Tankdiesel Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 And the effed up part about all of this is that this game could have easily killed WoW, except for the fact that EA has forced terrible decisions to be made, and more importantly, Bioware clearly has no idea what the correct decisions are. They released all the wrong stuff at the wrong time and then made like 900 servers and put about 15 of us on each of them, making the game virtually unplayable. It's like what it would have been like if Nazi Germany had developed nukes but figured they'd get around to developing the "Detonate" button sometime in the Spring of 1952, or when ever they felt it was ready. Dumb moves all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobNightfall Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 If TOR revenue was recognized as 1mil users over 12mo for $15/mo, that comes to $180mm. That's 5% of EA's $3.5b revenue. Given how TOR will likely be nowhere near 1mil users by Dec, the final percentage of EA's overall revenue is likely closer to 3-4%. TOR's important but EA has much bigger fish to fry. While I understand the idea of sunken/lost costs, you don't spend a suspected $200 million on a game in the hopes that you'll make $180 million. You also don't hint as broadly as possible in multiple interviews that you're gunning for WoW and only end up with 1.3 million subs and dropping. See where the idea for this being "spun" information is coming from now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiabloDoom Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Once the game is more stable I'm sure there will be a massive marketing campaign which will bring possibly millions of new players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiabloDoom Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Funny how he says SWTOR is a success, but BioWare cutback the staff. Funny how you don't understand that those 2 things aren't related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilosoldier Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Once the game is more stable I'm sure there will be a massive marketing campaign which will bring possibly millions of new players. I needed a good laugh before bed. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drudenfusz Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Funny how you don't understand that those 2 things aren't related. Yeah right... and the game has no issues at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durasturan Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 While I understand the idea of sunken/lost costs, you don't spend a suspected $200 million on a game in the hopes that you'll make $180 million. You also don't hint as broadly as possible in multiple interviews that you're gunning for WoW and only end up with 1.3 million subs and dropping. See where the idea for this being "spun" information is coming from now? ehhhh, I hate to break this to you since you clearly want to be Debbie Downer here, but SWTOR has already earned an incredible profit for the company. If the game were to die right here and now, it would have turned a profit, could it have turned more? Probably. But as far as the business world is concerned success = money and SWTOR has made that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furiousferret Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 All signs point to the fact they wanted it to compete with WOW, they realized its not, but aren't totally considering it a flop either (which it isn't). The game has made money, but its not a windfall they wanted. Any company expecting WOW profits is being unrealistic. The average MMO's does about 100k-200k subscriber rate after the initial hype (6 month period). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blavatsky Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Funny how you don't understand that those 2 things aren't related. This one's for you friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilosoldier Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 ehhhh, I hate to break this to you since you clearly want to be Debbie Downer here, but SWTOR has already earned an incredible profit for the company. If the game were to die right here and now, it would have turned a profit, could it have turned more? Probably. But as far as the business world is concerned success = money and SWTOR has made that. How about a citation to back this statement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KailuaSith Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I needed a good laugh before bed. Thanks. This game is not beyond saving. Saving may even be an improper term, there is plenty of work to be done and plenty of opportunity to make this game shine. Patience. It's barely a 6 month old release... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilosoldier Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 This game is not beyond saving. Saving may even be an improper term, there is plenty of work to be done and plenty of opportunity to make this game shine. Patience. It's barely a 6 month old release... "Millions of new players"? No chance man, no chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 How about a citation to back this statement? Page 7 of the fiscal report from EA. It's all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 This game is not beyond saving. Saving may even be an improper term, there is plenty of work to be done and plenty of opportunity to make this game shine. Patience. It's barely a 6 month old release... Patience?! That's a TALL order for most of these people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilosoldier Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Page 7 of the fiscal report from EA. It's all there. That said its projected to return investment during the next quarter based on current revenue predictors.. It says NOTHING about it turning a profit yet. It could, but by their own admission it hasnt yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durasturan Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 That said its projected to return investment during the next quarter based on current revenue predictors.. It says NOTHING about it turning a profit yet. It could, but by their own admission it hasnt yet. http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ERTS/1886509426x0x567536/7f7dd5ef-7f36-4c7e-bcd6-0e80ea43cf45/ERTS_Q4FY12_Transcript.pdf will you please stop your cawing now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 That said its projected to return investment during the next quarter based on current revenue predictors.. It says NOTHING about it turning a profit yet. It could, but by their own admission it hasnt yet. Actually, John Riccitiello said that TOR is "very profitable". He wouldn't say that in a fiscal report to Wall Street unless it was, indeed, "very profitable". To say otherwise if it wasn't "very profitable" is a federal crime. What we're concerned with, anyway, is the game, not profits. We're players, not shareholders. I, for one, couldn't care less about TOR's profitability, because it has little bearing on the future of the game. Most MMOs have turned a profit within the first 6 months to a year and still fell flat on its face after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaptain_Kabul Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Funny how you don't understand that those 2 things aren't related. Oh good one... lol.. oh .. you really think that...... thats even more funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durasturan Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Actually, John Riccitiello said that TOR is "very profitable". He wouldn't say that in a fiscal report to Wall Street unless it was, indeed, "very profitable". To say otherwise if it wasn't "very profitable" is a federal crime. What we're concerned with, anyway, is the game, not profits. We're players, not shareholders. I, for one, couldn't care less about TOR's profitability, because it has little bearing on the future of the game. Most MMOs have turned a profit within the first 6 months to a year and still fell flat on its face after that. Some of us are players AND shareholders though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiabloDoom Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Yeah right... and the game has no issues at all. I never said it had no issues, where you inferred that from beats me. The game isn't as big a success as they initially hoped, but it's still a success. The job layoffs were simply because their original dev team were massive, and I mean massive. Now the game has launched, they don't need all that staff anymore.It was mostly concept artists and marketers that were laid off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 Some of us are players AND shareholders though Haha! I knew someone was going to say that as soon as I hit submit. Very few of you, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiabloDoom Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 (edited) Oh good one... lol.. oh .. you really think that...... thats even more funnyNo, what's funny is your lack of comprehension within the business world. Those people were on 3-6 month recurring contracts. There was a mass amount of them, the game has been developed and is in the stage where it only has to be worked on, they don't need all those concept artists, janitors, marketers, coffee guys anymore. All games do this after launch, it doesn't determine whether it was a success or not ... actually in contrast, if they needed to keep all those people on working on the game then one could assume that there was still an abundance of work to be done, most likely due to it not being a success. Edited May 23, 2012 by DiabloDoom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeramieCrowe Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 All he said was projected "very profitable" speculation for the next two quarters. Nope. It was "very profitable" so far. Now they're looking to "grow the franchise". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobamech Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Actually, John Riccitiello said that TOR is "very profitable". He wouldn't say that in a fiscal report to Wall Street unless it was, indeed, "very profitable". To say otherwise if it wasn't "very profitable" is a federal crime. Technically, he is right in his usage of "profitable" and "very profitable." According to Bioware, they only need 550k subscribers to be "profitable." Right now they are "very profitable" in that they have double the subscription at the time the report was released. However, that report was very vague in that it only took into account people who were actively subscribed at the time. If you were on a rolling 3 month plan, you were subscribed. If you had just bought the game for a free month, you were subscribed. If you were patiently waiting for 1.2, you were most likely subscribed. I am curious to see June's call. I am pretty sure it will show either a small gain or perhaps no loss. Reason: resubscription rate post 1.2 patch to "try out." Also free months were given out to active paying subscribers at the time. My free month ends at the end of June, and I've already unsubscribed so I don't forget. If you use common sense, you will ignore these "profitable" remarks and stop putting their words in quotes. Play the game and *think* about it. If sparse server population does not indicate a worsening trend, then there's nothing more to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilosoldier Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Nope. It was "very profitable" so far. Now they're looking to "grow the franchise". He also said subscriber numbers were growing. What metric allows him to say that nonsense? He also down played SWTOR's role in the EA line up ins direct conflict with prior statements made in the SH meetings prior to launch. I am not trying to be mean at all so Im sorry if I come off that way. There are no HARD number to crunch and that was my point. You cannot make definitive statements without those numbers. And CEO and CFO's will manipulate and spin during SH meetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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