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Is there a monthly fee you got to pay to play this game?? i no its made by blizzard which in there other online games dont charge any thing. but this game is completely Online so im thinking it'll charge money soo how much if any one knows
This is an assumption.
I gather that they will be equal to if not less than current going rates for MMORPGs. Roughly between $12 and $15 per month.
Hopefully, they will try to get everyone to play by at least making it cheaper than FFXI or EQ/EQ2.
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From Blizzard's website:
Will there be monthly fee to play the game?
Yes; however, we are still investigating our business model and have not yet determined what the fee will be.
Why isn't World of Warcraft free?
World of Warcraft will require a fee to play. This fee will be used to support the costs associated with the high-quality levels of service, support, and ongoing content creation that we are planning for World of Warcraft.
Will there be multiple methods of payment besides just credit cards?
Yes, we plan to support a range of payment methods. However, we are still working out our business model, so the specifics on which payment methods will be available have not been finalized.
I gather that they will be equal to if not less than current going rates for MMORPGs. Roughly between $12 and $15 per month.
Hopefully, they will try to get everyone to play by at least making it cheaper than FFXI or EQ/EQ2.
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From Blizzard's website:
Will there be monthly fee to play the game?
Yes; however, we are still investigating our business model and have not yet determined what the fee will be.
Why isn't World of Warcraft free?
World of Warcraft will require a fee to play. This fee will be used to support the costs associated with the high-quality levels of service, support, and ongoing content creation that we are planning for World of Warcraft.
Will there be multiple methods of payment besides just credit cards?
Yes, we plan to support a range of payment methods. However, we are still working out our business model, so the specifics on which payment methods will be available have not been finalized.
I hope to god it's cheaper that SWG cost, or I won't get it..... or I would have to drop Sw...no...that isn't an option!
HERE OUR CRIES BLIZZARD! MAKE IT TEN DOLLARS A MONTH!!
HERE OUR CRIES BLIZZARD! MAKE IT TEN DOLLARS A MONTH!!
If paying $18 a month will keep out little kids, I'll gladly do that.
Problem is that not all little kids are incompetent. (Just as not all adult players are competent). Also, the high price would keep out good players as well.
<sigh>
I'm guessing that Bliz will probably start it off at $14.95 a month, but you can probably keep 2-3 chars for that. They have enough of a big name, and a fantastic reputation for games that they can get away with that price. People will still pay and play.
Problem is that not all little kids are incompetent. (Just as not all adult players are competent). Also, the high price would keep out good players as well.
<sigh>
I'm guessing that Bliz will probably start it off at $14.95 a month, but you can probably keep 2-3 chars for that. They have enough of a big name, and a fantastic reputation for games that they can get away with that price. People will still pay and play.
Scholar
27 posts
Probably $15. Believe me, it will be worth it. Paying for content is no problem. It is when there is no content and the providors demand up-front money to finish developing; that is the problem (think SWG & Horizons & AC2). WoW will certainly not have that problem! Heck, I pay for Allakhazam because the service deserves to be supported. I will be happy to pay for WoW.
If paying 20 dollars instead of 10 keeps out all the l33t hAxx0rz and k00l d00d5, I will be happy to pay the difference. Many of the people in Beta right now were directly conscripted out of other MMORPGs. I got in through my guild, and not by actually winning the beta lottery. Even now though, while most of the people are pleasant, there are a few that seem to like to try to push other people's hotbuttons, and that will only get worse when all the people from realms and bnet come coursing in.
And no, I don't want to have pvp everywhere. Call me a carebear, but I like the peace of mind of being able to go to the bathroom without clenching over whether I might be getting killed at the time.
And no, I don't want to have pvp everywhere. Call me a carebear, but I like the peace of mind of being able to go to the bathroom without clenching over whether I might be getting killed at the time.
Only the exceptions can be exceptional.
Um i read on what of the official sites the fee was 5 dollars
if that was true then blizzard will be a very poor company. hell that much a month can barly if able afford to pay the bandwith,let alone the maintence and paying there workers. plus blizz needs to make a profit off of this is they make no profit then WOW will be no more:(
so u think that 600k players at 5 dollars a month wont be able to pay there debts? 600k x 5 thats a nice 3 million a month for them? think thats enough
yes thats probly enough to break even. also just how do you think 600k people are going to play WOW? thats a pretty high number,you act like theres no other MMORPG out there. now 600k worth of people is going to take up alot of server space,now if all of those 600k people make only 1chracter the bandwith will cost about 1mil or more a month, i dont know how much bandwith cost these days. if i rember right a server on CS that supports 20 players cost like 50$ a month. then we have the WOW empolyees saleries. there should be about 100 or more people working on the game,probly getting payed 30k or more a year. then we have meitnence(sp) fees god knows how much that costs and paying the mientnence people. then theres updates. with all that added up they could break even but maybe not,but what profit is breaking even? a big fat 0,which would mean WOW isnt much of a cash flow. of course theres probly some other stuff im leaving out like how much money it took to make this game. just a little food for thought.
Edited, Sun May 16 18:52:24 2004 by Saturos
Edited, Sun May 16 18:52:24 2004 by Saturos
well alot will leave ffxi for wow because of fee and also over 400k already play warcraft 3 alone not including diablo2 or others so ya i think it will
oops also think about 600k buying game for 50+
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well alot will leave ffxi for wow because of fee
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and also over 400k already play warcraft 3 alone not including diablo2
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[/quote]oops also think about 600k buying game for 50+[quote]
I have to say that Blizzard has many a loyal following. Thousands of people still play the original Diablo. IMO, I think there will be MANY people moving from various MMORPGs over to WoW.
That being said, I think it would be a fantastic business move on Blizzards part to undercut the others fees by at least half...say $7.50 a month. Hell, if they charge $10 a month, it's less than most others out there. And with the following that Blizzard has, they will make out just fine.
That being said, I think it would be a fantastic business move on Blizzards part to undercut the others fees by at least half...say $7.50 a month. Hell, if they charge $10 a month, it's less than most others out there. And with the following that Blizzard has, they will make out just fine.
[/quote]That being said, I think it would be a fantastic business move on Blizzards part to undercut the others fees by at least half...say $7.50 a month. Hell, if they charge $10 a month, it's less than most others out there. And with the following that Blizzard has, they will make out just fine. [quote]
Agreed
Agreed
Regardless, I don't see it as feasible to pay that little. I don't care if there's 600k vs. 100k vs. 5000. That still creates the same overhead per player. With more players comes more bandwidth, the need for more servers, more GMs and support staff, etc.
To those who think the software fee will make the difference, consider how long Blizzard has gone on this project without making a cent. The software fee *might* pay the cost they've already incurred, and support the on-going development for future expansions and content. 500k people paying $50, both numbers seeming slightly high considering, would be 25M. Last I heard, Blizzard had been secretly working on this game as long as they had Warcraft 3 (which is a LONG time) and they've been doing alpha and beta testing for some time now, which knowing Blizzard, isn't about to end. One of the classes isn't in the game yet, many of the features are still being put into place, much of the content isn't ready yet...and then it needs to truly be tested and held up to player scrutiny, which Blizzard takes far more seriously than any other company. Perhaps too seriously.
Anyone thinking the monthly fee will be under $10 is dreaming, imho.
To those who think the software fee will make the difference, consider how long Blizzard has gone on this project without making a cent. The software fee *might* pay the cost they've already incurred, and support the on-going development for future expansions and content. 500k people paying $50, both numbers seeming slightly high considering, would be 25M. Last I heard, Blizzard had been secretly working on this game as long as they had Warcraft 3 (which is a LONG time) and they've been doing alpha and beta testing for some time now, which knowing Blizzard, isn't about to end. One of the classes isn't in the game yet, many of the features are still being put into place, much of the content isn't ready yet...and then it needs to truly be tested and held up to player scrutiny, which Blizzard takes far more seriously than any other company. Perhaps too seriously.
Anyone thinking the monthly fee will be under $10 is dreaming, imho.
Only the exceptions can be exceptional.
Assume $50 to purchase the game.
Assume 500,000 people start up the game in the first 3 months.
Let's also say that Bliz has been working on the game for 4 years. They have what? approx 20 people programming, another 20 people for misc stuff. So let's say 40 ppl at an avg salaray of $50k a year (overestimating).
So, the payroll cost for the past 4 years would be approx $2mill.
Say another $500k for production costs. So $2.5 million to make.
Let's also say that the start up capital for the servers is $1.5 million. So that's $4 million to get everything off the ground.
In the first month, Bliz will get only the purchase costs. Say they sell the game to stores for $30 a box. And let's also say that 100,000 people join the game. That's $3 million right there.
Ok. Let's also say that of those 100,000 people, 90,000 stay and play another month, and another 75,000 people join up.
New Sales: $2.25 million
Returning Subscriptions @ $5 a month: $450,000
So that's approx $2.7 million for month 2. Add that to the $3 million from the first month and you have already recovered costs.
Now, I know I'm over estimating the amount it took to start up the game, and I'm probably underestimating what they'll sell the game for. Plus, I didn't take into account the maintenance costs for the servers. But in the first 2 months, they've already netted approx $5.7 million with approx 175,000 people staying on the servers. Assume that number gets up to at least 500000 by month 4 and you're looking at $2.5 million a month coming in from just subscription costs. That doesn't count the initial sales figures or merchandising figures, or mule accounts, etc.
Bliz will be fine charging $5 a month if it's true.
Assume 500,000 people start up the game in the first 3 months.
Let's also say that Bliz has been working on the game for 4 years. They have what? approx 20 people programming, another 20 people for misc stuff. So let's say 40 ppl at an avg salaray of $50k a year (overestimating).
So, the payroll cost for the past 4 years would be approx $2mill.
Say another $500k for production costs. So $2.5 million to make.
Let's also say that the start up capital for the servers is $1.5 million. So that's $4 million to get everything off the ground.
In the first month, Bliz will get only the purchase costs. Say they sell the game to stores for $30 a box. And let's also say that 100,000 people join the game. That's $3 million right there.
Ok. Let's also say that of those 100,000 people, 90,000 stay and play another month, and another 75,000 people join up.
New Sales: $2.25 million
Returning Subscriptions @ $5 a month: $450,000
So that's approx $2.7 million for month 2. Add that to the $3 million from the first month and you have already recovered costs.
Now, I know I'm over estimating the amount it took to start up the game, and I'm probably underestimating what they'll sell the game for. Plus, I didn't take into account the maintenance costs for the servers. But in the first 2 months, they've already netted approx $5.7 million with approx 175,000 people staying on the servers. Assume that number gets up to at least 500000 by month 4 and you're looking at $2.5 million a month coming in from just subscription costs. That doesn't count the initial sales figures or merchandising figures, or mule accounts, etc.
Bliz will be fine charging $5 a month if it's true.
your forgetting the price of bandwith. not to mention all of the bandwith blizz is useing for beta and whos paying for that? not us?
so in other words there breaking even? you know how much even is? 0 0 0 0 0 0. nothin. if there not makeing any money off of WOW then the game is pretty much just a dud.
Quote:
So that's approx $2.7 million for month 2. Add that to the $3 million from the first month and you have already recovered costs.
Saturos wrote:
your forgetting the price of bandwith. not to mention all of the bandwith blizz is useing for beta and whos paying for that? not us?
so in other words there breaking even? you know how much even is? 0 0 0 0 0 0. nothin. if there not makeing any money off of WOW then the game is pretty much just a dud.
so in other words there breaking even? you know how much even is? 0 0 0 0 0 0. nothin. if there not makeing any money off of WOW then the game is pretty much just a dud.
Right...they'd break even if the game only lasted a month. I'm betting on it lasting slightly longer. Read properly before you start to rant.
Bandwidth costs per month do NOT equal $3 million. In a single year, with only 500,000 accounts and no mules, subscription costs at $5 an account would = 500,000x5x12= $30 million.
That's not counting sales of the inital game, accounts over 500k or anything else.
If the operating costs are even close to 30 million a year, that's completely wrong. For equipment and bandwidth, I'm guessing no more than $100k a month. Maximum.
I'm not saying Blizz WILL charge $5, I'm just saying they CAN and will still make a profit.
i guess i see your point.
Edited, Wed May 26 18:37:03 2004 by Saturos
Edited, Wed May 26 18:37:03 2004 by Saturos
Highly doubt it'll be $5/mo., simply because Blizzard knows it can charge more and get away with it.
Don't be fooled by a "oh this company loves its fans and doesn't want to charge them" crap. Companies exist to make money. Blizzard just happens to listen to customer feedback.
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As for these figures you guys are reporting, there's a whole crapload of costs neither you nor I could fathom when it comes to rolling out a game this large. However, I'll try listing a few:
1) Possibly new building (or building extension) hosting the servers needed to run the game, along with all tech support staff needed to keep servers running (those guys aren't cheap). Also, have to pay for new 'net pipes to be run to the building, along with probably a different crew of people just dedicated to keeping the net up and running (and those guys aren't cheap either).
1a) Addional cooling and electricity bill induced by the new machines (hey, it all adds up). And of course alllll the related hardware itself. Servers, networking equipment to connect the servers, people paid to connect said hardware, etc. etc. etc.
2) Bandwidth costs (as previously noted).
3) CS reps in game and telephone/email tech support personnel.
4) Programmer/artist payrolls, since I'm sure a large portion will still be on the WoW team after it goes live.
5) Advertising. Huge money expendature. YES, lots of people know about WoW. But that's a small number compared to the number of people that don't. Advertising also helps win over "converts" who would otherwise never willingly go to a WoW-oriented site to read about the game...but seeing ads in their favorite mag (accompanied by a glowing review) may change opinions.
6) Free 30 days of play. This is pretty much a guranteed. So, the first month of play, Blizzard is essentially making zero money.
7) Taxes, fees, etc. Blizzard doesn't actually keep all the money you give them.
When you add all that up, I severly doubt Blizzard could actually make a tidy profit only charging $5. Even if they COULD, why the hell wouldn't they charge 3x as much while keeping probably 95% of the player base? It would be stupid not to.
Don't be fooled by a "oh this company loves its fans and doesn't want to charge them" crap. Companies exist to make money. Blizzard just happens to listen to customer feedback.
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As for these figures you guys are reporting, there's a whole crapload of costs neither you nor I could fathom when it comes to rolling out a game this large. However, I'll try listing a few:
1) Possibly new building (or building extension) hosting the servers needed to run the game, along with all tech support staff needed to keep servers running (those guys aren't cheap). Also, have to pay for new 'net pipes to be run to the building, along with probably a different crew of people just dedicated to keeping the net up and running (and those guys aren't cheap either).
1a) Addional cooling and electricity bill induced by the new machines (hey, it all adds up). And of course alllll the related hardware itself. Servers, networking equipment to connect the servers, people paid to connect said hardware, etc. etc. etc.
2) Bandwidth costs (as previously noted).
3) CS reps in game and telephone/email tech support personnel.
4) Programmer/artist payrolls, since I'm sure a large portion will still be on the WoW team after it goes live.
5) Advertising. Huge money expendature. YES, lots of people know about WoW. But that's a small number compared to the number of people that don't. Advertising also helps win over "converts" who would otherwise never willingly go to a WoW-oriented site to read about the game...but seeing ads in their favorite mag (accompanied by a glowing review) may change opinions.
6) Free 30 days of play. This is pretty much a guranteed. So, the first month of play, Blizzard is essentially making zero money.
7) Taxes, fees, etc. Blizzard doesn't actually keep all the money you give them.
When you add all that up, I severly doubt Blizzard could actually make a tidy profit only charging $5. Even if they COULD, why the hell wouldn't they charge 3x as much while keeping probably 95% of the player base? It would be stupid not to.
Biggest competitor for WoW is going to be EQ2. Those 2 will hold 50% of the market in my humble opinion.
i see emperors point now.
CloakedStranger the Wise wrote:
I'm not saying Blizz WILL charge $5, I'm just saying they CAN and will still make a profit.
They could, sure, but first of all, how would they compete with SOE, Square, Turbine, etc....
I dont care if they make millions of my back and the one of the other subscribers, because those millions will be invested to bring us an even better sequel to WOW......
sequal? i think its a little to early to be talking about sequals for WOW,hell its to early to talk about open beta.
Bottom line stands at Blizzard being way above Sony as far as quality of product. I cannot see Sony releasing EQ2 without some sort of problem just to wind up patching the hell out of it later only to compete for the market that Blizzard starting eating up with a STABLE product. Sony is already doing it with, yet, ANOTHER EQ expansion.
Blizzard is known for prolonging the products to ensure a product worth putting there name on. People, to this day, still play Warcraft 2 and Diablo (original).
Believe me when I say, Blizzard will make tons of money on this product mainly because of reputation. I will gladly pay $15/month to Blizzard if they continue the quality of work that they are known for long before I give Sony any more money for faulty products that require too much of my time patching as opposed to playing.
Blizzard is known for prolonging the products to ensure a product worth putting there name on. People, to this day, still play Warcraft 2 and Diablo (original).
Believe me when I say, Blizzard will make tons of money on this product mainly because of reputation. I will gladly pay $15/month to Blizzard if they continue the quality of work that they are known for long before I give Sony any more money for faulty products that require too much of my time patching as opposed to playing.
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