[MUD-Dev] Room for more? (was RE: Dragon Empires is cancelled)

[Damion Schubert]

Lee Sheldon wrote:

> Given how few of our products are boxed and sold through the
> retail channel, compared to all the single-player titles, I'm
> surprised we would occupy much shelf space in relation to other
> titles. Obviously because we're almost entirely PC, and not
> console, that is a factor that would contribute to our lack of
> shelf space, but do the retailers/distributors differentiate
> between MMOs and single-player PC games? I don't even see a real
> differentiation between say RPGs and strategy games. The shelf
> space seems driven by name recognition, marketing clout, dealer
> incentives, etc. Not game type.

The difference is that most of the PC market are 'fire and forget'
titles which get one marketing push and are then relegated to the
bargain bin.

By contrast, we're providing an ongoing service, and paying for an
ongoing service team.  While we focus heavily on player retention,
we have to spend a lot of energy on player recruitment to get new
blood into the game, or it'll stagnate.  Thus, while there are fewer
titles on the shelves, we have a very vested interest in keeping
them on the shelves longer.

While this is going on, the retailers would much rather be spending
that retail space on non-MMOs like Doom 3 and Halflife 2, which are
going to turn over a lot of boxes.  Except for launch week, MMO
boxes don't fly off the shelves - they tend to burn slow over time,
which isn't a pattern the retailers like.  Unfortunately, shelf
space IS advertising - when considering which online world to live
in, its reassuring to pick one with a whole shelf filled with the
same box, as opposed to one box jammed in the corner behind Barbie's
Toy Box.  Large shelf space implies a large community and a
well-supported online world, which makes your world's unique promise
that much more enticing.

--d
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