Oh look, ESO will have a cash shop too...

[OddballEasyEight]

TOR went Cash Shop because it tanked. End of story. It wouldn't have a Cash Shop if it had 2 million subscribers six months after launching.

 

If the same thing happens to ESO then they will likely go the same route. Same route that STO, CO, LotR, DDO, and every other failed MMO has taken.

 

Yes, but the point is that ESO seems to be preparing for it already.

[VulgarMercurius]

But it's a start.

It's much more of a start than SW:TOR had with no cash shop at all.

 

Do you honestly think they won't add more stuff to the cash shop?

Especially when they see how lucrative it is?

 

The mere fact that they have a cash shop from launch despite it being a subscription only game shows their intent on using it.

 

This was going to be my question. There is no way in Hell they are going to shut down a cash shop, or limit it to one item.

[Virus_Bot]

ESO is going f2p in the first 6 month frame and they know it, the launching with a sub fee is just good business to rack in as much money as possible from game lauch.

[FabulousDoctor]

ESO is going f2p in the first 6 month frame and they know it, the launching with a sub fee is just good business to rack in as much money as possible from game lauch.

 

This is pretty much it, yeah. ESO has gotten a lot of bad press and is generally being called out as being the next SWTOR in terms of overhyped MMO off an existing IP that is bad. I played the beta and it felt clunky and not at all like an ES game. The nord areas looked like Skyrim sure, but Skyrim was bland and boring anyways, and all the areas looked bland and boring.

 

The way they're trying to remove the whole 'healer tank dps' thing is by making the best way to play the game 'mash button and kill things fast'. When working as a group you don't need teamwork, you need to mash more damage. Basically all of the game that I played played like Kuat Drive Yards -- who needs tactics, it's all trash mobs.

[CosmicKat]

Yes, but the point is that ESO seems to be preparing for it already.

 

Again, it depends on the type of game they make.

 

If it's a game designed to make money from high turnaround of console gamers then a Cash Shop is likely inevitable, if it's a game designed around making money from long term player retention, then a Cash Shop is self-defeating.

[Elly_Dawn]

SWTOR does not have a Cash Shop because it "failed", but rather because EA wanted it in there from the start... as far back as '08 EA has said that the Microtransaction route of games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars was so good that they wanted to put Microtransactions into all games published by them moving forward...

i get the impression that BW did not want it but EA did and took any means necessary to get it in there... it's no bad thing by a long shot as long as nothing P2W ever goes in there, but the delay in SWTOR getting it was from a clash of ideals... i'm sure nobody at BW can comment on it but, if you research it you will see it... EAs talking heads have made no bones about how they want to charge you for things like a dollar per ammo clip in every FPS they publish, they can't get away wit it yet, but they want to... they (EA) see the Cash Shop as a gold mine of untapped earning potential, it was just a matter of time before BW caved in... you want someone to blame for the change in the market? blame Zynga...

[ikinai]

This is pretty much it, yeah. ESO has gotten a lot of bad press and is generally being called out as being the next SWTOR in terms of overhyped MMO off an existing IP that is bad. I played the beta and it felt clunky and not at all like an ES game. The nord areas looked like Skyrim sure, but Skyrim was bland and boring anyways, and all the areas looked bland and boring.

 

The way they're trying to remove the whole 'healer tank dps' thing is by making the best way to play the game 'mash button and kill things fast'. When working as a group you don't need teamwork, you need to mash more damage. Basically all of the game that I played played like Kuat Drive Yards -- who needs tactics, it's all trash mobs.

 

I played as a healer and a tank in the beta, not sure where you got your information from.

[Slicka]

TOR went Cash Shop because it tanked. End of story. It wouldn't have a Cash Shop if it had 2 million subscribers six months after launching.

 

If the same thing happens to ESO then they will likely go the same route. Same route that STO, CO, LotR, DDO, and every other failed MMO has taken.

 

I highly doubt the cash shop means the game tanked. WOW has a cash shop which was implemented back during WotLK. That was the height of their subscriptions with about 12 million around that time. SWTOR could of had a cash shop implemented later even if the game didn't falter as it did. It's one of those things that we will never know.

[Callaron]

SWTOR does not have a Cash Shop because it "failed", but rather because EA wanted it in there from the start... as far back as '08 EA has said that the Microtransaction route of games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars was so good that they wanted to put Microtransactions into all games published by them moving forward...

i get the impression that BW did not want it but EA did and took any means necessary to get it in there... it's no bad thing by a long shot as long as nothing P2W ever goes in there, but the delay in SWTOR getting it was from a clash of ideals... i'm sure nobody at BW can comment on it but, if you research it you will see it... EAs talking heads have made no bones about how they want to charge you for things like a dollar per ammo clip in every FPS they publish, they can't get away wit it yet, but they want to... they (EA) see the Cash Shop as a gold mine of untapped earning potential, it was just a matter of time before BW caved in... you want someone to blame for the change in the market? blame Zynga...

 

In all honesty, at this point the "Cash Shop" is pretty much the new standard for MMO's - just about every major MMO has one.

A few developers might try to launch a game without one, in the hope that the disgruntled elements will all flock to them, but the majority will be looking at the potential profits of an in-game store instead.

[Akrian]

I'm curious why it is people act like if an MMO doesn't match or exceed WoW numbers it is a failure. If having the second highest sub numbers of a western mmo is a failure I suppose any FPS that doesn't beat CoD is a failure, any TPS that doesn't sell as well as Gears of War is a failure, any action game that doesn't sell as well as God of War is a failure....see where I am going with this?

 

Do I think ESO is going to do well, no idea, not a fortune teller, if I could see the future I would have one hell of a stock portfolio.

 

As for the cash shop, who cares, if you are tired of game companies nickel and diming you, STOP BUYING THEIR GAMES. Get your friends to stop, get their friends to stop, but whatever you do, do NOT BUY THIER GAMES. Doing it while complaining about it is NOT the way to get them to change. That is comparable to complaining about how unhealthy cigarettes are while smoking...

[CosmicKat]

I'm curious why it is people act like if an MMO doesn't match or exceed WoW numbers it is a failure. If having the second highest sub numbers of a western mmo is a failure I suppose any FPS that doesn't beat CoD is a failure, any TPS that doesn't sell as well as Gears of War is a failure, any action game that doesn't sell as well as God of War is a failure....see where I am going with this?

 

...

 

Whether WE see it as a failure or not is irrelevant, it's where it performs based on the expectations of the company that launched it is all that matters.

 

The signs of whether or not the company deems it a success or failure are easy to read.

 

A) How much capacity did it launch with? That will tell you exactly what "success" they planned for, on the low end.

 

B) How much capacity did they have to add or contract after launch? That will tell you how much they over or under estimated their "success".

[Arkerus]

Whether WE see it as a failure or not is irrelevant, it's where it performs based on the expectations of the company that launched it is all that matters.

 

The signs of whether or not the company deems it a success or failure are easy to read.

 

A) How much capacity did it launch with? That will tell you exactly what "success" they planned for, on the low end.

 

B) How much capacity did they have to add or contract after launch? That will tell you how much they over or under estimated their "success".

 

This grossly simplistic view of the business decisions involved in what you are describing are exactly why you will never be anywhere near the gaming industry except as a player.

 

And it's extremely important what WE think. Consumers buying (or not buying) a product are the exact definition of success or failure. If you think its not important what we think then you are so far out of touch with reality that I don't know what to say.

[VanorDM]

if it's a game designed around making money from long term player retention, then a Cash Shop is self-defeating.

 

No it's not. Every MMO aims for long term retention, yet every MMO out there, including WoW has a cash shop. It's a way to make more money by offering people items they don't really need but are willing to pay a premium for. So ESO has a cash shop and will continue to create new items to put in it.

 

This is simply a given, trying to argue otherwise means you quite simply are out of touch with reality. Because if what you said were true, then WoW wouldn't have a cash shop.

[Suzina]

I have accepted ESO as my own new personal MMO savior and you should too. Have you heard the word of ESO lately?

 

Adoremus in aeternum sanctissimum Sacramentum.

Laudate Dominum omnes gentes: laudate MMO omnes populi.

 

Quoniam confirmata est super nos misericordia ejus:

et veritas ESO manet in aeternum.

Adoremus...

 

Gloria ESO, Filio, et Spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio,

et nunc et semper, et in saecula sæculorum. Amen.

Adoremus...

 

Numquid non recepistis: Portland in vita tua?

Edited March 14, 2014 by Suzina

[Callaron]

No it's not. Every MMO aims for long term retention, yet every MMO out there, including WoW has a cash shop. It's a way to make more money by offering people items they don't really need but are willing to pay a premium for. So ESO has a cash shop and will continue to create new items to put in it.

 

This is simply a given, trying to argue otherwise means you quite simply are out of touch with reality. Because if what you said were true, then WoW wouldn't have a cash shop.

 

^Pretty much.

Once developers found out "Hey! These guys are willing to pay out of vanity just so that they can look different than the rest!" it was open season.

[CosmicKat]

No it's not. Every MMO aims for long term retention, yet every MMO out there, including WoW has a cash shop. It's a way to make more money by offering people items they don't really need but are willing to pay a premium for. So ESO has a cash shop and will continue to create new items to put in it.

 

This is simply a given, trying to argue otherwise means you quite simply are out of touch with reality. Because if what you said were true, then WoW wouldn't have a cash shop.

 

WoW is 10 years old. That's why they have cash shop now. Whether or not it would have one if it just launched today, nobody knows. Given that Blizzard made more money off a purely subscription model than TOR will make if it lasts 100 years, I'd suspect that they might stick to that model if they were launching WoW2 tomorrow.

[ikinai]

Numquid non recepistis: Portland in vita tua?

 

Hmmm, I have, many great brew pubs are to be had.

[Callaron]

WoW is 10 years old. That's why they have cash shop now. Whether or not it would have one if it just launched today, nobody knows. Given that Blizzard made more money off a purely subscription model than TOR will make if it lasts 100 years, I'd suspect that they might stick to that model if they were launching WoW2 tomorrow.

 

WoW's had a "cash shop" for years, it was just through a web interface instead of an in-game one.

They've been selling account-wide mounts and pets for years before they decided to add transmog stuff to their selection, and an in-game store for ease of use while they were at it.

[CosmicKat]

WoW's had a "cash shop" for years, it was just through a web interface instead of an in-game one.

They've been selling account-wide mounts and pets for years before they decided to add transmog stuff to their selection, and an in-game store for ease of use while they were at it.

 

Whatever works will be the model going forward.

 

If any of ESO, Wildstar, EQNext or some other MMO sell 5 million subscriptions, then however they did it will become the new standard and that game will be copied for the next decade. Like EQ and WoW before.

[FabulousDoctor]

Whatever works will be the model going forward.

 

If any of ESO, Wildstar, EQNext or some other MMO sell 5 million subscriptions, then however they did it will become the new standard and that game will be copied for the next decade. Like EQ and WoW before.

 

And none of those will because barring EQNext, all of those are already hemorraging player opinion with each new bit of info.

 

WoW was a flash of lightning caught in a bottle that will never happen again.

[Sarfux]

There is nothing wrong with having a cash shop inside the game. I am not against it at all. Besides, some really cool stuff comes in that I can use my monthly stipend for or have some dollars left over I can buy currency with and deck out my characters.

 

The oblivious people are who I do not like. The ones that think just because a game gets a cash shop to buy cosmetic stuff or different looking gear that the game is "dead" because of it. If it adds growth, both population wise and money wise, keeps the content churning out on the game you are playing, with releasing things that support the game and maybe releasing stuff you will like personally, what's the big deal?

 

But those people who all thought ESO was going to be "different" and "not have a cash shop" and now are hating for it are just immature, awe struck and overall very angry.

 

More mmos are going to adopt cash shops. It's just a fact. From a business standpoint it makes a TON of money and they can use that money to make more content AND put more stuff in those shops to make more variety.

[kirorx]

There is nothing wrong with having a cash shop inside the game. I am not against it at all. Besides, some really cool stuff comes in that I can use my monthly stipend for or have some dollars left over I can buy currency with and deck out my characters.

 

The oblivious people are who I do not like. The ones that think just because a game gets a cash shop to buy cosmetic stuff or different looking gear that the game is "dead" because of it. If it adds growth, both population wise and money wise, keeps the content churning out on the game you are playing, with releasing things that support the game and maybe releasing stuff you will like personally, what's the big deal?

 

But those people who all thought ESO was going to be "different" and "not have a cash shop" and now are hating for it are just immature, awe struck and overall very angry.

 

More mmos are going to adopt cash shops. It's just a fact. From a business standpoint it makes a TON of money and they can use that money to make more content AND put more stuff in those shops to make more variety.

 

Agreed, I don't have any problem with the cash shop.

 

I do feel that they need I equal out obtainable in game items with cash shop

Not all appearance stuff should be cash shop.

 

Just mix it up a bit is all I hope for

[HoboWithAStick]

ESO won't kill SWTOR just like GW2 didn't kill SWTOR, in fact SWTOR will still be a bigger game than pretty much everything else on the market except WoW.

 

But hey whats a few more doomsday threads to throw into the mix.

 

You are kidding right?

 

Swtor was behind eve in subs when they claimed to be only behind wow and since then their subs have fallen greatly. This game isn't doing too hot at the moment. I don't know if you guys actually play this game or not but guilds struggles to maintain raid groups and pvp doesn't pop outside of peak hours along with GSF.

 

Face it, they are just going for cash grab at this point.

[Sarfux]

Ah I love it. The doom and gloom posters that just go "looking for a cash grab" to imply they are failing hard and won't last another year. I remember seeing that 6 months before launch. I remember seeing that 2 months after launch. I remember seeing that a year after launch. I remember seeing that 2 years after launch. There is a pattern here which the ones who were disappointed with the game are following.

 

It's not going to die. It won't die anytime soon. It will be around for a VERY LONG time. That is just something you are going to have to accept no matter how disgruntled, angry OR upset you get.

[HoboWithAStick]

Ah I love it. The doom and gloom posters that just go "looking for a cash grab" to imply they are failing hard and won't last another year. I remember seeing that 6 months before launch. I remember seeing that 2 months after launch. I remember seeing that a year after launch. I remember seeing that 2 years after launch. There is a pattern here which the ones who were disappointed with the game are following.

 

It's not going to die. It won't die anytime soon. It will be around for a VERY LONG time. That is just something you are going to have to accept no matter how disgruntled, angry OR upset you get.

 

This game will be around for awhile and will continue to make money but in the eyes of the world its still a failure.

 

This game has been ruined by people spending tons of money on the cartel market, it has basically left them in a position where they don't need to make quality content and don't have to worry about game population and all that because no matter what people buy that junk off the cartel market and they make more money doing that then they ever would trying to maintain a high sub count.