Subs down 25%

[Nyxlin]

And how many of those 1.3 million are in their free month and are not actually playing any more? _0/

[chaosdefined]

the group finder not being implmented did not cause them to lose subs, RIFT a supperior game to wow had a group finder and they lost subs, wow did not get subs from implementing thier group finder a couple years ago.

 

It was certainly a contributing factor. Many people left the game because they were having difficulty getting enough people to form a group to experience the content. I'm not saying that was the reason for everyone, but it was certainly a reason for some.

[Tiaa]

If you gain subs it's called growth, if you lose subs it's called retention rate.

 

Lol that is amusing and true.

 

They avoid the ominous words such as "declined" , "lost" , "doomsday" ,"2012" and

 

"OMG ALL ENGINES HAVE FAILED! SHES GOING DOWN!"

[kidatwood]

I was figuring around 1.2 million because every mmo has some decline. I remember 6 months after swg was released how many subs were gone. Id say even a higher number than this one percentage wise. Edited May 8, 2012 by kidatwood

[ISTrick]

and i'm off for some loving YOU!

 

I hope you have an 'inny',

 

 

just saying is all.. haha

 

(2 screwdrivers ain't my style unfortunately)

[Celticprince]

It was certainly a contributing factor. Many people left the game because they were having difficulty getting enough people to form a group to experience the content. I'm not saying that was the reason for everyone, but it was certainly a reason for some.

 

for a few yes, but that few is probaly the ones that have never expieranced an MMO without a group finder, had no friends to play with, no guild, and no clue how get themselves recruited or into a group. some were probaly completey new to mmos, others i would wager a much smaller percentage expieranced gamers used to how mmos work that just had bad luck.

[Celticprince]

I was figuring around 1.2 million because every mmo has some decline. I remember 6 months after swg was released how many subs were gone. Id say even a higher number than this one percentage wise.

 

it was a much much higher number of lost subs, which got higher with CU and NGE.... but SWG has finaly died, the emu is projects are slowly dieing aswell. i think its time to just let a would be great game rest in piece.

[ISDEnterprise]

Seems to still be in the green zone. I'll be concerned when it's not.

[Jalez]

1.3 million subs for an MMORPG is ALOT.........Back in 2003 DAoC was #1 with 300,000 subs-x

 

That being said, besides a few servers like The Fatman, The Harbinger, Canderous Ordo, far too many servers feel empty. Server merges would be the BEST solution, but I now hear they will have paid server xfers...really?...REALLY?

 

Having your already paying customers have to pay a fee to to get off a dead server is horrible, I could care less what WoW does, WoW is a game for the sheeple that can be played on a 1985 Apple II C, thats the only reason it has soo many subs.

 

I find it hard to believe that there are this many dead servers with 1.3 million people subbed, my guesstimate would be that there are around 700k people ACTIVELY playing SWtoR.

 

Once a certain 3 Side Wargame of an MMO drops this summer, I would. bet on Swtor dropping and settling in with 400k PvE players

[chaosdefined]

for a few yes, but that few is probaly the ones that have never expieranced an MMO without a group finder, had no friends to play with, no guild, and no clue how get themselves recruited or into a group. some were probaly completey new to mmos, others i would wager a much smaller percentage expieranced gamers used to how mmos work that just had bad luck.

 

Well that's your opinion, but you're generalising a lot of players there without any solid information of their personal experiences.

[Celticprince]

1.3 million subs for an MMORPG is ALOT.........Back in 2003 DAoC was #1 with 300,000 subs-x

 

That being said, besides a few servers like The Fatman, The Harbinger, Canderous Ordo, far too many servers feel empty. Server merges would be the BEST solution, but I now hear they will have paid server xfers...really?...REALLY?

 

Having your already paying customers have to pay a fee to to get off a dead server is horrible, I could care less what WoW does, WoW is a game for the sheeple that can be played on a 1985 Apple II C, thats the only reason it has soo many subs.

 

I find it hard to believe that there are this many dead servers with 1.3 million people subbed, my guesstimate would be that there are around 700k people ACTIVELY playing SWtoR.

 

Once a certain 3 Side Wargame of an MMO drops this summer, I would. bet on Swtor dropping and settling in with 400k PvE players

 

are you refering to the rather craptastic secret world mmo thats a blatant rip off of whitewolfs world of darkness setting?

[Nyxlin]

nevermind its the same exact decline wow had during it's first year.

Except that WoW went from 5 million in december 2005 to 8 million in january 2007 to 9 million in july 2007... Oh yeah, what decline?

[chaosdefined]

WoW is a game for the sheeple that can be played on a 1985 Apple II C, thats the only reason it has soo many subs.

 

Or you know...perhaps there's a lot of people who enjoy it?

[DarthDetonate]

Well my 2 cents. over 20-30 people i know (including myself) still have time left on subscriptions but have uninstalled the game and are playing Tera or TSW. We are still being counted as "subscribers" Even if their number is 1.3 million...where are they? Not playing the game.

[SturmUndSterne]

It's about to be down one more, if they keep introducing patches that break core game content.

 

You may disagree and say the matrix cubes aren't that important.. but to someone who raids, that extra 58 to my main stat is what makes me a viable member of an operation since I don't have rakata gear yet. I'll likely never get there because they can't inroduce a patch that doesn't break their content.

 

I've had it, Bioware. You need to have three non-quick-fix-needed patches in a row, or I'm done.

[Celticprince]

Except that WoW went from 5 million in december 2005 to 8 million in january 2007 to 9 million in july 2007... Oh yeah, what decline?

 

yes there was a decline, then steady growth, every mmo has a decline like this during the first 6 months, your 2005 to 2007 number jump does not show thier quaterly subs its showing thier final subs after 13 months. never mind they lost 4 million subs this past december. you only prove my point, its always in a state of flux, everchanging. its chaos made manifest realy.

[Nyxlin]

for a few yes, but that few is probaly the ones that have never expieranced an MMO without a group finder, had no friends to play with, no guild, and no clue how get themselves recruited or into a group. some were probaly completey new to mmos, others i would wager a much smaller percentage expieranced gamers used to how mmos work that just had bad luck.

It's a lot more then a few. Many people don't have much time to play. When they log on, they like to play instead of spend all their time organising stuff. I'm casual, I have no friends who play these kind of games (except my husband), I never saw any guild recruitment and thus didn't join one, I have no time to spend 2 hours trying to get a group and can't commit to a schedule for 'raiding'. I'm not a special snowflake, there are many, many people like me.

 

If I could have pressed the 'join random flashpoint' button and get in a group in 15-20 minutes, I would still be playing.

[NasherUK]

Well... wow is also loosing a LOT of players and has been for over a year due to poor content. In the EU and US they probably don't have many more than TOR does now. The next expansion will also loose them a big chunk more, because it looks rubbish.

 

The only reason they appear to have so many is because their Asian players are on a "pay as you play" scheme where the account stays active as long as it has at least some credit. So they count players who quit but still have credit on their accounts as active. They fudge the figures basically

Edited May 8, 2012 by NasherUK

[Celticprince]

It's about to be down one more, if they keep introducing patches that break core game content.

 

You may disagree and say the matrix cubes aren't that important.. but to someone who raids, that extra 58 to my main stat is what makes me a viable member of an operation since I don't have rakata gear yet. I'll likely never get there because they can't inroduce a patch that doesn't break their content.

 

I've had it, Bioware. You need to have three non-quick-fix-needed patches in a row, or I'm done.

 

200 comms for rakata relic to replace your matrix cube, you can get that in about 6 days doing all the daileys and heck if i remeber right the rakata ear piece is 120 cooms now, nevermind they introduced a new relic for dailey comms thats campaign level. those matrix cubes are pretty weak compared to something you can get from a week of farming, I know, i just went from being in greens and blues, to a full set of rakata with blackhole mods thrown in in about two weeks.

[NevesNET]

Well... wow is also loosing a LOT of players and has been for over a year due to poor content. In the EU and US they probably don't have many more than TOR does now. The next expansion will also loose them a big chunk more, because it looks rubbish.

 

The only reason they appear to have so many is because their Asian players are on a "pay as you play" scheme where the account stays active as long as it has at least some credit. So they count players who quit but still have credit on their accounts as active. They fudge the figures basically

Agreed, WoW's numbers are highly fudged by humongous number of Chinese gold farmers... that said and looking at current server populous I would doubt SWTOR has more than 500k ACTIVE players. I was in a guild with 100+ people and currently 2 play. D3 and then GW2 are going to affect activity and therefore future and current subscriptions as people don't like to play empty MMOs.

[Alsax]

BioWare simply doesn't care. EA is their parent company. They make bad business decisions when it comes to game quality. As long as it sells... Edited May 8, 2012 by Alsax

[Celticprince]

It's a lot more then a few. Many people don't have much time to play. When they log on, they like to play instead of spend all their time organising stuff. I'm casual, I have no friends who play these kind of games (except my husband), I never saw any guild recruitment and thus didn't join one, I have no time to spend 2 hours trying to get a group and can't commit to a schedule for 'raiding'. I'm not a special snowflake, there are many, many people like me.

 

If I could have pressed the 'join random flashpoint' button and get in a group in 15-20 minutes, I would still be playing.

 

it comes down to luck and effort. If you dont have 2 hours to spend playing, you prolly shouldn't be playing an mmo in the first place, basicly a waste of money at that point in my opion, know what I mean? MMOS lose subs due to this very reason all the time. a typical flashpoint will take aboutt an hour or two depending on the group. your random button and in in 15 to 20 minutes could still take an hour or two depending on time of day and day of the week leaving you in the same situation you were just saying made you leave the game. I get into a fp in under five minutes asking in general chat.

 

On my server master zhar lestin if your on at the right time there are more then enough groups and guilds recruiting you can't help but get into one.

[Shockazilla]

I think we still have a thriving community and there is hope. The previous misleading statements, by Lead Writer Daniel Erickson, and subsequent rationalization (by EA Labels President Frank Gibeau) of the 25% reduction in population doesn't do much to instill confidence in the viability of the game.

 

In my environment, we lost members due to frustrations with end-game content (operations) that were buggy. I also experienced problems (bug) with Black Hole that made me never want to return there. There's understandably some quality issues in MMO, but the bugs in new content are show stoppers, and combined with follies, e.g. ranked pvp, it lowers the confidence in BW's ability to deliver functional content, or predict/meet their own internal milestones. These show stoppers (bugs in end-game content like operations) have and will cause people to unsubscribe.

 

Other bugs, like tab targeting (quality of life bugs is it called?) and nerfing operatives are aggravating, but haven't not caused numerous people to unsubscribe (and least in my peer networks), but bugs in end-game content have caused this.

[Celticprince]

Agreed, WoW's numbers are highly fudged by humongous number of Chinese gold farmers... that said and looking at current server populous I would doubt SWTOR has more than 500k ACTIVE players. I was in a guild with 100+ people and currently 2 play. D3 and then GW2 are going to affect activity and therefore future and current subscriptions as people don't like to play empty MMOs.

 

GW2 wont touch this, those same people would leave anyways. considering its free to play why would tor lose subs in the first place, same with d3, both are "Fad" games. they have a bright moment for a month or two then they die out in favor of other pc and console games of the same type that dont have a monthly fee.

[Angedechu]

1)Realism would help here. WoW have way more active accounts than TOR

 

2)I really doubt that so many players took six months subs. I also doubt that all players that want to go ''Lets oogle underage girls in Victoria Secret lingeryOnline are currently subbed. If you dislike TOR so deeply, why would you keep subs until the arrival of ''More Creepy Furry than that episode of American Dad with Stan's colleague masquerading as a CARS mascot to do Roger the Alien'' Online

 

If you hate the game and your server is dead, then why not cancel the sub ? It's not like there is a dearth of good PC games at the moment, to keep you intersted until you finally get your copy of ''You are likely to eventually meet Chris Hansen'' Online

 

I mean, more seriously, that we can hope that most of the ''shedding'' of players is done. As I mentionned back in december, a lot of players ''that were leaving WoW in droves'' were players that were bound to be sorely disapointed in TOR....

 

1)Guys that find that ''Heroic Whatever End Boss It Is'' was way too easy, as as many as 2% of accounts can down it

 

2)''World PVP'' lovers (that is, people that love to gank players 40 levels lower than them)

 

(Yes, I'm not even trying TERA because of this issue. I have absolutely nothing against battling dragons with a well-endowed demon-girl wearing ''barely there'' armor, but when she looks at least 18)

Edited May 8, 2012 by Angedechu