| |
Site Navigation
Main
News
Forums
Games
Games Database
Top 100
Release List
Support Files
Features
Reviews
Previews
Interviews
Editorials
Diaries
Misc
Download
Gallery
Music
Screenshots
Videos
Miscellaneous
Staff Members
Privacy Statement
|
|
Ekim continues his weekly column here on RPGDot with an article about the cost and profitability of Massively Multiplayer Online Games. This editorial is a multipart feature and today's issue is titled "To pay, or not to pay".
Don't forget to check back on Friday next week for part no. 2 and every Friday after that for more Ekim's Gamer Views.
Here's a little bit from today's article:There is a big doubt in players' minds about the kind of profits these online gaming developers actually make when talking about MMORPGs. Most players have a feeling they are being ripped off. With good reason. When you add up the numbers, it's quite staggering. Someone made the exercise just for Everquest : 400,000 users x $13 US = $5.2 Million per month! That's a lot of money, over 60 million American dollars per year! No wonder people think they're being screwed.
But are they? Are we being screwed? A few years ago, one of the developers behind Star Wars Galaxies decided to answer the question about the inherent costs of an MMORPG on the SWG official website. Raph Koster, Creative Director at SOE, gave a rather lengthy answer. If you read the whole post (thanks to Ammon777 for the link), you'll quickly realize that it's detailed enough to believe that the person who answered is at least knowledgeable enough to be believable. |
|
|
Ekim's Gamer View: To pay, or not to pay
