EA shareholders meeting: over/under 300k subs?

[DarthTHC]

lol, I still remember eveyone saying how Bioware was down below 500k or something then "oops" still had 1.3 million subs. Now theyre saying the same thing ... saying its lost even more subs than it lost last time in the same amount of time, even though the gameplay has improved tenfold since 1.3 and has actually been attracting new players.

 

Oh and lol at those talking like the 6 month subs are going to be incredibly significant number... you know ... because there are sooooo many people out there who'd actually shell out approximately $90 sub + $60 box price in the same month for an unproven MMO. Even those that do are obviously much more dedicated fans then any of the 1 and 3 month subbers, thus much less likely to unsub specially now that the game is much better.

 

People would have paid for the 6 month sub for a variety of reasons. One of them is the hope that the game is good (and we humans thrive on misplaced hope!). One is to get the $3/month discount. Another is because they managed to play the game prior to release and liked what they saw (and the first 15-30 levels are amazing, right?).

 

Lots of reasons for 6 month subs. I doubt it's a huge number... but then again it could be a large percentage of the number they reported in March and another large percentage of the number they report this month. We won't know until they report a number that covers the period after mid-August.

[Thaltom]

No I paid the 15 bucks to try out the changes.

 

So this must be a typo then...

 

I cancelled in feb and came back for 1.2 and then again in 1.3 to see if anything got better. Plus the forums are so much fun that its worth the 15 every few months.

 

Also did the numbers and it came to 435,500 subs. Which includes F2P accounts. So my number is lower than that but remember that includes all the people that came back to test 1.3 and the server merge so the averages are slightly on the high side because of that. So if someone said 350k I wouldnt agrue with that but anything over that then I dont know what people are looking at.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Thaltom

[grandmthethird]

If you enjoy the game then a) why are you on the forums instead of in the game and b) why are you on the forums where negativity reigns?

 

the forums are for players to give feedback, and communicate with the community and for the devs to give information, not for trolls to make every thread a misery and try to drive away other players . your logic is crazy, of course a fan of swtor would use the swtor forums, do you think if i use a forum that means i have to hate the product of the forum i'm using??? you have no soncept of what a forum is for then

 

also do you think, i wake up switch swtor on, play, then go to bed, wake up switch swtor on play then go to bed.

 

there are many activity's my day consists of, and finding time to come to the forum is not a problem, but it doesn't stop me enjoying the game. i'm sure i have racked up quite a number of posts on the forums, but also i have 3 level 50s and a level 39.

 

wow look at that i can use the forums and play swtor, its not a choose one or the other thing for me and i still have time for my family and work. maybe hating is more time consuming than enjoying that what you do and enjoying life

Edited July 27, 2012 by grandmthethird

[Valkirus]

lol, I still remember eveyone saying how Bioware was down below 500k or something then "oops" still had 1.3 million subs. Now theyre saying the same thing ... saying its lost even more subs than it lost last time in the same amount of time, even though the gameplay has improved tenfold since 1.3 and has actually been attracting new players.

 

Oh and lol at those talking like the 6 month subs are going to be incredibly significant number... you know ... because there are sooooo many people out there who'd actually shell out approximately $90 sub + $60 box price in the same month for an unproven MMO. Even those that do are obviously much more dedicated fans then any of the 1 and 3 month subbers, thus much less likely to unsub specially now that the game is much better.

 

I think you would be surprised how many bought the 6 month sub. BioWare had a lot of fans who really enjoyed thier games, thus had a lot of faith in them to deliver. However, that may not be the case now. DA2, ME3 ending and now TOR....I donot think they enjoy that large fan base devotion like they use to.

[Valkirus]

So this must be a typo then...

 

You are reading too much in there. Emeda also said he/she came back with each content patch in hopes things had got better. The real reason she/he resubbed. Not to troll the forums. Stop with the personal attacks.

[DarthTHC]

the forums are for players to give feedback, and communicate with the community and for the devs to give information, not for trolls to make every thread a misery and try to drive away other players . your logic is crazy, of course a fan of swtor would use the swtor forums, do you think if i use a forum that means i have to hate the product of the forum i'm using??? you have no soncept of what a forum is for then

 

also do you think, i wake up switch swtor on, play, then go to bed, wake up switch swtor on play then go to bed.

 

there are many activity's my day consists of, and finding time to come to the forum is not a problem, but it doesn't stop me enjoying the game. i'm sure i have racked up quite a number of posts on the forums, but also i have 3 level 50s and a level 39.

 

wow look at that i can use the forums and play swtor, its not a choose one or the other thing for me and i still have time for my family and work. maybe hating is more time consuming than enjoying that what you do and enjoying life

 

So many people don't realize what the means... I feel or maybe even but definitely for the denizens of these forums.

Edited July 27, 2012 by DarthTHC

[Thaltom]

You are reading too much in there. Emeda also said he/she came back with each content patch in hopes things had got better. The real reason she/he resubbed. Not to troll the forums. Stop with the personal attacks.

 

Not personally attacking Emeda at all. Truth be told, I'm happy to have him/her here. It means some more money went towards development...

 

And because I imagine that he/she is one of the most generous, kind players you can ever meet. It helps me sleep at night.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Thaltom

[Emeda]

So this must be a typo then...

 

No its not a typo. Notice before I said the forums are worth the 15 bucks I said plus and then before that I said I came back to try out 1.3?

 

The forums are worth 15 bucks and

The forums are worth the 15 bucks are two totally different things.

 

One is saying I would pay 15 bucks just to post on the forums for no reason. The other is say that I wouldnt pay just to post on the forums but since I paid already that I can get my moneys worth out of the forums anyways.

[jarjarloves]

So you would rather the new players only get one side of the story? From the fanboiz that say the game is growing and everything is just dandy.

 

I am not telling anyone not to buy the game because of me or anyone else.

 

All the posts are basically dirrected at Bioware and EA telling them that they can say all they want to but we dont believe them just because they said it.

 

Wasnt it the may call that they posted a 400k drop in subs but just a week or two before they said the subs were growing?

 

One thing to think about. If it wasnt for the haters then nothing would ever get fixed or added to the game. If no one complains then there is no reason to fix things or add anything because they are happy and will continue to sub right.

 

no we would rather have new players play the game and decide for themselves not have you make up their mind for them.

 

 

edit: Daniel Erickson said there was no change in subs. Which was foolish for him to say since he is never allowed to know the sub numbers before the earnings call. Only EA execs can know that and they have to keep it a secret otherwise they face insider trading laws and jail time.

Edited July 27, 2012 by jarjarloves

[Arnasdam]

It's an investors meeting. If an investor brings it up (which they probably will) then they have to answer it.

 

Do they have to tell them subs? Or just the number or players? With f2p to lvl 15 there will be a difference, and the positive spin would be to go with the number of players and not subs

[Emeda]

no we would rather have new players play the game and decide for themselves not have you make up their mind for them.

 

Well now they have the F2P up to level 15 so no matter what we say the new player can play the game for him/herself. Our comments shouldnt be able to scare off people from trying out a game for free should it?

[jarjarloves]

Well now they have the F2P up to level 15 so no matter what we say the new player can play the game for him/herself. Our comments shouldnt be able to scare off people from trying out a game for free should it?

 

yes they very much can. If a player is unsure about trying a game even for free they still might not download the 30 gig game to even try it out for free.

 

Should this happen? No

 

Does this happen? Yes

[Emeda]

Do they have to tell them subs? Or just the number or players? With f2p to lvl 15 there will be a difference, and the positive spin would be to go with the number of players and not subs

 

I dont even think they have a Q&A session. Instead the call is prepaired beforehand.

 

If they can ask questions I think they can give the answer they want to (not directly lie but say we have this many people playing the game and not say we have this many subs and this many trials. Also after they answer the question the way they want I imagine its a next question and someone picks who the question is from so they can avoid a follow up question to get the answer they really wanted.

[kitsinni]

 

edit: Daniel Erickson said there was no change in subs. Which was foolish for him to say since he is never allowed to know the sub numbers before the earnings call. Only EA execs can know that and they have to keep it a secret otherwise they face insider trading laws and jail time.

 

Um that isn't how insider trading works. It is only insider trading if you know some information and buy or sell stocks because of that information before it is known to the public. There is no law that says he can't know the sub numbers, he just can't know that they took a dive and sell all his stock befor it was announced.

[jarjarloves]

Um that isn't how insider trading works. It is only insider trading if you know some information and buy or sell stocks because of that information before it is known to the public. There is no law that says he can't know the sub numbers, he just can't know that they took a dive and sell all his stock befor it was announced.

 

if sub numbers dropped and people in the company knew the sub number BEFORE the earnings call they could sell their EA stock. Hence insider trading.

 

There is a reason why even Blizz doesn't release their sub numbers every month. They only do it during quarterly reports. Sub numbers are the most closely guarded secret for MMOs. Remember they didn't even announce SWTORs sub numbers until the earnings call and even then it wasn't Bioware that released it it was EA

[Emeda]

yes they very much can. If a player is unsure about trying a game even for free they still might not download the 30 gig game to even try it out for free.

 

Should this happen? No

 

Does this happen? Yes

 

So maybe all the haters and fanboiz should not say anything unless they have 100% absolute proof about anything. If they think its a bug they shouldnt post untill they are 100% absolutely sure it is. They can get this by getting an official statement from Bioware confirming it is and that its safe to then post in the forums. Then we can let Bioware do all the posting here so the new players can only get information that is straight from Bioware.

 

Wouldnt the forums be a lonly place then :D:D:D:D

[TheLordMagnus]

They are educated guesses. The guesses are from collecting data to determine the thresholds for each level by taking the high of light and the low of standard and narrowing down the posible number it could be. Also determining who made errors and gave false information. The person who listed heavy as 850 would be an example of that case.

 

The only reason you wont accept it is because you dont like the number that has came from it. Even though you have no data at all to dispute it.

 

I know if the formula showed 1.6 million subs you would somehow accept it then since its a number that is better for the game.

 

Again its not 100% accurate but it is close enough with a margin of error to give a general sub rate.

 

subs are low but your maths are as well for this 1 reason

when they directed server mergers they did pacthing to increases server pops and the number each one could hold so now server numbers are inaccurate and there has been no info on what the new pop limit was made this has been the cause of many of the latest lag issues and spiking

i will say guessing only that we have around 700k subs with 500k every day players

i being subed but not playing every day cos im bored and the games lacked and direction and yes im a swg fan

but i was a bigger swtor fan and this game could have been way better

great story line tho ill give them that the story god dam rocks

Edited July 27, 2012 by TheLordMagnus

[jarjarloves]

So maybe all the haters and fanboiz should not say anything unless they have 100% absolute proof about anything. If they think its a bug they shouldnt post untill they are 100% absolutely sure it is. They can get this by getting an official statement from Bioware confirming it is and that its safe to then post in the forums. Then we can let Bioware do all the posting here so the new players can only get information that is straight from Bioware.

 

Wouldnt the forums be a lonly place then :D:D:D:D

 

[Valkirus]

I dont even think they have a Q&A session. Instead the call is prepaired beforehand.

 

If they can ask questions I think they can give the answer they want to (not directly lie but say we have this many people playing the game and not say we have this many subs and this many trials. Also after they answer the question the way they want I imagine its a next question and someone picks who the question is from so they can avoid a follow up question to get the answer they really wanted.

 

Lol! sounds like someone knows the inter- corporate workings and the politics involved. I know also...was in management for over 20 years in a company which makes EA look like small potatoes. But the same principles apply in both cases.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Valkirus

[Emeda]

subs are low but your maths are as well for this 1 reason

when they directed server mergers they did pacthing to increases server pops and the number each one could hold so now server numbers are inaccurate and there has been no info on what the new pop limit was made this has been the cause of many of the latest lag issues and spiking

i will say guessing only that we have around 700k subs with 500k every day players

i being subed but not playing every day cos im bored and the games lacked and direction and yes im a swg fan

but i was a bigger swtor fan and this game could have been way better thats it problem

great story line tho ill give them that the story god dam rocks

 

First the data in the post I linked before has the data from numbers taken after the merge.

 

Also I have to find it but Bioware(I think it was DE) said that the mega servers or whatever you want to call it wouldnt be done until part 2 or later and no where stated or implied that it would be done before part 2. Also we know part 2 has not begun yet. I will try to find the interview with a time on it.

[mangarrage]

Well the fact still remains that the number they report is inaccurate when they report it.

A person who's sub ends August 17th (which is anyone who started with a 6 month sub or 2x 3 months) and arent playing will be in their number.

A good number of people who I played with dont even log on but they are an "active" sub until 8/17

So the number although accurate will not really relect actuality

3rd quarter will include ftp, so that number will be inflated as well

 

They certainly have gone down since last figures, I think it is unrealistic to think otherwise and their 3rd wuarter numbers will be abysmal even with the ftp

 

But they will report a bigger number then people think just because it will represent the 3m and 6m subs still, so I imagine 700k but in actuality it is closer to 500k, 3rd quarter will be worse

[DarthTHC]

The two numbers I'd really like to see:

 

How many people have tried the 15-day free to play?

What percentage of 15-day free to play accounts transition into paid accounts?

 

If they can give a decent number (thousands per week?) to the first and a high percentage (45% would be really, really good) to the second, that would be amazing news for the game.

[Emeda]

Here is the video where he days they have done mega servers.

 

http://www.swtorstrategies.com/2012/06/e3-james-ohlen-interview-b-y-torwars.html

 

At about 3 minute mark of part 2

 

He states phase 1 is the transfer and then states they are working on the technology for mega servers but then later on he say it will take a long time.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Emeda

[Valkirus]

Here is the video where he days they have done mega servers.

 

http://www.swtorstrategies.com/2012/06/e3-james-ohlen-interview-b-y-torwars.html

 

At about 3 minute mark of part 2

 

He states phase 1 is the transfer and then states they are working on the technology for mega servers but then later on he say it will take a long time.

 

Considering how long it takes them to come out with "soon" stuff, when they say a "long" time...lol!

[Majestic_Jazz]

Does it really matter? Just play the game and enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, stop playing and move along!