Funcom: A different strategy

[KullOfValusia]

Lots of vets are up at arms about the rate of content that's been not coming out.

I say, write them off. Vets are half the population of the game (not much BTW) and if they want to leave, let them. Brand new content is expensive and something Funcom can't do at the moment, I just don't see another DS coming from a company that is effectively on the brink of collapse(barring an epic turn around due to the Lego mini figures game).

So, then what can be done?

*Grab NEW players. Period. For every vet that has left grab 10 new players. To them there are years of content left in the game.

*Make a level 80 unchained version for every old world dungeon instance with random world drop purples as rewards. Instant content.

*Make the game playable by exclusively using the store, slash all token prices by half and get better items for sale in store. Make every aspect of the game(including khitai accessible w/o a sub).

* Sub method is dead. I KNOW YOU GUYS KNOW THIS. New gamers have such a plethora of MMOs to choose from(including mobile MMOs now) that they ping around from game to game. Subbing is just not a feasible rubric for selling your product. I'm sorry but those crafty Asians and their nickel and dime f2p in-game store model has won.

* FIX PvP.

[SlightlyMad]

For every vet that has left grab 10 new players.

How did FC guys couldnt think of this? OMG! genius!

[Civilix]

How did FC guys couldnt think of this? OMG! genius!

I got an even better idea, why not grab a 100 new players for each veteran that left. Its like a 10 times better idea.

[KullOfValusia]

How did FC guys couldnt think of this? OMG! genius!

Because if you follow the company like I have, their strategy is to retain players first and get new players distant second. I'm saying let the vets leave , don't try to incentivise to get them to stay because what they want "new thrills and chills" is going to cost an enormous sum of money.

[Argantes]

How did FC guys couldnt think of this? OMG! genius!

haha, yeah

for the OP, new players come and go, but it´s the vets who pay and keep this game alive.. as a former guild officer I´ve invited lots of new people from level range 1 and upwards, but only a small fragment of those lowbies kept playing till lvl 80 and again, only a small fragment of those fresh lvl 80s stuck with the game and actually payed a single "nickel and dime" to FC at all.. so yeah, let the vets go those vets I know from playing on Aquilonia 4-5 years ago, those same vets that have been playing on Fury years later and those same vets that I´m meeting on Crom/Fury till now..

btw basically non-existing promo for the past few years is just another thing..

[Slith]

I got an even better idea, why not grab a 100 new players for each veteran that left. Its like a 10 times better idea.

Its a good idea, but you have to think bigger when it comes to public company. I would aim for 1000 new playes for every vet that left.

[KullOfValusia]

Let me clarify. All you subbers currently playing the game since inception blah blah blah... you're locked in.. this is IT.. done... we're all staring into the abyss of no population no nothing. If you've been paying up to this point keeping up with all of FCs bulls### then you're here for the long haul.

If you decide to leave then there's the door... because you know what going from nothing to nothing-1 is really not much of anything. Plus, if you leave and NEW people start flooding in bloating up the servers..you know what? You're gonna be back too! guaranteed. New people= the BEST content ever.

[pelado]

Let me clarify. All you subbers currently playing the game since inception blah blah blah... you're locked in.. this is IT.. done... we're all staring into the abyss of no population no nothing. If you've been paying up to this point keeping up with all of FCs bulls### then you're here for the long haul.

If you decide to leave then there's the door... because you know what going from nothing to nothing-1 is really not much of anything. Plus, if you leave and NEW people start flooding in bloating up the servers..you know what? You're gonna be back too! guaranteed. New people= the BEST content ever.

New people are not going to start "flooding in" until *and this is a BIG maybe* FC does something absolutely dramatic. While telling the most loyal customers to piss off does count as dramatic, it is a terrible business strategy. It is probably too late for them to fix the mess they have created.

[KullOfValusia]

New people are not going to start "flooding in" until *and this is a BIG maybe* FC does something absolutely dramatic. While telling the most loyal customers to piss off does count as dramatic, it is a terrible business strategy. It is probably too late for them to fix the mess they have created.

Who are these "loyal customers" exactly? You..me...my dog? I don't think you get it?! There are 600 people getting on each night! That's TOTAL! F2P/Sub/Vet whatever.These loyal customers may as well be 0 customers.

And Funcom knows you're gonna stay, these guys are very smart. Smarter then you and me, don't kid yourself. They've done all kinds of psych-analysis/focus groups..they know that if you've put up with this for SO LONG you LIKE it enough that you'll continue to sub.

The best way is to gain new blood for the game and demonstrate that there is still a large untapped market for AoC.

[Rathothis]

Let me clarify. All you subbers currently playing the game since inception blah blah blah... you're locked in.. this is IT.. done... we're all staring into the abyss of no population no nothing. If you've been paying up to this point keeping up with all of FCs bulls### then you're here for the long haul.

If you decide to leave then there's the door... because you know what going from nothing to nothing-1 is really not much of anything. Plus, if you leave and NEW people start flooding in bloating up the servers..you know what? You're gonna be back too! guaranteed. New people= the BEST content ever.

And this is where your logic fails. Why would any sane company not extract profits from customers who are locked in? Those vets who still stick with AoC have proven quite resilient to change (i.e. they have high switching costs), so there's profit here which Funcom can and does extract.

Sure, those profits aren't huge, but they seem to be rather stable, if one is to believe FC's recent financial reports. Taking AoC FTP like they did with TSW would require significant investments into marketing, and later into development of new content. This would be a risky business strategy - just aside from the fact that a company with FC's level of debt is unlikely to get the funds for such an adventure, anyway.