Yet another forum thread about monetization

spartaxoxo · January 2022

Just pretend in your head that the endeavors are a battle pass and leave well enough alone, IMO

spartaxoxo · January 2022

kargen27 wrote: »

I've also seen players say if crowns were cheaper the company would make more. ZoS has from time to time a sale on crowns. They will have looked at the numbers. If their data told them lower prices would mean more revenue they would have done it.

I'd bet money that they make most of their crown exclusive money during crown sales, which is why they are so regular. Some companies use sales as the "real" price on certain items and leave them higher priced than they know will move that much volume during the rest of the year, so that people will spend way more than they normally would whenever a sale occurs. The massive frenzy it causes when people feel like they are getting a good deal ends up outweighing people making smaller but steadier purchases throughout the year.

I bet most of the crown store purchases with crowns are coming from ESO+ bonus crowns and crown sale crowns, but they leave them high priced the rest of the time to drive frenzies during "sales" and because their limited time items means they get enough of the higher priced crown purchases to make up for the much slower crown revenue during non-sales.

Amottica · January 2022

kargen27 wrote: »

"Looking at how much a single notable crown store house cost, i think it would be better if they were available all the time in the store.
It gives more reason for people to aquire gold and exchange it for crowns and in the long run it's better then a "once per year" availability model.
5. Make crown store items rotations more often.
6. Decrease crown cost / make sales more often."

People always suggest making these changes wo

ive_wonder wrote: »

Sylvermynx wrote: »

I already said I don't buy crates, so when there's something I want available for crowns, I buy it. If it's in a crate and I have the SOE for it, I buy it that way.

Then wouldn't it be better if you could just buy what you want directly?

You can. We have endeavors and there is a gem system in place. That aside what price do you think the items in the loot boxes would need to be to make up for the loss of crown crate revenue? Would those items be available at all? We assume they would be but why? The are exclusive to the crates to get people to buy crates. If there are no crates what incentive is there for that much variety? If three apex mounts are available are people going to purchase all three or only the one they want want most? The accountants at ZoS probably have a real good answer for that question.

I want to comment about something others have said also. ZoS has a full team of accountants. They analyze data and determine strategies for increased revenue. If they saw getting rid of limited time offers would increase revenue they would do that. They have tracked the numbers for how many limited time items have sold compared to similar always available items. Limited time items work. That is why businesses across many sections offer limited time items and sales.

I've also seen players say if crowns were cheaper the company would make more. ZoS has from time to time a sale on crowns. They will have looked at the numbers. If their data told them lower prices would mean more revenue they would have done it.

I agree.

I have seen players complain about crown crates and players complain about the cost of a mount, house, pretty much everything.

I also expect Zenimax has more experience on the monetization of a major game as a service than probably all of us combined. THey probably have a good handle on what drives revenue. While I am far from being a fan of loot boxes, I do realize they remain in the game because they are lucrative and until Zenimax is forced to remove them or a different model is expected to work better they will remain in the game.

Jusey1 · January 2022

JKorr wrote: »

Yes, and no.

Yes, better for us. No, not better for ZOS marketing/monetization department.

There are threads where people are complaining about the low/infinitesimal chances of the specific radiant apex mount they desperately want to drop, and after they've spent a really really large amount of RL money buying crowns there should be some way to get the specific one they want. Which actually highlights why it would be bad for the monetization people. If you got the specific item you wanted, you wouldn't buy more crates until the next item that tempted you showed up.

Again; when the crates were a new thing, people posted on the forum about how they got all the things/mounts they wanted, and had enough gems from trade-back consumables and duplicates to buy items they wanted from the next season's crates. Shortly after these threads showed up, the Radiant Apex mounts that you couldn't buy with gems showed up. So yeah, they really want people to have to buy crates.Nothing in the crates makes your character faster, stronger, invincible/invisible/uber-leet god like, but they people who really want that glowy shining sparkle mount will chase the rng gremlins to get it.

In the cases of Crates, I don't think it matters for ZOS marketing department due how bad and harmful gambling boxes actually are. Either the game will get a proper Adult rating for having gambling or the Crown Crates will eventually be removed... I know the Governments are super slow at this thing but ZOS only has a few years at least before this stuff gets properly regulated. It's only a matter of time.

I'm all for ZOS wanting to earn money to keep supporting the game, nothing against it, but I am against stuff that are just flat-out harmful and predatory in practice. That sort of stuff shouldn't be accepted, period.

Amottica · January 2022

Jusey1 wrote: »

JKorr wrote: »

Yes, and no.

Yes, better for us. No, not better for ZOS marketing/monetization department.

There are threads where people are complaining about the low/infinitesimal chances of the specific radiant apex mount they desperately want to drop, and after they've spent a really really large amount of RL money buying crowns there should be some way to get the specific one they want. Which actually highlights why it would be bad for the monetization people. If you got the specific item you wanted, you wouldn't buy more crates until the next item that tempted you showed up.

Again; when the crates were a new thing, people posted on the forum about how they got all the things/mounts they wanted, and had enough gems from trade-back consumables and duplicates to buy items they wanted from the next season's crates. Shortly after these threads showed up, the Radiant Apex mounts that you couldn't buy with gems showed up. So yeah, they really want people to have to buy crates.Nothing in the crates makes your character faster, stronger, invincible/invisible/uber-leet god like, but they people who really want that glowy shining sparkle mount will chase the rng gremlins to get it.

In the cases of Crates, I don't think it matters for ZOS marketing department due how bad and harmful gambling boxes actually are. Either the game will get a proper Adult rating for having gambling or the Crown Crates will eventually be removed... I know the Governments are super slow at this thing but ZOS only has a few years at least before this stuff gets properly regulated. It's only a matter of time.

I'm all for ZOS wanting to earn money to keep supporting the game, nothing against it, but I am against stuff that are just flat-out harmful and predatory in practice. That sort of stuff shouldn't be accepted, period.

and I recently read that when and if loot boxes go away there is a good chance they will be replaced by something even less desirable. The reality is gaming companies will make their revenue somewhere and loot boxes are clearly more lucrative than just selling items in a cash shop or they would not be utilized as they are.

Jusey1 · January 2022

Amottica wrote: »

and I recently read that when and if loot boxes go away there is a good chance they will be replaced by something even less desirable. The reality is gaming companies will make their revenue somewhere and loot boxes are clearly more lucrative than just selling items in a cash shop or they would not be utilized as they are.

Then we keep fighting. Never submit. Currently, the new thing is that battle pass system which I think is a good system overall, if the balance for leveling it is good.

Amottica · January 2022

Jusey1 wrote: »

Amottica wrote: »

and I recently read that when and if loot boxes go away there is a good chance they will be replaced by something even less desirable. The reality is gaming companies will make their revenue somewhere and loot boxes are clearly more lucrative than just selling items in a cash shop or they would not be utilized as they are.

Then we keep fighting. Never submit. Currently, the new thing is that battle pass system which I think is a good system overall, if the balance for leveling it is good.

Battle pass is not new and if it was better than was Zenimax currently has they would have already changed. It also would not make sense in ESO. The fact is we vote with our dollars and enough of those dollars vote for the current system. There is no fight.

ive_wonder · January 2022

Amottica wrote: »

Battle pass is not new and if it was better than was Zenimax currently has they would have already changed. It also would not make sense in ESO. The fact is we vote with our dollars and enough of those dollars vote for the current system. There is no fight.

[snip]
Battlepass is an alternative solution, something companies use instead of lootboxes, i mostly suggested it because of that and because there are a lot of practical applications on the market already.
Regarding lootboxes, maybe it's not about dollars, but about taking the risks. Far easier to stay on old monetization model then to switch it probably.

[Edit for Discussing Disciplinary Actions.]

ive_wonder · January 2022

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Just pretend in your head that the endeavors are a battle pass and leave well enough alone, IMO

Everyone know that endeavors exist simply as way for crown crates to stay in the game should official bodies ban said crates.
I'm not saying that battle pass is the only solution, just what i've seen in many other games, tbh i was hoping to see other suggestions in this thread.