A Perspective On Free To Play

Space Bum·Mar 20, 2015·2 votes·291 views

VS WoW's original pricing, without including IP

Game= $60 > Approximately 19 on Sale Champions Subscription = $15 > Approximately 4 on Sale Champions

1 year (first month free) > Approximately 63 Champions

9 Comments

Nybx4lifeMar 20, 20151 votes

Changing payment methodologies now, especially from f2p to subscription-based, would cut a lot of players. WoW is fine to try that, because Blizzard had fans before WoW (from its Diablo/Warcraft days, I believe), and that helped it establish.

If Riot tried that from the start, it might not have worked. Didn't have the rep to do so. Plus, for people to pay out the gate for champions, then pay more for new champions, would get people a bit irritated. Just saying.

Space BumMar 20, 20151 votes

I was actually comparing the free to play environment to the subscription environment to emphasise the experience a person receives when they don't rely fully on IP and pay what has been the standard for ongoing content games.

Nybx4lifeMar 20, 20151 votes

Which is true.

I believe I heard once the President of Ubisoft would attempt something like this if he was in charge of Riot (thank goodness he's not). As far as I know, Riot isn't struggling to stay afloat (one of the top PC games in the world IIRC), so it's doing fine.

Space BumMar 20, 20151 votes

I think you are still missing the point... I am addressing individuals that want to attempt to only use IP but are frustrated that it takes so long to unlock content. My point is, "you get what you pay for" .

Nybx4lifeMar 20, 20151 votes

Oh...if you're talking about the money equivalent to buying content, then yeah.

But, it's Free to Play. Riot has to make money somehow, and skins wouldn't cut it.

Space BumMar 20, 20151 votes

Exactly

DeloricVIMar 20, 20151 votes

I love this perspective... especially because we could also probably do a similar comparison to games like Clash of Clans or inexcusable pieces of trash like Dungeon Keeper Mobile where the money grubbing is plentiful, lol.

Space BumMar 20, 20151 votes

I've never bought into one of those micro transaction cell phone games. They all seem like a ripoff to me.

DeloricVIMar 21, 20151 votes

Yeah, they pretty much are. And then you hear stories about a kid blowing a couple thousand dollars worth of gems in clash of clans because they're on their parent's phone or something... Yeah, I'm a pretty big skeptic of anything with a currency that has an actual dollar value.

I've been trying to explain to some of these people that this system is not as bad as it could be. It's actually... really balanced for the game and not at all intrusive to me. :/