SWTOR revenue down...the causes?

[LordArtemis]

I think I read that thread once. Was it one of yours, Lord Artemis?

 

It's possible. I pulled quite a few of the original dev statements from the old forum into this one when we were arguing over the appearance progression, game market/F2P and AC change topics.

 

The wayback machine has the old forum posts and announcements. I'll take a look and see if I can find it.

 

It may not have been mine though.

[Cordarn]

Stopped reading after the fifth, "IMO." After one or two 'IMOs" I still hoped the opinion might change to somebody else's. Sadly, after the fifth "IMO" this post clearly wasn't representing anybody else's opinion but the OPs so I lost interest.

 

Since when does one person on this forum represent somebody else's opinion? (little late to say this I think but whatever.)

Edited November 11, 2014 by Cordarn

[LordArtemis]

Since when does one person on this forum represent somebody else's opinion? (little late to say this I think but whatever.)

 

I do have a bad habit of posting IMO quite a bit. I don't mind getting a bit of ribbing over it.

[guilemaster]

Well I definitely agree that the way they retire items on the CM is mind boggling. I'm not really understanding the logic behind it, at all.

[Icebergy]

The cause is no raiding content in over a year and no PvP content since GSF.

[LordArtemis]

The cause is no raiding content in over a year and no PvP content since GSF.

 

Now, see, I might agree with the Raiding comment. There is a substantial group of end game raiders in this game, or likely so. But I am not sure I agree with the PVP contention.

 

That is not to say our PVPrs are not important folks. They are. I just doubt that enough of them exist in this game to actually have a substantial impact on overall revenue with a content drought.

[EarnestBunbury]

I've played this game since 1/19/12 and have never seen the community on fleet so contentious, nor have I been as bored with the lack of content. TFB for the 130th time and PvP with peeps who leveled in 4 hours and are wearing green gear is just more than one can take. The reason for low revenue? EA/BioFail. They are running a sprint with an long distance horse... and punking it at the same time. Lack of long term planning, which BioWare has NEVER had to do and EA is totally incapable of doing, is what is ruining this game.

[SikrouDeco]

I've played this game since 1/19/12 and have never seen the community on fleet so contentious, nor have I been as bored with the lack of content. TFB for the 130th time and PvP with peeps who leveled in 4 hours and are wearing green gear is just more than one can take. The reason for low revenue? EA/BioFail. They are running a sprint with an long distance horse... and punking it at the same time. Lack of long term planning, which BioWare has NEVER had to do and EA is totally incapable of doing, is what is ruining this game.

 

Exactly why I play other games as well. I know some do not want to have to start a new game and character, finding something to have as a distraction is helpful. when many new changes come to a game I am playing, and I am unsure of them or unhappy about nerfs etc, I just take a break for a month or so and play something new. When I come back I've forgotten how everything works and it's a new. Sounds silly probably, but for me it seems to work.

[discosoc]

It's a F2P game, which means people are more likely to play it when they have nothing else to play, rather than play it because it's their primary game. This has actually been a pretty big year for gaming, in general, especially in the last 3 months. Several high-profile MMO's (ESO and Wildstar) were released, and lots of people spending time on the next-gen consoles. This is very different than a year ago, where nearly everything new felt old (another CoD, no exciting MMO's to be seen, etc).

 

I think there's also an argument to be made about how Bioware is handling the CM design. Gambling boxes probably make up the vast majority of their CM income, and people are getting tired so many worthless armor sets that are either crappy looking or essentially reskins of other sets.

 

A great example is how the "cybernetic" armor sets are not only visually boring (most look like medical droid parts), but each series is largely the same as the last. One may have a robot foot on the left, and a robot arm on the right, while the other set has them reversed. That kind of thing.

 

I know a few months ago when I purchased a few hypercrates for the hell of it, I basically got 80% duplicates of the same crap sets, and nearly everything else was either an xp booster (useless), a starfighter skin (useless), or currency for crafting mats (useful but not something I want to pay for). I didn't expect to score the super rare mount or whatever, but I did expect to get something more than just a CM>credit transaction with a 36 hour delay.

[Vandicus]

Well I definitely agree that the way they retire items on the CM is mind boggling. I'm not really understanding the logic behind it, at all.

 

It allows them to charge more money because cosmetic items have additional value to players for being limited in availability.

 

Maintaining a full catalog means they'd pick up a very small amount of additional sales(proportionally speaking) which would be more than offset by the decrease in sales due to items being perpetually available(or they'd have to reduce prices to keep sales even).

[SikrouDeco]

It allows them to charge more money because cosmetic items have additional value to players for being limited in availability.

 

Maintaining a full catalog means they'd pick up a very small amount of additional sales(proportionally speaking) which would be more than offset by the decrease in sales due to items being perpetually available(or they'd have to reduce prices to keep sales even).

 

Yep, Gamers (some) like to play dolly Dress up. I'm guilty of this, I want distressed and damaged armor when possible. Clean and shiny is like I never fight I just sit on fleet lol

[Jadescythe]

Players left for other MMOs and didn't come back.

 

Resurgence of players going back to WoW after long breaks or simply because new content is coming.

 

Strongholds delayed by a few months and players didn't want to wait.

 

The game is no longer perceived as "new".

 

More players making do with preferred access until new content comes in December.

 

As long as they continue making enough money, lower revenue doesn't really matter. I'm sure it picked up with 12x XP from pre-orders.

[Solzean]

Honestly, for me personally, I am spending less because the gambling boxes just don't provide a good value to me anymore. I used to feel like when I spent money I felt like I was getting a fair amount of items that I want. Now, I spend my money and I don't receive any of the Ultra Rare items anymore.

 

I understand that they want to make sure that you keep spending money trying to get the super rare items, but to me the drop rates are not as good as they used to be.

 

I also am using the GTN to be a sort of barometer on these things. Super Rare stuff used to run 2 million max, now it is running at 4 or 5 million. Now, that could also be a factor of rarity, less people buying packs, or possibly both. Point being, I dont think the packs are a good value for customers anymore.

[LyraineAlei]

Lord Artemis, from my reading, I think the general consensus thus far on the revenue going down last quarter is:

 

• Lack of new content
  
• micro-expansions are nice, but don't add much that is new beyond cosmetic items
  
• inconsistent communication between BioWare and players, leading to wild guesses and theorycrafting that falls far off base, and tends to leave players less than positive about changes/additions.
  
• People are less willing to buy gamble packs with drops no one seems to want being common, and the drops people want happening rarely
  
• people are saving up money for other, newer MMOs
  
• people are saving money for the new expansion that was announced during the last quarter
  

[LordArtemis]

Lord Artemis, from my reading, I think the general consensus thus far on the revenue going down last quarter is:

 

• Lack of new content
  
• micro-expansions are nice, but don't add much that is new beyond cosmetic items
  
• inconsistent communication between BioWare and players, leading to wild guesses and theorycrafting that falls far off base, and tends to leave players less than positive about changes/additions.
  
• People are less willing to buy gamble packs with drops no one seems to want being common, and the drops people want happening rarely
  
• people are saving up money for other, newer MMOs
  
• people are saving money for the new expansion that was announced during the last quarter
  

 

I concur. I think it's a productive conversation. Some folks posted some good info on what would convince them to spend more in the market.