Curse

Gaile Gray · Nov 28, 2007, 05:09 AM // 05:09

I'd be more likely to read this differently. This isn't about turning away from games. This is about broadening the focus of the company and looking at ways to succeed even beyond the many phenomenal accomplishments of the past. It seems a natural to me!

Don't worry -- NCsoft will be making and publishing games for a long, long time to come. (And FYI, TJ Kim is a huge Guild Wars fan.)

I've asked if there is more to the story, or any additional bits of info to share, and if there are more details, I'll be sure to pass them along.

Masseur · Nov 28, 2007, 06:17 AM // 06:17

Right next to the OP's article they posted, is this response by NCSoft

http://kotaku.com/gaming/mmos/ncsoft...mes-326745.php

Mineria · Nov 28, 2007, 06:39 AM // 06:39

I don't get it.
So much hype over a company making investments in another sector.
Actually if people would read it a bit more careful, they would see that it is a strategy to keep the stock prices up. And I think its not a secret that investors will keep their stocks if they start dropping to much.
They prefer to see them go up.
But maybe the experts here can tell NC Soft a bulletproof way how to gain more income with their current line of games.

Of course is Lineage 2 getting less subscribers, the game is older then WoW, and it is a bit overrun with adena farmers and bots.
And that the L2 engine starts to get a bit limited with adding new content that is interesting enough to keep the player base up.
But they got a new mmo (Aion) on the way, which will be very interesting to see. Seems to me like that is the takeover for L2.

About calling no monthly fee for a failure... can I start to laugh now?
Was Diablo II a failure?
How about NWN?
And there a other games with a constant player base where there is no monthly fee.
But I guess some never tried to calculate income with expansions and online shop sales.

Gaile Gray · Nov 28, 2007, 06:51 AM // 06:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masseur

Right next to the OP's article they posted, is this response by NCSoft

http://kotaku.com/gaming/mmos/ncsoft...mes-326745.php

Exactly! Thanks, Masseur.

wetsparks · Nov 28, 2007, 06:54 AM // 06:54

I don't know how they can get more money out of their current line up of games. Lineage isn't new and neither really is city of x. Guild Wars makes then fairly good money, but they definately want more and companies think that they can throw an MMO out there and make the hundreds of millions that Blizzard is making from WoW. To focus on MMOs has worked for them but I think that they need to start up/buy up a company and have them make just normal offline games. Steadier money and don't have the upkeep of bandwidth and server costs that online games have. The problem with that is if a game is offline then you HAVE to have the bugs ironed out, or have a online mode like Diablo where the option is there for advanced play and updates but the game is designed to be played offline and online is just a bonus.

arcanemacabre · Nov 28, 2007, 07:45 AM // 07:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masseur

Right next to the OP's article they posted, is this response by NCSoft

http://kotaku.com/gaming/mmos/ncsoft...mes-326745.php

Yay! Well this is a really good thing, then. Expanding is usually the best thing a company can do, as long as it fits within that company's corporate values. NCSoft seems to be headed in the direction of online software and entertainment, whatever form that may take. So, this is a logical step forward in that department.

Buster · Nov 28, 2007, 08:09 AM // 08:09

Ok so now Gaile has responded and set the record straight, how about some some juicy Guild Wars 2 news !

shoogi · Nov 28, 2007, 09:38 AM // 09:38

need a reason not to buy gw2? how about it being another copy of world of warcraft, and we already have enough of those?

Drop of Fear · Nov 28, 2007, 09:47 AM // 09:47

guild wars is a money making franchise. should ncsoft dump it, i can see other publishers punching and trowing bags of $$$ to have it in their portfolio

twicky_kid · Nov 28, 2007, 09:52 AM // 09:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sekkira

So that's why GW2 has been confirmed no monthly fee. ArenaNet must love a failure in business models.

GW is a marketing game. You hook them with the no monthly subscription so you can easily advertise your other games that are monthly subsciption. GW used to be a great game. In the end the business model is self destructive. It cannot support itself for a long period of time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sekkira

Why do they keep having them, then?

Tournaments are sponsored by companies giving free hardware. Again marketing. It doesn't cost the company nearly anything to donate a few, and I do mean a few, pieces of hardware to have their name put out their directly to the demographic market.

I was more referring to the $100,000 purse tournaments which Anet cannot keep doing because of its no monthly subscriptions. Again its marketing. They did the cash prizes twice and never again. "Look we are offering money go buy our game. Oh wait no monthly subscription I have your money now and could care less what happens to you."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sekkira

Give proof.

PvE is a grind. No matter how you look at it there is a lot of grind. PvP is a grind getting unlocks and ect. If you want to be good at PvP you'll have to grind HA or GvG. Some grind is more fun than others but none the less its grind. Playing any kind of video game is a GRIND that's the entire point.

Why do you think titles were added? Anet realized they didn't have enough things to do in the game to hold people over till the next chapter release. So they make titles that GRIND so GW stays fresh in your mind when the next chapter hits and also doubles to discourage you from playing other games (the competition).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sekkira

Because there is no customer support.

Exactly the reason Anet will never keep customer for long and less will be returning in the future. People will only fall for the same ploy so many times eventually people will just stay away from whatever product you make because of your reputation......oh wait.....I said eventually......its already happened.

Fril Estelin · Nov 28, 2007, 10:36 AM // 10:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by twicky_kid

GW is a marketing game.

Wrong. It's been technically a brilliant piece of software, with a brilliant group of developpers, artists and a community model (though it had evolved). Amazing how things can be more complicated that one's thinking? (Yes I do include myself in this comment, GW has a marketing side to it, but it's far from being a central component)

Quote:

"Look we are offering money go buy our game. Oh wait no monthly subscription I have your money now and could care less what happens to you."

Or rather "Look we are giving you free new content, week-end events almost every week-end and no one forces you to buy this game. And we do care more than most companies about what players think." (lesson to learn: it's very easy to put words in the mouth of other people, it's more difficult to understand their situation)

Quote:

PvE is a grind. No matter how you look at it there is a lot of grind. PvP is a grind getting unlocks and ect. If you want to be good at PvP you'll have to grind HA or GvG. Some grind is more fun than others but none the less its grind. Playing any kind of video game is a GRIND that's the entire point.

You're so wrong, it's even difficult to start explaining why. And worse, I think there's no point because you won't listen. To keep it simple, I can say I enjoy PvE far away from grind and I doubt I'm a rare case.

Quote:

Anet realized they didn't have enough things to do in the game to hold people over till the next chapter release.

Yet another "Truth about Guild Wars"... Were you at one point an Anet employee? Have you direct contact with them? Can you back this "opinion of yours" (same question as asked before, still no answer)

Quote:

People will only fall for the same ploy so many times eventually people will just stay away from whatever product you make because of your reputation......oh wait.....I said eventually......its already happened.

What are you still doing here then? If you continue your reasoning and act reasonably, you should be playing a different game or no game at all, but surely not spend your time on GWG, right? Or you have a different agenda maybe?

fenix · Nov 28, 2007, 12:45 PM // 12:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fril Estelin

Or rather "Look we are giving you free new content, week-end events almost every week-end and no one forces you to buy this game. And we do care more than most companies about what players think." (lesson to learn: it's very easy to put words in the mouth of other people, it's more difficult to understand their situation)

Actually, that's mostly incorrect. The new 'free content' is largely minimal, the most significant of which was Sorrows Furnace, which is actually quite small. As for weekend events, notice that they are only made recently? Clearly they coincide with a decline in players, so if they have a different weekend event every weekend, it will bring more players online to participate. As a company, I imagine Anet could care less about the players on the whole. Players are just big dollar signs. Their intention is to make money, not to make people happy, no matter what they tell you.

Quote:

You're so wrong, it's even difficult to start explaining why. And worse, I think there's no point because you won't listen. To keep it simple, I can say I enjoy PvE far away from grind and I doubt I'm a rare case.

PvE is grind, that is a fact. You may not see it that way, but it is. It has no 'end', as there is always something else to grind. Titles make it worse, as of COURSE people are going to try and max every one (Gotta max 'em all?). Titles were to give people a reason to grind, in the form of a 'reward'.

cebalrai · Nov 28, 2007, 01:17 PM // 13:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoogi

need a reason not to buy gw2? how about it being another copy of world of warcraft, and we already have enough of those?

Since GW1 isn't a WoW copy and the devs are saying that GW2 definitely will not be a copy either..... why would you say that?

GhostRaptor · Nov 28, 2007, 01:44 PM // 13:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenix

As for weekend events, notice that they are only made recently? Clearly they coincide with a decline in players, so if they have a different weekend event every weekend, it will bring more players online to participate.

They've been running for over a year now. I left NCsoft in mid-May, and the weekend events were already a well-established fixture back then. While I can't comment on specifics for a variety of reasons, I can assure you that player population was not declining when the weekend events were started. Quite the opposite.

Fril Estelin · Nov 28, 2007, 01:58 PM // 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenix

The new 'free content' is largely minimal

1) It's free; 2) It may be minimal to someone playing A LOT, but not to most people.

Quote:

As for weekend events, notice that they are only made recently?

You're kidding, right?

GW myth FTL?

Quote:

Players are just big dollar signs. Their intention is to make money, not to make people happy, no matter what they tell you.

They didn't tell me anything, I made my mind myself, thank you. Yes they're here to make money of course! But that does not mean that they're not also trying to make (some of) us happy, and I'd say they're globally succeeding. Those not happy complain on forums and make a small %age of the population, the others enjoy the game.

Quote:

PvE is grind, that is a fact. You may not see it that way, but it is.

Well, I'd say that it's you who's not seeing the game the right way. I am enjoying it fully, no need for me to farm or grind or whatever else you'll mention. May be you only see in the game what you are expecting to see, not what there is in reality?