While I lament the long development time as well, I'm convinced this is an absolute necessity. VR is the up and coming thing and here to stay. Prices are insanely high at the moment, but there's still an amazing (IMHO) number of early adopters, especially in the sim community. And prices will drop, no doubt about it. Much better to integrate it now while the engine is still in the coding phase than trying to somehow attach it later.
While I appreciate you alibiing for HTC, he could have gotten AH3 out the door while paralleling development of VR coding...just like adding aircraft. Because the current cost of VR is so clearly out of reach for a high % of the player base, it wasn't wise and it simply wasn't necessary. I'm sure we'll hear something along the lines of "we needed to do it now because of the new graphics engine because doing it later would mean a complete re-do...blah blah. " So predictable.
And, had 3 been released with what surely would have been a marketing thrust of some kind, he likely would have had that parallel VR coding paid for by new subs and the likely subs of vets he absolutely would have kept. Not all...but most.
Just because its a game doesn't mean the following statement isn't true although some here will argue that in the face of lost logic, MBA programs all over the world, AND serious business leaders who are responsible for increasing shareholder equity every single day of their professional lives:
"It takes 5 time more capital to attract and retain new customers than it does to keep existing customers"
Existing customers aren't always happy but neither are new customers and to watch someone argue that statement is tantamount to admitting they aren't a business person at all. Maybe they don't want to be. Ok. Then they'll start over at business a lot of times in their life unnecessarily and a very high financial cost.
Sorry I went Bustr.
