Games like Star Trek Online, DC Universe Online and Age of Conan are all subscription MMOs that are games that have or will soon enter the free-to-play realm. Still, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley sees strong possibilities for Star Wars: The Old Republic when that game eventually releases.
“It’s fair to say that subscriptions are likely going to be a strong component of revenue for the foreseeable future, although I don’t believe they will be remotely as dominant over time,” wrote Smedley. “There’s another large juggernaut coming out soon in Star Wars: The Old Republic from EA/Bioware. That’s a game that I think has a legitimate shot at a 2 million subscription user base and I believe they will stick with the subscription method.”
“This is going to be the last large scale MMO to use the traditional subscription business model. Why do I think that Simply put, the world is moving on from this model and over time people aren’t going to accept this method. I’m sure I’m going to hear a lot about this statement. But I am positive I’m right.”
Smedley notes that 40 percent of EverQuest II players that quit the game cite the subscription fee as the primary reason. “Economic times are hard out there and a recurring subscription is something that glares at you from a credit card bill every month,” he notes. “For some people, saving money starts with getting rid of subscriptions that hit the credit card.”
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
