Post by Morreion on Oct 5, 2010 9:35:40 GMT -5
What Makes a Success? (Game By Night)
A good start in this discussion is to eliminate WoW from the equation- WoW in so many ways is the 800-pound gorilla in the room that just distorts any argument. Expecting WoWlike success is futile.
"Public perception of success or failure is so subjective, it’s not even funny."
This is a very important statement- MMO gamers have a definite penchant for declaring a game either the greatest thing since sliced bread, or the absolute worst piece of software ever devised. To say that the community is polarized would be an understatement. The fact that success can be defined as any game that makes a profit is usually dismissed in the distorted expectation of the gaming community.
The article ends with proposing that 200k-300k is often seen as a reasonable subscription game level, and therefore can be termed a success. Anything above that can be considered a hit. I agree.
Of course, all of these numbers will be vastly distorted by the emerging F2P model. If a F2P game has a million players but doesn't get them to cough up enough cash, then it will be a failure.
A good start in this discussion is to eliminate WoW from the equation- WoW in so many ways is the 800-pound gorilla in the room that just distorts any argument. Expecting WoWlike success is futile.
"Public perception of success or failure is so subjective, it’s not even funny."
This is a very important statement- MMO gamers have a definite penchant for declaring a game either the greatest thing since sliced bread, or the absolute worst piece of software ever devised. To say that the community is polarized would be an understatement. The fact that success can be defined as any game that makes a profit is usually dismissed in the distorted expectation of the gaming community.
The article ends with proposing that 200k-300k is often seen as a reasonable subscription game level, and therefore can be termed a success. Anything above that can be considered a hit. I agree.
Of course, all of these numbers will be vastly distorted by the emerging F2P model. If a F2P game has a million players but doesn't get them to cough up enough cash, then it will be a failure.
