NO MORE 6 MONTH SUBSCRIPTIONS?!? Buy to Play is on its way!

Kaide

***UPDATE 1/21/2015: Where is my tin foil hat? You mean the one you are wearing? Kneel down and kiss the Prophet's ring....I'm done here....***

_________________________________________________________________________

Before you respond to this post ask yourself this simple question:
"Why would a company NOT want to be paid 6 months in advance?"

Please don't respond with..."Because like...it's totally not popular. Duh." *flips hair*...HOPEFULLY you realize MOST 6 month prepaid models across all games are never the most popular option...yet games keep them. Why? Because it's a business and companies operate to make money...they don't give up money in advance due to a popularity contest.

Also, just so there is no confusion:
B2P (Buy to Play) - Is what this article is referring to. Since the game will be offered on consoles I am simply referring to B2P and NOT F2P (Free to Play). I do not believe they will use a F2P model since they will need to sell console CD's and digital downloads. I don't see them releasing free downloads on XBOX and PS.

F2P (Free to Play) - A lot of people that responded say that I'm talking about a Free to Play business model. This is a model with a cash generating money shop. Both B2P and F2P can both have cash shops...but a F2P model relies more heavily on a cash shop. Most of the F2P games turn into "Pay to Win".However, for the record...I am NOT talking about ESO going F2P.

I read comments below that state "someone get this guy a tin foil hat" and "they obviously don't need 6 month plans because they aren't as popular"....but I'll be the one laughing when they switch to a B2P model and I promise I'll bump this post that day. There are obvious legal reasons for removing the 6 month sub prior to going B2P...only a few of us can see it though...and when we try to inform the masses we are made fun of for being conspiracy theorists.


NO MORE 6 MONTH SUBSCRIPTIONS?!? Buy to Play is on its way!

I preordered the almost $100 Imperial Edition prior to release...so at the very least allow my voice to be heard. In this post I did my best to not mention any games or companies by name...

I played in the BETA...However, I'll be honest though...at release I wasnt too impressed. My attention quickly diminished from the game and I left to play other MMORPG's. Without saying any names...lets just say that these other MMO RPGs were more "cartoony" in nature.

One of these cartoony RPG's has a population problem....meaning its so hardcore that people simply were turned off by how hard it was to complete raids. It's a GOOD GAME and received very good reviews...but has suffered due to the content being too hard....and now it has several ghost towns. The other MMO RPG is an aging giant. Everything in it is dated...and that company has recently announced it will now be focusing on FPS and top down strategy type games. Which is VERY disappointing since MMORPG's made them such a giant in the industry.

So after hearing about several updates ESO has made and is making I've come back...only to hear that the 6 month subs are gone. I can tell what direction they are going and I'm not sure what to think about this. When the game releases on consoles those people will already be paying for XBOX LIVE and Playstation Plus....not to mention any other subs for MMORPG's on top of those console subscriptions. If ESO goes B2P that will make ESO much more desirable in terms of an MMORPG as opposed to one they might currently be paying to play. <<<<<By this I mean MOST people already pay for Playstation Plus and Xbox Live regardless of what ESO does. I'm NOT saying you will have to pay for ESO through Xbox Live or PSN. What I'm trying to convey is that if the game keeps its subscription....then on consoles players will be paying an additional subscription on TOP of any subscription that *****they had prior to the game releasing.*****

I predict marketing for ESO for the consoles will include "Play Elder Scrolls Online on XBOX ONE OR PS4.....WITHOUT A SUBSCRIPTION!!!" I can see it now. Just don't forget this post when it happens. Also, from that point on you can refer to me as....The Prophet


What do you guys think? Do you think they will go B2P once ESO launches on consoles? ESO has the chance to be the number one MMORPG in the world...I hope they planned out 2015 wisely...

SantieClaws

Truth is we just don't know why they stopped the 6 month subs - and they are not telling .....

In the absence of reliable information then wild speculation is all we have left.

Kaide

wenxue2222b16_ESO wrote: »

Truth is we just don't know why they stopped the 6 month subs - and they are not telling .....

In the absence of reliable information then wild speculation is all we have left.

You are correct. We don't know unless they tell us why.

HOWEVER...like I learned in highschool history class...history has proven to repeat itself time and time again. You need only to look at similar decisions made by companies in the past to see the direction they will most likely go.

Huggernaut

Technically they did tell us.

They said not many people were using the option. The vast majority of people were using the 1 and 3 month sub selections.

However, with that being said, I don't see that as a very plausible reason to remove an option.

Don't think you're going to get a better response though.

Divad Zarn

I think we'r doomed.

WhiskyBob

Again this?
The amount of posts regarding Sub-Gate is mind-boggling.

RainfeatherUK

History does repeat itself. So much so, you can find it a few posts up (or a few posts down) depending on the time of day, and how much effort you are willing to put in -.-

/Agree with WhiskyBob.

xarguideb17_ESO

60-day pre-payed codes from allkeyshop.com FTW.

Csub

WhiskyBob wrote: »

Again this?
The amount of posts regarding Sub-Gate is mind-boggling.

It's either this or CP cap so pick your poison.

Ahdora

I have to wonder how many of the people who seem to care about this issue actually used the 6-month sub option in the first place.

xarguideb17_ESO

Those people are super pissed now because they have to automatically pay at least 2 times more often.

Drasn

ashleybhudsonb14_ESO wrote: »

I have to wonder how many of the people who seem to care about this issue actually used the 6-month sub option in the first place.

I don't think it's so much about not being able to use the option(whether they used it or not isn't relevant), but rather the sudden unannounced removal of said option and the implications(based on past experiences) it brings.

Csub

thomas.k.grayb14_ESO wrote: »

ashleybhudsonb14_ESO wrote: »

I have to wonder how many of the people who seem to care about this issue actually used the 6-month sub option in the first place.

I don't think it's so much about not being able to use the option(whether they used it or not isn't relevant), but rather the sudden unannounced removal of said option and the implications(based on past experiences) it brings.

They would come up with conspiracies even if it was well-explained.

Ahdora

thomas.k.grayb14_ESO wrote: »

I don't think it's so much about not being able to use the option(whether they used it or not isn't relevant), but rather the sudden unannounced removal of said option and the implications(based on past experiences) it brings.

I get that.

I just think it's funny how a lot of people start caring about some aspect of a game only when a change is implemented/is coming.

kevlarto_ESO

Yes the sky is falling LOL May just be something as simple as it was not very popular so they dropped it, then again there could be something more sinister behind the scenes, I have tin foil hats for sale..:) Guess we will have to stayed tuned for further information..:)

TequilaFire

Yep all the employees at ZOS voted to work free so you must be right!
/sarcasm

WhiskyBob

Next eso live question then:

Zenimax, do you intend to make ESO F2P? And why should we believe any answer you are going to give?

Winnower

I have 2 pre-order imperial editions, which have been running on 6-month subscriptions.

I've always chosen the 6-month or the 1-year subscription options in MMOs I've played. Or the lifetime account.

I don't play F2P2P (that's free to pay to play) games.

I find it extremely discouraging that the 6-month subscription option has disappeared. I fully expect this is a prelude to the same kind of absolute nightmare disaster that befell Star Wars: The Cartel Market.

If it happens I won't be here.

Just sayin'.

Jitterbug

B2P/F2P doesn't have to equal armageddon, I mean look at APB... wait... I mean look at GW2, no... I mean look at TSW... No, look at AoC. Okay, there we go.

I feel like the AoC model is tolerable. People keeping their sub won't really notice the F2P aspects, and people playing for free will only get to level their chars to max. The cool raids and guild stuff are gated for people paying their subs.
The cash shop does offer gear, and other such nonsense, but again I feel it's done at a tolerable level; you can buy entry level endgame gear, so you can take out your wallet and feel a little less useless in PvP, but by no means faceroll anything.

It can be done (sort of) right.

guybrushtb16_ESO

WhiskyBob wrote: »

Next eso live question then:

Zenimax, do you intend to make ESO F2P? And why should we believe any answer you are going to give?

Yup, it's a redundant question either way; any official will always deny going to go f2p in the far future, because it's bad for immediate profits.

The usual course of action for any mmo starting with subs is to condemn f2p and praise the sub model while they are still on it, and then at some point, suddenly switch to praising the freedom of f2p and condeming the conservative sub model. The trick is to not make it look like you planned it all along.

RainfeatherUK

guybrushtb16_ESO wrote: »

The trick is to not make it look like you planned it all along.

ZoS: Mission Objective Failed.

lol

Merlin13KAGL

xarguideb17_ESO wrote: »

Those people are super pissed now because they have to automatically pay at least 2 times more often.

@xarguideb17_ESO‌ , yes...half as much??

Checkbook balancing that hard for people?

xarguideb17_ESO

Merlin13KAGL wrote: »

xarguideb17_ESO wrote: »

Those people are super pissed now because they have to automatically pay at least 2 times more often.

@xarguideb17_ESO‌ , yes...half as much??

Checkbook balancing that hard for people?

That was sarcasm anyway. I'm saying, who cares about the 6 month sub. That's why they removed it, people didn't use it. If you want to pay less, then buy 60-day game time codes.
I don't think they'll change payment model.

Paske

On serious side - ZOS did not deny nor confirm any of this.

I have to say if it indeed goes P2P many of us, me included, will simply leave. Because cash shop will be viable way to compete. And thats when games die.

I would be very sad if it happens, I like this game. But Archage /AoC / SWTOR shennanigans I will not tolerate.

But I do know many scrubs applaud at the idea of a free game and fortune that is 15$ in bank.

ers101284b14_ESO

If this game goes F2P or B2P while FFXIV is regarded as a good game then I will forever be done with MMO's and PC players all together.

Elsonso

RainfeatherUK wrote: »

guybrushtb16_ESO wrote: »

The trick is to not make it look like you planned it all along.

ZoS: Mission Objective Failed.

lol

You laugh, but it is true.

If (if not when) they drop the subscription model and move to something like B2P, it is an indictment against the people who manage the development and operation of the game.

Elder Scrolls Online is theirs to fail any time they want. All they have to do is mismanage it.

While a lot of people cheer about P2P being dead, it isn't. Right now, F2P is where business leaders take refuge when they fail. This is not to say that there are not smart businessmen in the F2P/B2P field. The business model is valid and a lot of games enter the market using it and are successful. The games that retreat there are failures and, quite frequently, stay that way.

If you set out to build a P2P game, you build a P2P game, and if you do it right it is a success and it makes money. If you build a P2P game that you need to move to F2P or B2P, it means that the leadership has failed to deliver. They can continue to fail in a non-subscription model as easily as they failed in the subscription model.

It is my sincere hope that if (if) they do change business models because the game is not meeting expectations that Zenimax Media management sees that this was not written in the stars all along, but mismanagement at ZOS. Along with any change of business model, I think a cleaning of the management ranks would also be warranted.

If (if) ZOS is thinking of a move to F2P or B2P, now might be a good time for Zenimax Media to shake up the ZOS management. Try some new leadership and see if that turns out to be a better solution than the existing management.

Merlin13KAGL

xarguideb17_ESO wrote: »

Merlin13KAGL wrote: »

xarguideb17_ESO wrote: »

Those people are super pissed now because they have to automatically pay at least 2 times more often.

@xarguideb17_ESO‌ , yes...half as much??

Checkbook balancing that hard for people?

That was sarcasm anyway. I'm saying, who cares about the 6 month sub. That's why they removed it, people didn't use it. If you want to pay less, then buy 60-day game time codes.
I don't think they'll change payment model.

@xarguideb17_ESO‌ , then my apologies...you never can tell on the forums these days.

RainfeatherUK

The majority complaint I see from people is always the lack of tansparency. Ironically, with all the past repeats and blunders of the genre/industry throughout the years we dont really need it anymore.

We can, as some like to put it; 'Read the Signs.'

Ofcourse ZoS are going to make a business call. Thats on them and people are going to leave (or come) regardless. Something that to them is merely figures and stats at the management level.

Its always sad that, by design, its always the players; those that come to the game with excitement and thus, look forward to their creations; that suffer the most. Still we can rest in peace, knowing that there is a break in the link between the creative development, the social people (Gina and Jess, who likely do care about you) and those that pull the purse strings.

Everyone is in fact, trying to care or take care of someone.

Which is why I tend not to get too irrate; and just move on (since p2p is my prefered model.)

My comment was more a play on the doomsaying. Thats not to say that I disagree with the wider sentiment however. The silence, is never a good sign.

As I've said, they need to be careful if true. Because this isnt the first time anymore. People have seen companies in past games they loved cut them out on behalf of business and they arent going to transition well anymore (if they ever did)

In the end, what comes is what comes. The action of this 'possibly not being a good game' (of which I dont agree) and thus having a low actual player count (possibly true), is the only thing that will really influence ZoS.

At core its a company. Whether they care or not, they have a primary responsibility to it and to their employees.

All we can do is watch or, for those of us actively promoting the game and its improvements, hope that it reaches further than the doomsay does.

Kaide

Huggernaut wrote: »

Technically they did tell us.

They said not many people were using the option. The vast majority of people were using the 1 and 3 month sub selections.

However, with that being, I don't see that as a very plausible reason to remove an option.

Don't think you're going to get a better response though.

Lets say that Elder Scrolls Online is a business model...that the company uses to make this thing called money.

Let that sink in for everyone...I'll give you guys a minute....

Ok....now tell me...as a business....why would I NOT WANT TO GET PAID 6 MONTHS IN ADVANCE????

Kaide

thomas.k.grayb14_ESO wrote: »

ashleybhudsonb14_ESO wrote: »

I have to wonder how many of the people who seem to care about this issue actually used the 6-month sub option in the first place.

I don't think it's so much about not being able to use the option(whether they used it or not isn't relevant), but rather the sudden unannounced removal of said option and the implications(based on past experiences) it brings.

^this

Kalman

This topic has been discussed a few times. Please use the search function. Also I'm guessing since you "ran from town to town trolling zone" this is just you doing the same crap on the forums. Go away.