Can Subscription Games Succeed on Consoles?

Can subscription games succeed on consoles in 2011? A look into some of the console subscription games that will be coming out.

[Arup02]

It depends on the game

[VersusEM]

For me, the game better be the one of the funist games EVER, to make me pay like 20$ a month for it.

[UCMEandICU]

I don't know but we'll find out soon enough. DCUO is one hell of a fun game and the ever revolving world will be awesome but gosh, that $15 per month is a killer for me no doubt.

Now had it been $5-7 or even maybe $99-120 life time subscription then I sure would jump on that but $180 every year is really steep for me.

[Focker420]

If this game would've released over this past summer I would've been all over it. Its just January is stuffed to the max with games. I'm buying LBP2, ME2, and Dead Space 2. I really don't know if I could afford another game. Maybe I'll just rent ME2 and Dead Space 2 since the other two have way more replay value. Tough decision.

[FrankMcSpank]

@Focker

quite honestly, Sony has so much going on every month, I don't know if I will have the time to justify spending that much money. Plus all the AAA multiplats as well. But if the game gets raving reviews I think I'll fit it in, cause it looks really good.

When Free Realms hits the PS3, I'll be all over that. I think your Free Realms character is going to be the new avatar, the next Home if you will. A more integrated one. At least I hope so, plus it'll be free. I will play it everyday.

FFXIV isn't getting any love from me. Square is crashing. They need to take a deep breath, pull their heads out of their ass and fix themselves. FFversusXIII and maybe Kingdom Hearts III are their last hopes for console success. Plus I played XI and didn't like it.

[Sarcasm]

It boils down to the consumer if they think it's worth it. That's why WoW is still going strong.

[RedDragan]

It would need an epic support staff, to constantly keep the game interesting to long term players.

Such as an Elite Online type of game where there are many factions trying to conquer planets, and great AI incursions that the warring factions would have to temporarily call a cease fire to stand a chance of repelling.

[kneon]

@Focker420

That's the problem, there are just far too many good games to play to bother playing one with a monthly fee.

[multips3fan]

its going be hard for me and many ppl to pay for 15$ a year because we have all have these great exclusives and multitiplats to buy each month.

[ElementX]

You mean $15 a month, not year

[Spitfire_Riggz]

Thats what i said but these DC universe fanboys hate hearing it. Its just too damn much

[Deacon]

^^^That's where you're wrong my man. I'm in the closed beta for the game but I am an avid Marvel fanboy and I hate the DC Universe. First I'll say that this a damn good game. The support they've given to just the beta alone shows me what they'll be doing after DCUO goes live. Since the closed PS3 beta started on 12/10, they've released 4 patches to correct issues in the game. I've been in quite a few betas and I've never seen this much support given to a game before it goes live. If this is any indication of what kind of support SOE will be providing for this game along with new content every month then I say that 15 bucks a month is nothing. Honestly, if you can't afford to pay 15 dollars a month anything then you need to reevaluate your spending habits. Actually, for me, it'll be 30 bucks a month because my girl will be joining me. I cut my Gamefly sub because it's crap anyway and I cut out the amount of times that we go out to eat by 1 and I'm golden. Some of you guys probably spend more than 40 dollars a month on just eating out alone (not targeting anyone specific, I just know this because when I was in Marines, I used to spend that type of money eating out because chow hall food was crappy). However,this game is definitely worth shedding some weight off your wallet. I still think SOE should've went with Marvel IMO. Definitely a much better licence the DC but like I said before, I'll take what chances I can get to make my own comic book character come to life.

[Spitfire_Riggz]

My man, I really dont know why so many people on this site are backing up the price. You guys should look at the official playstation blog subscription announcement everyone is going apeshit. Those are some of the hardcore ps3 fans too, I cant imagine a casual gamer being told he has to pay that much. I also dont think any of you realize that there is no unlimited subscription for the PS3. ONly for Pc which is complete bullshit. This game is going to flop hard. On PS3 atleast... I think they are going to reavaluate the price. I would also like to point out that after seeing this game I want it REALLY BAD. But having to pay 60 plus 180 is like seeing a juicy hamburger when your starving just to realize its full of worms.

[NegativeCreepWA]

FF XI, PSO, PSU all did well on consoles. So yes, if the game is worth playing.

[JsonHenry]

Yes, of course it can. Well, on the PS3 anyway because it supports KB+M. I have a hard time imagining a real in depth MMO being played with just a controller, you know?

[Spenok]

Sure does. It also depends on the gamer as well.

[DirtyLary]

Of course. Look at Everquest online adventures. Still going strong on ps2 and it's 14.99 a month.

[Apotheosize]

Make it free to play with a cash shop

[OhReginald]

there already is a cash shop in DCUO

[Orionsangel]

No never! I will never ever ever ever pay a monthly fee to play a game. Yearly maybe.

[SuperbVillain]

I wouldn't.

[zgoldenlionz]

i started playing FFXI on the PS2 back in '03 so im sure it will work. and DCUO is alot of fun, totally worth 15 dollar subscription.

[sarshelyam]

Logically from the standpoint of server maintenance, it's a necessary evil. Couple it with a compelling experience and suddenly it's not a big deal to sacrifice one or two game purchase for a half to annual sub. I can do that...I've been having a blast with my three characters in the BETA and have finally narrowed the final build down for the inevitable release.

[helrazor343]

I don't like the subscription based gaming (but that's just me, it's why I haven't gotten into games like WoW, despite my friends best efforts to get me involved), but I suppose I wouldn't be averse to the subscription being included in something like Playstation+, now if that were to happen I would actually get PS+ (not that I'm not tempted now, but that would probably put me over the edge).

[Raoh]

sigh.. its called research..

ffxi and eqoa on ps2 were subscription mmorpg's

a free mmorpg is also not really free... they have microtransactions.. the bad part is that then people that dont want to learn how to play or earn their gear can just buy a new armor or weap.. i hate microtransactions..

but i think $15 is too pricey

[Vaud-Villian]

Depends on succeed. Usually these arguments are tiresome due to moving goalposts and shifting semantics. Define success as surviving? Then I say yes, the game will shift business models and won't truly flourish till the disc price is reasonable compared to the monthly. $60 down and $15 a month is too rich for the majority of gamers. $7.99 monthly is the edge of reasonable for me, especially on a console where interactivity and social aspects are hindered by the closed system

[TheGreat_1]

I just can't pay a subscription for a game. Not that I can't afford it but I feel like it's a rip off.

1. Purchase system ~$299.99
2. Purchase game ~$60.00
3. Pay internet ~$90.00 (This is what I pay at least for high speed cable)
4. Pay subscription $15.00

So let's say you buy a PS3 just to play this one game, that's $359.99 just to get started.

Now let's say you play for 2 years. That's $360! On top of the internet costs. Let's add it all up...

Lets say you buy a PS3 just to play, pay for internet just to play, etc.

In 2 years you pay ~$2879.99

IMO, you shouldn't have to pay to physically own a game, then pay more just to play. It'd make more sense to me to offer the game for free (digital download) then pay me to play per month. I may sound crazy but that's just me...

[TheGreat_1]

"pay me" is suppose to be "charge me"

[Si-Fly]

It's an expensive hobby, I've just spent nearly £1000 on my race setup for gt5 and forza so £12 a month seems fairly cheap for DC by comparison.

[TheGreat_1]

It's just not my bag of chips to spend that much money on one game. To each their own, but to me it's still just a game, and spending that much on a game that I may get to play 1-2 hours a day if I'm lucky, I just can't justify that price.

I could buy a cheap car for that and actually not need a driving simulator lol. To those higher up in the financial food chain I could see paying, but when you have a family to support it's kind of hard especially for me since I also have a drag racing hobby as well, 10 second cars are not cheap -_-

[dorron]

I don't think so, unless the pack free subscription model with PSN+

[Figboy]

I don't see why not.

What they need to really address is the price of these subscriptions. $15 a month is asking quite a bit. some of you shrugging it off as no big deal, clearly don't come from large families, where one person is footing the bill for each subscription.

for me, it's not just $15 a month. it's $30, as i'm paying for my wife as well. not to mention that for DCUniverse Online, I have to buy two copies of the game (one for me, and one for my wife), in order for us to play together. that's $120 down, plus $30 a month for 11 months (first month is free).

that's $330 a year for JUST me and my wife playing an MMO. not just on consoles, but PC if we still played WoW.

now, if Sony were to offer a discounted subscription for consoles, or for PS+ members, it would be win/win.

we wouldn't have to pay that much for an MMO on consoles, and Sony would make a profit on PS+ subscriptions.

i personally think that $7.99 a month would be a fair price. when you factor in that a lot of these MMOs have hundreds of thousands of players (WoW has over 12 million subscribers), all paying that monthly fee, i can't imagine the cost of the maintaining the servers and creating expansion packs (which are NOT FREE, mind you), warrant a $15 a month tag.

the industry has a lot of people duped into thinking their $15 a month is going JUST to the running of the game, and updates and what not. please. those guys are making MILLIONS off of your subscription, and getting juicy pay day bonuses. most of the people actually DOING the maintenance and GM'ing on the game aren't paid that much.

if your $15 was actually going to the service, you wouldn't be paying $40 for expansion packs. they'd be included in that $15 a month subscription.

i'm loving the DC Universe Beta, but the problem is that this year i just don't have the money to spend on two monthly subscriptions. not when there are a LOT of other games coming out this year i'd have to miss out on just to play ONE game all year.

in this current economic climate, i don't think many people are eager to throw money at things like monthly subscriptions. some of us have other responsibilities as adults. not all of us live at home, and don't have to worry about living expenses. i have rent, utilities, internet, food, phone bills, etc. last year broke the bank when i went crazy with my gaming spending. as much as i'd love to get DC Universe, i just can't fit it into my budget. i KNOW i'm not the only one, and that's only going to hurt the product in the long run.

[Redempteur]

you're complaining ?? youy have a wife !!!

Ps: this post was 100% sarcasm

[zgoldenlionz]

my wife plays MMO's as well so its double for me too, but theres no way you can compare your situation to a single gamer of course its gonna cost double.

[Figboy]

that's true, but there are a lot more gamers like me out there than people think.

i mean, i'm the generation that's been gaming since the NES in 1985 (although i did play a little bit of Atari, but i was pretty young, so it didn't have the same effect on me as NES did and i was 6 years old when it hit).

we grew up with gaming and have seen it grow and evolve, and we've changed along with it.

the average age of gamers is 30 now (i'm 31), and even though we've entered adulthood, we've still managed to keep gaming a part of our lives, but sacrifices have to be made.

sure, there are still PLENTY of single gamers out there, but for the tons of gamers involved in relationships, it gets rather expensive, and we have to make hard choices.

i'm only allowing myself roughly 6 full retail games this year (incidentally enough, the cost of 6 full retail games would be the cost of me paying for DCU Online for 12 months), and maybe a PSN game like Journey.

my must haves for this year:

Little Big Planet 2
inFAMOUS 2
Uncharted 3
The Last Guardian
Resistance 3
Batman: Arkham City

my wife wants Dragon Age 2 and Elder Scrolls V.

i'd LOVE to be able to get

Mass Effect 2 (PS3)
Mass Effect 3 (not decided if i'll get 360 or PS3 version: i have the first 2 on 360)
Tomb Raider
Dead Space 2
Twisted Metal
Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One
Silent Hill 8
Marvel Vs Capcom 3
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Portal 2
Team Ico Collection
LA Noire
Yakuza 4 (i still have to get 3 from last year)

sadly, that's WAAAAY too many games for my gaming budget to allow. it's a shame too, if some of those games had been released during the dry parts of 2010, or even during the dry parts of 2011, i may have been able to squeeze a few more in. as it stands, those developers/publishers, won't be getting my money.

[Richard_Hammond]

Well so far I'm enjoying the DC Universe Online beta VERY MUCH, and will surely purchase the full game and play throught the free month, and If i still find the game enjoyable I will purchase an extra month etc etc etc... so Yes they will Succeed if the game is good and enjoyable etc

[ActionBastard]

I love the beta, it's more fun than I expected. A lot of fun. I mean a serious ton of fun. That said, the monthly fee is an obstacle for me. Hell, even the $200 lifetime is an obstacle. But damn me if that game isn't fun enough to at least consider the fee.

[soundslike]

"EA selling online pass keys or DLC that should have been in the game from the start"

really? We all know this isn't a true statement. It's there if you bought it new and your money actually went to the company that made the game. Then everything is free. Nice try with the "world's going to shit!" paranoia though, you were close.

If the game is great and gets regular updates, balances, and content then yes its worth the sub. The problem is, that is something we might not be able to tell for a few months. I, however, have no problem dishing out a measily 15 bucks a month for a good interactive online world. I don't imagine myself playing, or buying, any other games if DCUO reels me in. Time will tell.