[MUD-Dev] expansion packs

[Marc Fielding]

[Dave Rickey]:

> When do you walk away from the money?  EQ has 400,000 subscribers,
> a revenue stream approaching $5,000,000 monthly.  How far would
> that have to drop before continued development and expansion packs
> weren't worth the investment?
 
> Shrouded Isles had triple the hardware requirements of the
> original game, and boy am I glad we didn't low-ball it.  Our
> system is pretty modular, as well, we had to include new versions
> of all the old models and terrain on SI, but people can play the
> old client right next to the new, and although the new will look
> sharper and more crisp, they'll still be playing the same game.

It all depends on the level of commitment from the
developer/producer.  Some will make the business decision to simply
squeeze all possible profits from a current game and invest a
portion of that into an eventual "next generation" game. However, if
the developer has the technical and financial will to enter into the
bowels of an ancient game (client AND server) and produce backward
compatible rewrites/updates, that's a valid option, too. Not the
easiest of tasks, though.

But I think a larger issue is simply "game fatigue" by the
audience. As Eric Hu stated in another post in this thread:

> "How many time Verant raised the level cap? 2 times, from 50 to
> 60, then 60 to 65. Who could say Sony wont release another
> expansion pack when he need more cash? Exp grinding is ok, but
> endless exp grinding is not fun. Killing the first dragon in your
> life is exciting, killing the 1001 huge red dragon lord isn't."

Eventually, some players just get tired of the intrinsic mechanics,
narrative, dynamics, "mob inflation," etc. of a game. With a
succession of expansion packs, the developer is providing content to
a (significant?) portion of users with a declining interest in
consuming it. Tech refreshes will hopefully attract new players with
updated graphics and the like, but with several fresh MMOGs coming
out each year, there simply isn't enough consumer awareness to
support any real buzz for an "old" game.

For good or bad, this is a consumer's market. Technology and
gameplay are constantly evolving. This keeps the eyes of the gamer
firmly on the horizon, trying to catch a glimpse of the "next big
thing." (Witness the "habitual beta testers" that Amanda Walker
mentions in another thread.)

So it's not about "walking away from the money." It's about
sustaining the existing game for as long as possible while investing
your profits into a next generation product to (re)capture a fickle
consumer.  Eventually, an old game's subscription levels will
plateau and decline.  If properly timed, your next-gen product will
pick up where its predecessor left off. =)

-Marc





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