14, 2012 by MahBo

[Meldwyn]

LOL @ HATERZ IN DENIAL

Go back to 4chains and MySpace ya dame trolls !

The game is the most successful MMO ever which is clearly why BW and EA are engaging in philanthropy!

 

LOL indeed. Not a chance. Damage control. If it was a week, 3 days, maybe. They cant even write this off as a charitable contribution.

[ulantra]

Billion dollar companies. So the cost is 0.5% of a couple hours appreciation on their money. Eeew that has to hurt.

The failure of them to capitalize on a huge audience that want to love this game and play it is what really has to sting. Kinda like blowing it on a girl that invited you over for sex. Should have taken a bath and shaved before you drove over. In the end wow will attain a net gain once again people going back to what works.

[Lokai]

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

 

you realize in context of tor would mean

 

We'd pay for every single raid content 20 or so dollars at a guess so there have been what 3 raid updates? 20 bucks a piece? 1.2 itself would also have come with a price, probably have to buy legacy system separately, or better yet! probably end up charging you for each and every feature it offers for free...

 

Games do not charge subfees typically make ends meet with micro transactions...

 

Instances will cost you

 

Any major feature will cost you(such as legacy)

 

New races will cost you

 

New classes will cost you

 

ect ect ect

 

Not bashing GW2 by any means but for many people its highly preferable to simply pay a 15 dollar sub-fee every month, and be assured you get all content available rather then pay for each and every raid/dunegon added/feature.

 

Sure someone could do math and tell you just how much that costs...and while MAY be cheaper in long run, i'm pretty sure each patch would cost you more up front...most folks don't want to spend 60 or so bucks out of there paycheck to get access to all the features... is why i don't play DDO much seriously because so much locked and would cost me a small fortune to unlock it all.

 

i kinda prefer sub games over non-sub games.

[thornka]

you realize in context of tor would mean

 

We'd pay for every single raid content 20 or so dollars at a guess so there have been what 3 raid updates? 20 bucks a piece? 1.2 itself would also have come with a price, probably have to buy legacy system separately, or better yet! probably end up charging you for each and every feature it offers for free...

 

Games do not charge subfees typically make ends meet with micro transactions...

 

Instances will cost you

 

Any major feature will cost you(such as legacy)

 

New races will cost you

 

New classes will cost you

 

ect ect ect

 

Not bashing GW2 by any means but for many people its highly preferable to simply pay a 15 dollar sub-fee every month, and be assured you get all content available rather then pay for each and every raid/dunegon added/feature.

 

Sure someone could do math and tell you just how much that costs...and while MAY be cheaper in long run, i'm pretty sure each patch would cost you more up front...most folks don't want to spend 60 or so bucks out of there paycheck to get access to all the features... is why i don't play DDO much seriously because so much locked and would cost me a small fortune to unlock it all.

 

i kinda prefer sub games over non-sub games.

 

Except 1: GW2 is not F2P. There is a initial fee. 2: GW1 never did this. They offered expansions later on that offered entire new zones, stories, and classes.

 

And I do wonder if this whole "free month" thing is to show their investors that subscriptions are still retaining.

[terminova]

LOL indeed. Not a chance. Damage control. If it was a week, 3 days, maybe. They cant even write this off as a charitable contribution.

 

All you do is put spin on it to fit your biased opinion and view. FYI, it doesn't even hurt their pocket book because they own the servers and the servers were going to be up and running regardless of whether they decided to give players free play time or not.

 

Except 1: GW2 is not F2P. There is a initial fee. 2: GW1 never did this. They offered expansions later on that offered entire new zones, stories, and classes.

 

And I do wonder if this whole "free month" thing is to show their investors that subscriptions are still retaining.

 

Yes, they did: I had to buy Guild Wars when it came out in order to play the game...

Edited April 14, 2012 by terminova

[kodimynatt]

I see this offer as an admissions of guilt that they have failed us

[terminova]

I see this offer as an admissions of guilt that they have failed us

 

 

Why are you even bothering to keep up your sub? You don't like the game, you're bored and are only hanging around to be negative.

[lokivoid]

Fanbois never cease to amaze me. You think Bioware is giving out time because they're just a bunch of great people?

 

Bioware and EA are large companies. The only reason large companies do anything is to make money. Someone at Bioware/EA has crunched the numbers and guessed that they will make more money by retaining players upset with the pvp changes and otherwise wavering than they will lose from the free month.

 

It's the same reason they are giving out time to cancelled accounts. It's not charity, it's just a stunt to try and hook people.

 

It works out great for those of us who were planning on playing anyway, because we get free time. But don't kid yourself as to why this is happening.

 

Bioware could just be doing it independently to save their own ***. EA relays on hype to market mass produced games. When a name becomes counter productive to the hype, the name is discarded by dissolving the studio and merging its staff to a newly acquired name.

[kodimynatt]

I did unsub yesterday, I dedicated thousands of hours into this game, look at my registration year. I have right to post the truth

[DawnAskham]

As I said in another post, anyone who believes the free month is anything other than a marketing promotion to try and retain as many subs as possible is delusional.

 

Not to say it is good or bad, but that is what it is. Companies don't give away things for reasons of charity, not even when they give to charity.

 

Now whether this started as a 'wouldn't it be nice to reward our players with a free month to build loyalty' or 'OMG sub numbers are falling, we need to take action right now', we'll probably never know.

Edited April 14, 2012 by DawnAskham

[Aus_Jedi]

I have been with the game since early access. I am disappointed that you have to have a level 50 character to get the free month.

 

I would have had a level 50, but when they released the Aussie Servers I started a new. I don't play everyday and so I am only up to level 42 with my Toon.

 

I am getting a Taun Taun pet, but so is someone who has gone away and decides to resub, so nothing extra for the loyalty of staying with SWTOR.

 

But this is a market ploy. People at Level 50 are likely going to look at unsubing. There isn't much for them to do. They hope to string them along for an additional month. I am hoping that means they plan to release some more content in a month, but I will believe it when I see it.

[xeenz]

Hey guys, lets complain about SWTOR giving us 30 days free playtime. But wait, GW2 is giving us unlimited playtime at no cost?! HOW DARE THEY DO THAT!!! DESPERATE ATTEMPT!!! ARGH I'M SO ANGRY!!!!! GUILDTANIC!!!

 

I'm happy that they give us 30 days playtime Money saved.

Edited April 14, 2012 by xeenz

[kodimynatt]

I feel like everything in this game is half-assed

 

1. space combat

2. pvp

3. crafting

4. buggy operations

5. limited gear

6. no real future plans to fix any of it

[Vlacke]

It was a good move by EA/Bioware to reward players with game time, and a Tauntaun, people should be pleased.

 

Other companies don't really do things like this.

[Irilith]

Yay, i definitively want to join this debate. And i'm wearing my tin foiled helmet right now, thanks for asking. The owls can't see me under it!

 

I think the first part of understanding whats going on is to actually understand the offer by Bioware. 30 days of free game time, but you don't get it right away. You 'qualify', you are 'eligible', but you don't get it! "The free 30 days will appear on your account by April 24, 11:59PM CDT" and the "30 DAYS GAME TIME STARTS AT THE END OF YOUR CURRENT BILLING PERIOD" (sorry for capslock, it's copy&pasted from the mail Bioware sent me).

 

So as long as you don't have an active account on April 24 you will get nothing, there will be no 'current billing period' to attach any free days to. There will be no magic reactivating of your account just so you can enjoy your 30 days of free awesome!

 

(man, it would be really embarrassing if somebody could prove with just one link that i'm wrong about this, and it's likely someone will. Would nullify all of this, but i don't care, enjoying myself here and if i'm wrong i have an other theory about sub numbers and earnings calls in my pocket. Paranoid much? Oh yes! )

 

so...

 

Why qualify on April 12 and redeem it on April 24?

 

Not really a tough one. If you created your account on release day or anywhere during the christmas holidays and had it active since, it will expire exactly now. Between April 12 and April 24. Of course only if you pay monthly or every 90 days. Everyone is 'eligible' for the free 30 days, but you have to stay at least another month to redeem it.

 

But why that level 50 thing?

 

Why would anyone who isn't level 50 and shows quite an active online time unsub? No, these guys will stick around anyway and shouldn't be baited with 30 days of free time. And on the opposite you can safely assume that everyone who doesn't have a level 50 character and nevertheless unsubbed already is gone for good. The 'under 50s' are just not a suited target market for Biowares offer.

 

The 'over 50s' on the other hand have shown that they are willing and able to spend time and money on Star Wars: The old Republic. Yes, you guys have proven worthy of this generous offer! You are the ones who will most likely reconsider your cancelation when beeing rewarded with 30 days of free game time. (Oh, and you are the ones that hit endgame and most likely unsubbed in such big numbers, that luring some of you back could bring more money than it costs to give one month of free time to players who would have stayed anyway)

 

But hey! They altered the deal and now even include the people with legacy level 6.

 

Mhmm, yeah, let's take a look at that. And i don't want to talk about the sh.. storm that went down here when the original offer was announced because i don't think that was the only reason. (Beware! getting really 'tin foiled' now.)

 

They took a whole day to figure out how to solve this dilemma of anrgy and loyal 'under 50s' and not losing to much money in the process. Finally Bioware/EA realised that they gave one day of compensation to everyone because of this very nasty serverdown on friday and in consequence every canceled subscription that would normaly run out on April 23 would now last till April 24. Dammit! These guys get the 30 free days and don't even have to pay for it!

 

But now that they have altered the 30 days offer, they could easily switch in a little modifcation. You no longer get your free time on April 24, 11:59PM CDT, you now get it one day later on April 25, 11:59PM CDT. There. Everybody is happy and nobody saw what they did. They traded everyone above legacy level 5 against all April 23 cancelations. (Level 6, that seemed just too random to be random)

 

I'm totally sure thats how it went down. Maybe. Anyhow, sorry for my english.

 

 

tl:dr

The owls are not what they seem. cooper, cooper, cooper.

Edited April 14, 2012 by Irilith

[tormeanted]

Hey guys, lets complain about SWTOR giving us 30 days free playtime. But wait, GW2 is giving us unlimited playtime at no cost?! HOW DARE THEY DO THAT!!! DESPERATE ATTEMPT!!! ARGH I'M SO ANGRY!!!!! GUILDTANIC!!!

 

I'm happy that they give us 30 days playtime Money saved.

 

I quit entirely. WAY MOAR money saved. Beat that.

[tormeanted]

The reason for free this amd free that is simple, they're trying to artificially buff their sub numbers and hide the fast that the game is bleeding subs like mad.

 

I'm still in awe that fanbois can look at empty servers and somehow argue differently.

[gibmachine]

Yay, i definitively want to join this debate. And i'm wearing my tin foiled helmet right now, thanks for asking. The owls can't see me under it!

 

I think the first part of understanding whats going on is to actually understand the offer by Bioware. 30 days of free game time, but you don't get it right away. You 'qualify', you are 'eligible', but you don't get it! "The free 30 days will appear on your account by April 24, 11:59PM CDT" and the "30 DAYS GAME TIME STARTS AT THE END OF YOUR CURRENT BILLING PERIOD" (sorry for capslock, it's copy&pasted from the mail Bioware sent me).

 

So as long as you don't have an active account on April 24 you will get nothing, there will be no 'current billing period' to attach any free days to. There will be no magic reactivating of your account just so you can enjoy your 30 days of free awesome!.

 

30 DAYS GAME TIME STARTS AT THE END OF YOUR CURRENT BILLING PERIOD.

 

It doesn't say "then-current" (as in the billing period that started after april 24th) but "current" the same way it doesn't say "it will appear on april 24th" but "by april 24th". To me it basically says that 30 day bonus starts when my CURRENT subscription runs out (in my case on april 18th) and april 24th is simply the latest date for the bonus to be added (in case of your subscription ending on 26th for example) but doesn't mean that it won't be there until precisely april 24th.

 

Granted I might be wrong but I like to think that I understand it correctly.

Edited April 15, 2012 by gibmachine

[Esential]

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.

 

 

Ahhh, the ignorance of any business knowledge is painfully strong ITT.

 

 

2 dollars a share from 20th of Dec- 20th January. Double digits?

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=EA+Interactive#symbol=ea;range=6m;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

 

 

Lol and love your revenue computation.

 

LEME BREAK THIS DOWN FOR YOU GUISE

 

 

DOG X CAT(s)=LIGER

 

Cause math

Edited April 15, 2012 by Esential

[KingFink]

 

LEME BREAK THIS DOWN FOR YOU GUISE

 

 

DOG X CAT(s)=LIGER

 

Cause math

 

We all know that. Come on man, show us something NEW!

[DarthRik]

well as one of the people who posted lots yesterday about the 30 day free to only lvl 50 account holders. i have to say im happy with what Bioware has done.

 

they showed that they will listen to the customers and understand when they are in the wrong. dont get me wrong this is not going to build my faith in them to a massive scale just yet, but its a step in the right direction i think.

 

also all these people posting doom and gloom over this, saying this is a sign that the game will go free to play in no time. show me your data for coming up with this.

 

becuase if any mmo will be free to play soon, id put money on it been wow, 1.8million subs lost in one year. closing the year they offer, beta access to there new game, a free copy of the new game all this with a year sub tieing you into a dieing game. Then we now have the scroll of lolz with your free lvl 80 that you can use once every 30 days, so whats that you want to skip 1-80 every month, just get your mate to keep sending you scrolls, which they have even put an icon on your real id friends tab in game, that will send your real id friends a scroll or you can type in the email.

 

that to me sounds like a game that is going down hill and heading for free to play. not this game who;s devs listen to there customers and did something about it.

 

oh and last point, when the fans of wow have kicked off in the past about server downtime, or content that has been nerfed and made eayer, what did blizzard do...... yeah thats right sweet feck all thats what they did.

[lokivoid]

Hey guys, lets complain about SWTOR giving us 30 days free playtime. But wait, GW2 is giving us unlimited playtime at the cost of a pay-to-win cashshop

 

There fixed that for you.

[Elkantar]

i played rift for exactly 1 month and unsubbed...they didnt send me any welcome back or free time emails till about 2 months ago..it took them nearly a year to beg me back..bioware is doing this after 4 months,something is wrong there,and anyone who says anything different,needs to take the blinders off.

 

Warhammer did the same very fast.