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Guild Wars 2 seeing 'slow but steady growth' in players
Buy-to-play games can be difficult to judge in terms of metrics. You can't point to the total number of people who have bought the game because there's no proof those people are still playing. Guild Wars 2 has sold plenty of boxes, and according to lead designer Isaiah Cartwright those boxes are translating to long-term players after all. In fact, Cartwright told Polygon that the game is experiencing growth in both overall and concurrent players after launch. While the game did experience a population drop after launch, Cartwright stressed that this was entirely normal and something that every designer should plan for. He declined to give hard numbers on player growth, but he did state that the game's current update plan came about as a result of looking at the game's metrics and determining what players were more likely to log in for. Guild Wars 1 is also apparently maintaining a solid number of players, and while the game is in maintenance mode, Cartwright states that it's in no risk of shutting down.
EVE Evolved: Four things MMOs can learn from EVE
New MMOs are released every year, and we often see them repeating the same mistakes as previous games or releasing without tried-and-tested mechanics. It just seems like common sense to learn from the years of mistakes and successes of other companies and previous titles, but it isn't always clear how to apply game mechanics or lessons from dissimilar types of game. EVE Online is as dissimilar from the typical MMO as you can get, but there are lessons to be learned from its turbulent nine-year history that can be applied to all MMO development. EVE has helped prove that you can start small and grow rather than raking in huge launch sales and then fading away. The past year has also shown conclusively that iteration on existing features can trump big expansions. EVE's market system and single-shard server have both been commended countless times over the game's nine-year history, and yet in all that time, few games have tried to replicate those features. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at four lessons learned from EVE Online that could easily be applied to other MMOs.
EVE Online interview confirms details of retail release
One of announcements that came out of EVE Online's most recent Fanfest was news that the game will be sold on retail shelves this March, with the release of the Apocrypha expansion. A publishing deal struck between EVE's developer CCP Games and Atari means that the game may well see an influx of players in the coming months. MMORPG.com's Managing Editor Jon Wood caught up with Ryan Dancey, Chief Marketing Officer at CCP Games, and the two discussed how EVE's shift away from being a purely digital product will affect the game. Also notable is that Dancey gives the details of what that $39.95 (€39.99) for the box will buy: Mac and PC versions; a Career Guide for new pilots; 60 days of game time that can be converted into PLEX; automatically have needed standings for factional warfare; a VIP pass which functions like the Buddy Program; and a shuttle with expanded cargo capacity. These extras were previously rumored to be included with the EVE retail purchase, but Ryan Dancey's comments in the MMORPG.com interview would seem to confirm those rumors. Have a look at the rest of the interview focused on EVE Online's retail release for more on how the publishing deal between CCP Games and Atari is shaping up.
CCP Games and Atari partner on EVE retail box sales
When EVE Online launched in 2003, it came in a box through the game's publisher, Simon and Schuster Interactive. But for much of EVE's lifespan, it's been a digital product. Nothing to buy at a store, no physical media to save. It seems CCP Games has gone retro, from what was announced by CCP's CEO Hilmar Pétursson today, live from EVE Fanfest 2008 in Reykjavik. He announced that CCP Games will be partnering with Atari to establish a retail presence once again... which is fitting really, as Atari will also be publishing Ghostbusters. Hilmar introduced a short presentation by David Gardner, Atari's CEO, who discussed the partnership with CCP Games. EVE typically has a winter expansion and a summer expansion. The winter expansion, Quantum Rise, is just days away. The summer expansion is expected (but not confirmed) to include Walking in Stations, only there's a little twist with the timing... They're not waiting for summer. It's coming in March. In a box. In your local game store. That's the information we have at this time, but we'll keep you informed as more details surface.Update: Note that we haven't locked down a release date with Walking in Stations yet. Massively will report on Walking in Station's official release date once that's available -- at this time we only know it's tentatively slated for 2009.
Factors that could make or break WAR's longterm success
Syp over at the Waaagh! Warhammer Online blog looks at the title's 750,000 registered players figure and observes that merely buying the box (or the download) shouldn't necessarily imply that monthly subscription dollars will follow. There are a number of factors involved that will determine how well Warhammer Online does in the long run. There's no doubt that WAR is enjoying its time in the limelight -- even lukewarm reviews of the title still give it decent ratings, not to mention the hardcore contingent of players who are either fans of the IP or simply love that it's not World of Warcraft. But are many of these registered players only in WAR for the time being?Syp writes about this in his "Future Tense" post, and breaks down the factors that could make or break the title's success in the long run, not limited to the upcoming expansions from other titles, word of mouth, and the longshot of breaking the pop culture barrier, as WoW has. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Why do you pay for your games each month?
How much game do you need to support a monthly fee? That's a question Tobold asked in his blog, noting that there are a number of games charging for monthly subs that would be better off with alternative business models. He cites the example of the in-beta Football Manager Live, which he feels is niche in the first place, and coupled with great complexity and minimal graphics, wouldn't exactly draw crowds of subscribers. Tobold thinks that a higher cost to purchase the game and then offering a free basic version would be a more appealing option for some players. And for those who are hardcore about the game, a subscription that would include more detailed statistics would be a better fit. He notes titles like Diablo, Hellgate: London and Guild Wars -- games which eschewed the standard subscription model for either box sales or partial subscriptions. This led him wonder what exactly we expect from a game we're willing to subscribe to. Tobold asks: What are you willing to pay a monthly fee for, and where do you balk at the cost? Are there specific features which you think justify a monthly fee? Sound off if you have some ideas about what makes your game of choice worthy of your sub money each month. Or if your preferred MMO isn't a subscription title, what drew you to that game?
