Quick note, because I’ve seen a few blogs state that ESO is dropping the required sub price in part because console players ‘don’t get how that works’.
Quick, name the most successful console MMO to date (notably not a really high bar, but still).
If you said FFXIV, you are paying attention. And what model does FFXIV follow? The sub model. Funny how that big nasty barrier of entry hasn’t resulted in disaster for a worthwhile game, almost like players, console or otherwise, are able and willing to pay money for something that doesn’t suck. Crazy world we live in indeed.
Hardcore Casual 
It does, however, apparently have an issue with XBox Live, unfortunately (It being FFXIV); hence, it’s only on PS3/PS4. But yeah, that doesn’t explain the ESO change entirely.
(And FFXI was on PS2/PS3 with sub going back many years.)
Yea I think I remember reading that MS is pretty terrible to deal with in terms of pushing updates and such, so no real surprise.
TESO obviously felt they couldn’t compete. :P As a non-console player I am wondering, FFXIV the first console MMO? I don’t really follow the games released there. >.<
EQ Adventures was on PS1, FFXI was on PS2 (I think).
Quick fact check: FFXI was on XBOX360 as well. I know because it was the last console I ever bought and it came with that game.
No idea why FFXIV isn’t on the XBONE as MS’s restrictions on updates and such while draconic aren’t in fact any worse than Sony’s. MS Live doesn’t get hacked quite as much as PSN though.
The issue with subs on console for ESO is that they are multi-platform. Sony was apparently willing to waive their PSN fee for ESO, Microsoft was not willing to waive the XBox Live fee however.
Meaning, XBox One players would need to pay for the game, pay the monthly fee for XBox Live and then pay the monthly sub. Zenimax could not get them to waive the Live fee so they decided to go B2P.
This is stupid.
Why not just use the fact that psn accepted to make a gesture, release with sub and let xbox live take the heat of being greedy bastards.
I never owned a console, but wouldn’t any player playing any multiplayer game already be subscribed to psn/xbox live ?
I feel that since an mmo is addressed to a specific category of people that enjoy multiplayer, getting eso would be for them a way to justify and get more value out of the subscription they already pay for cod/halo/whatever.
Whether it is stupid or not, that is what Microsoft dictated. I have an XBox One and I do have XBox Live active account but I do have a few friends who have one and do not. They mostly use it for single player games and Netflix and you don’t need an account for that.
I am sure Zenimax didn’t want to drop support for the Xbox because they had already announced it and had it ready. That is a lot of work for them to just drop support because they don’t like the policy. That is also a lot of copies of the game they wouldn’t sell.
I didn’t say drop support for xbox. Just go with it despite the xbox live fee.
For instance, you are on an mmo blog posting in the comments and you have an xbox live sub.
I’d say you’re part of ESO target demographic.
Are your friends objectively part of that target? Even with the new model would they play an mmo for longer than a month? Would they take xbox live for one game? Would they buy dlc?
My point is that xbox live isn’t a barrier of entry for multiplayer inclined players, the core audience for mmos, as there is a high chance they are already paying it and playing an other game on it is just making their xbox live sub more worth it. And that core audience is already familiar with paying subs.
One platform being slightly different does not justify droping subs for all.
The move had other motivations and this is just a scapegoat.
Well if you decide to get into ESO, I still play it and have not stopped since release. I have been in a decent guild always doing shit. I am still on A.D. side like we were back then. ESO is extremely good and is a far cry from what it was when we played it. They have added an extreme amount of positive content and updates to the game and everything in it.
You’re saying FFXIV is the most popular console MMO without a whole lot of inside knowledge about how DCUO is doing, btw.
Are you here to provide said knowledge?
On the external knowledge front, Smed said that 70% of DCUO’s revenue came from the PS3, that PS3 players spent more on average, and that it was the single biggest revenue earner across PS3 and PS4.
However, he did not say revenue earner for whom.
Since SOE is run by SCE, 100% of the DCUO earnings count as revenue for them. Revenue for FFXIV goes to SE and SCE, but I have no idea how that is split. Nor is that an actual comparison of popularity.
Nope. But I’ve heard it’s actually doing way better that most people think it is and making the majority of its money on console rather than PC. But still, you’re probably right about FFXIV. :)
Does ANYONE play DCUO on the PC? Does Massively even cover that game anymore?