stab
2010-04-16 20:07:04
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Think WOW is moving that way as they slowly lose market share. Hard to convince a company with a virtual golden egg to change it's structure and risk rocking the boat.
If I had to bet my life I think most companies bottom lines would improve significantly if they allowed p2p. Yes, you will loose a few people, but most know today P2P happens sanctioned or not. They further know it would be better for the company to be getting those revenue dollars.
Just take the new of Runescape, making all that profit and growing by leaps and bounds. Can't imagine ROM's numbers. SOE almost had it right with freerealms, but everything was common and too easy to get. Nobody likes to get things then look right and left and say wow everyone else has this also, what's the point?
If you take EQ2 for example they had it half right. They made one of the best moves making start and mid range content super easy. When you dont have population constantly coming in, you must propel the new people through the old content. I say half right, because they still have not got the message that the in game economy is extremely important.
By not putting in meaningful money sinks, they have been hurting their own product since it went live. From what we see, the only plans they have to combat inflation is to hand end game stuff out, like masters from the RA. That just brings us full circle back to what I said above. Without a " look at me factor " Players go through the motions gets stuff, look left and right and say bah, everyone has this stuff.
Making the game too easy, ignoring in game inflation and the economy is killing EQ2.
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