Activision Blizzard (please help)

[DoctorUnne]

Hey guys, I'm doing research on ATVI and as part of it was hoping all you gamers would help me by filling out this poll. To elaborate, I'm looking to get a sense of who would pay to play the online multiplayer versions of each of these franchises if ATVI moved to a subscription-based model (like WoW), IN ADDITION to the upfront retail purchase. Think exactly the same business model as WoW, somewhere around $10-$15 per month.

Would also welcome any detailed feedback that you feel is representative of the gamer community.

Thanks!

[Krienna]

I voted none of them since I personally wouldn't pay a monthly fee for anything that didn't have a persistent universe. Now, if any of those were turned into a MMO similar to WoW or GS, I'd shell out the money for either Starcraft or Diablo.

[Latrinsorm]

I'm not totally sure what they even are, pretty much everything I've heard about them is from Penny Arcade.

[RichardCranium]

I'd pay for either Starcraft or Diablo. I'd be super pissed if I was asked to pay to play Call of Duty multiplayer online.

[Danical]

FUUUUUUUUCK recurring fees for SC2 when you have to buy three fucking games already.

If they made SC2 an MMO (boner) then I'd gladly pay.

[Danical]

I'd pay for either Starcraft or Diablo. I'd be super pissed if I was asked to pay to play Call of Duty multiplayer online.

Does you want to play SC2 with Rimalon and I when the Beta starts back up again, for the 1 or 2 weeks before they release?

[RichardCranium]

Does you want to play SC2 with Rimalon and I when the Beta starts back up again, for the 1 or 2 weeks before they release?

It would definitely give y'all someone who sucks donkey dick (at the game) to beat up on.

[DoctorUnne]

FUUUUUUUUCK recurring fees for SC2 when you have to buy three fucking games already.

If they made SC2 an MMO (boner) then I'd gladly pay.

It's not going to happen with SC2 (the recurring fees), at least not to play the basic multiplayer. They may have some kind of premium subscription service to the revamped Battle.net at some point (which will integrate WoW, SC and Diablo) that will give you additional content or rewards. But I asked them at E3 and it's pretty clear that's the revenue model they want to migrate their top titles to eventually and I'm trying to get a sense for whether their fans will allow it.

[Krienna]

It's not going to happen with SC2 (the recurring fees), at least not to play the basic multiplayer. They may have some kind of premium subscription service to the revamped Battle.net at some point (which will integrate WoW, SC and Diablo) that will give you additional content or rewards. But I asked them at E3 and it's pretty clear that's the revenue model they want to migrate their top titles to eventually and I'm trying to get a sense for whether their fans will allow it.

I have nothing against subscription-based games, but they're going to have to offer a whole lot more content if they want to charge subscription fees for those games. I didn't mind paying the $14.99 for WoW since I felt like I was getting my money's worth out of it. If they ever went the route of a subscription for games without a persistent universe (ie. Starcraft, Diablo, and Call of Duty) I'd quickly lose interest in Activision, especially with those particular titles.

For me, I won't allow it. By not allowing it, I'd take my money elsewhere. MMOs are the only thing I can justify spending money monthly on.

[Rimalon]

The lone vote for Starcraft is me!

[Sean of the Thread]

I'm not going to vote atm. I like diablo but haven't seen too much of the new one personally to make an opinion.

I still play the old starcraft but it's pretty boring.

I would play COD if my computer could handle it and I could afford to purchase it in the first place.

[4a6c1]

Maybe Diablo. Probably not though. I love WoW so much I might marry it.

[Celephais]

Another vote for none of them. I enjoy all of the games, but none of them meet my criteria for paying for a multi-player experience. There are plenty of free multi-player FPS, and as has already been said, no persistent universe. RTS games also don't have a persistent universe, and I don't like playing random people anyway, I'd rather connect directly w/ my friends or play single player. And w/ Diablo 1 & 2 I preferred the single player mode or connecting directly w/ my friends. Diablo is the closest to being worth paying for multi-player, but I would really need a persistent unified world instead of just ad-hoc instances of the same world again and again with only persistent characters (instance zones are be fine, but not the entire world ...)

[raith]

so i choose i dont even play them now because its true. i am not a big fan of the wow character model of limited choices and customabilty. if they were to make a game similiar to GS i would be all over it. MMO games need to be able to be played by all classess from start to cap solo and enjoyably so not with limited content in my oppinion. i was never a big fan of the whole roles of a character system to begin with and that could be why i am having problems finding a game to play ( that and the lack of money for a subscription )

[Loyrl]

I could possibly see paying for d3, if the game for retail was cheap (haha) and the multiplayer was good, but I wouldn't pay a monthly sub for anything less than a MMO that keeps my attention, wow & GS are both going to be dropped pretty soon I think.

[Drew]

The online component of most games is the least appealing part to me. I like campaign mode (more so if I can play with friends locally) and I like local multiplayer. Online I could take or leave, even in good games like Call of Duty I get bored quickly.

[Sean of the Thread]

What games do you play in campaign mode drew? I'm always down for campaign play.

[Drew]

What games do you play in campaign mode drew? I'm always down for campaign play.

I have a gamefly account so whatever I rent. Mostly shooters and action games. About to start Mass Effect 2.

[DoctorUnne]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. A number of you mentioned you would only pay a recurring cost if the game was an MMO with a persistent world. What exactly about a persistent world makes it worth paying for? In both cases (an MMO and something like Call of Duty) there are enough people available to play whenever you sign on and in both cases the world is the same every time you play it, no? The only thing I can think of is you get character progression in an MMO which you don't in the other games. Is that what you're referring to by persistent?

[g++]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. A number of you mentioned you would only pay a recurring cost if the game was an MMO with a persistent world. What exactly about a persistent world makes it worth paying for? In both cases (an MMO and something like Call of Duty) there are enough people available to play whenever you sign on and in both cases the world is the same every time you play it, no? The only thing I can think of is you get character progression in an MMO which you don't in the other games. Is that what you're referring to by persistent?

I think its the fact that there is character progression and an investment in your account. If you log on to play call of duty or starcraft you are just using a middle man to help you find other gamers. That service could be made free by any third party vendor willing to host IP's and chat rooms. Running an entire world that remembers your character and what you did last time you logged on is different. In other words world of warcraft maintains a static world, starcraft resets everytime a 14 year old korean kid zergs the fuck out of you 10 seconds into the game.

[Ryvicke]

everytime a 14 year old korean kid zergs the fuck out of you 10 seconds into the game.

^_^ gg

= my 1997

[Celephais]

It's superficial, there's a connection in my head with MMO type persistent worlds and a monthly fee. I've grown to accept that a monthly fee comes with that territory. In reality I'm willing to pay for entertainment, gaming is a pretty inexpensive form of entertainment for me, but a game has to continue to hold my interests if they want to be a reoccurring fee, and they also have to hold up to my perceptions of what I should be paying for gaming.

A completely pulled out of my ass number, $1/hr seems reasonable to me for one time purchase games (So I expect about 50 hours of gameplay out of a $50 game), but it has diminishing returns, once I've gotten about 50 hours into a game, if I had to continue to pay that price, I'd really evaluate if it were worth it.

A good example of that would be Just Cause 2, it was fun as hell, I played through about what I wanted to play through in about 50 hours ... but I continue to play the game off and on, I think I'm nearing 80 hours now just dicking around, I wouldn't have paid $30 for the last 30 hours I've played, because it's just replay content at this point.

[Rimalon]

^_^ gg

= my 1997

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1x_jq1YTBA

Watch that. GEEGEE!!!!!!!!!!

[g++]

Remember this shit?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPYH_F7EFHg&NR=1

[Rimalon]

Remember this shit?

Lawl, good old young Bisu reaver dropping when he was with MBC. Awesome.

REMEMBER... THIS?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u_tBTS3CE8

[g++]

I love how girls scream in anguish as units explode

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmdoXLf6VR0&NR=1

[Drew]

A good example of that would be Just Cause 2, it was fun as hell, I played through about what I wanted to play through in about 50 hours ... but I continue to play the game off and on, I think I'm nearing 80 hours now just dicking around, I wouldn't have paid $30 for the last 30 hours I've played, because it's just replay content at this point.


I did the same thing except I never finished the storyline and mostly just dicked around. I stopped after 30 hours.

[Celephais]

I did the same thing except I never finished the storyline and mostly just dicked around. I stopped after 30 hours.

Completionist in me really wants to finish it. After you beat the storyline you go into Mercenary Mode, and it gives you a completion percent for the whole game. I'm in the low 80s percent wise. The real frustrating part is that there are some things that just aren't at a map point, like health packs under bridges, after I get all of the things on the map done I'll consider it 100% for my purposes.

[Drew]

Wow that's a lot of work. I jetted by about 90% of the map locations but I hated running around blindly in each village trying to find wherever the power ups were hidden.

[Celephais]

Wow that's a lot of work. I jetted by about 90% of the map locations but I hated running around blindly in each village trying to find wherever the power ups were hidden.

I marked all the locations the same way, got a jet and just flew by all of them while on phone meetings, then I just started breaking things down by section, 100% the bottom left section, then move to the bottom right section, etc.

I got that down to a pretty good science, I'd plan out routes of 5 or 6 locations with a section in a close line and just run through them... it's too easy to get all ADD and hop from location to location and leave them half complete.