MMO Subscription Model Dead?

[Bino]

Techspot has an opinion piece today with an interesting title:  The subscription MMO is dead

So, how are developers supposed to support and refine a game if they can't get anyone to pay for their work?  Are we destined for a MMO world of obnoxious pop-up advertising?  Guess I must be a dinosaur, because I don't see how free-to-pay works over the long term.

[Slate]

  I can't stand TV anymore with Adds every 2 minutes and pop-ups in the corner. Wife Ack doesn't understand why I won't sit through the Drivel. 

[zack1234]

whats a MMO?

[GScholz]

Techspot has an opinion piece today with an interesting title:  The subscription MMO is dead

So, how are developers supposed to support and refine a game if they can't get anyone to pay for their work?  Are we destined for a MMO world of obnoxious pop-up advertising?  Guess I must be a dinosaur, because I don't see how free-to-pay works over the long term.

Hint: Free2Play isn't really free.

[Spikes]

Hint: Free2Play isn't really free.

How so? Seems pretty free to me. You can play for free, paying just gives you added bonuses.

[zack1234]

Is War Thunder a MMO then?

[Shuffler]

How so? Seems pretty free to me. You can play for free, paying just gives you added bonuses.

You can play free. The folks who pay need folks to slap around.

[Pigslilspaz]

How so? Seems pretty free to me. You can play for free, paying just gives you added bonuses.

Valve has made a lot more money with F2P than it ever did with having to buy the game. Not paying for the game makes folks feel like "Well, I didn't buy the game, so I guess I can spend a little bit, since I'm still spending less than a normal retail game"

[Noir]

Here's some thinking material

If the latest Tribes wasn't free to play I wouldn't have tried. Then I spent 8€ for permanent 50% xp bonus and unlocking some weapons.

[Karnak]

Personally I vastly prefer a monthly fee to "Pay to win" models.

[GScholz]

How so? Seems pretty free to me. You can play for free, paying just gives you added bonuses.

Take World of Tanks as an example. You can play the standard "instant action" game for free, but not platoon or company battles, and you don't get access to the Clan Warfare strategic game. To get access to the whole game you need a paid premium account. I remember a time where Aces High was kinda free2play in that regard. You could play AH1 for free in 8-player mode, but to access the MA you had to subscribe.

[Nathan60]

Hint: Free2Play isn't really free.

Sure it is, You DONT have to buy the crap they offer. One of the biggest free to play games out(APB reloaded) I havent spent money on at all,  only the ingame money from smash and grabs and mugging poeple. There are things that I would spend money on but its not necessary

[Ack-Ack]

Personally I vastly prefer a monthly fee to "Pay to win" models.

Not all F2P games are "Play to Win" where you're forced purchase items to advance and be able to compete.  Turbine has shown that a hybrid F2P model can work and be very successful.

ack-ack

[MarineUS]

Most of this is based off of the success of WoT and the millions of dollars they've made.

Most of them are not P2W (just as WoT is not P2W), you just get extra stuff like more money/XP than your average joe who plays for free.
Heck, even BF3 has a F2P style to it now. "Premium accounts" etc.

----

Biggest downside to F2P? Terrible communities.

[Devil 505]

Most of this is based off of the success of WoT and the millions of dollars they've made.

Most of them are not P2W (just as WoT is not P2W), you just get extra stuff like more money/XP than your average joe who plays for free.
Heck, even BF3 has a F2P style to it now. "Premium accounts" etc.

----

Biggest downside to F2P? Terrible communities.

I take it that "P2W" is "Pay to Win", in that case WoT defanately fits the bill. Run any tier 5 tank off the tech tree and run into a Churchill, Churchill wins. Same with the Type 59, and KV-4. Want to win in Wot, you don't have to be good, just buy a premium tank.