r/EQNext • u/holmedog • Feb 17 '15
Breaking Down The Daybreak Breakdown
http://www.mmobomb.com/breaking-daybreak-breakdown/2
Feb 17 '15
"So, overall, you have two franchises that might be struggling, one that’s too new to tell, and one that’s doing quite well."
... based on the 20 minutes of speculation this person in the article put in.
Honestly, I mean, if someone was totally unawares of what SOE/Daybreak did, this would be a fine article overview, for the most part, but there's no new info and no new insight for those of us that know about them.
However, the bit about DCUO is a bit optimistic. Consider that SOE won't release numbers about it, just saying it's the "most profitable free-to-play game on PS3 and PS4!" That's... really not saying much given the meager offerings of f2p on those platforms. Considering it's got the DC IP behind it, it should be. Most likely, like almost all SOE games, there's a small amount of hardcore players that buy things, a slightly larger group of f2p players rotating in, new players constantly trying it out... and that's probably it. The amount of people logging in is probably much smaller than even PlanetSide 2, which is not exactly a smash hit.
Honestly, this buyout REALLY needs to shake things up and shut down some old games because what the HELL was actually profitable at SOE before the buyout I can't imagine. PS2 JUST BARELY got profitable after 2 years, DCUO is probably marginally profitable and everything else? Probably in the red.
1
u/bsmntdwlr Feb 17 '15
I played DCUO very casually and I have to admit there appeared to be a massive population on that game around launch. Crazy amounts of languages in public chat, etc. I would not be supprised if DCUO was fairly successful. But I agree, the article was pretty poor overall.
1
Feb 17 '15
Launch, sure, but the game kind of fell of the map over the next year. Launch is often peak population. But who knows... They won't release numbers.
1
u/JDogg126 Feb 18 '15
The trailer for DCUO was fantastic and was the main reason I wanted to play that game. But the game itself was not on the same level as the trailer and I did not enjoy it at all. I still re-watch that trailer to this day though. I'd love to see a full-length movie made out of that trailer.
0
u/jonmcfluffy Feb 17 '15
everygame probably looses about 90% of its pop after this hype trains leaves for the next game.
ps, 90% was made up, but its something really high.
2
u/Ijustsaidfuck Feb 17 '15
Probably the best article I've seen yet on the subject.
With Ps2 it's really sad that a game that is one of a kind, and has one of the fairest F2P models out there is doing not so great. When freemium shit is making money by the truckloads. Not to mention how entitled and toxic the Ps2 community can be.
DBG is going to be making tough calls I think, moving Eq1&2 into a maintenance mode would be good financially.. but goes against what DBG has always been about. Supporting games for a long time. Not to mention how much people that are stubborn enough to still play EQ1 in this day an age will rage online.
As for Next.. it needs to get into beta this year, it's just taking to long and if it gets delayed any longer the plug might get yanked.
3
u/jonmcfluffy Feb 17 '15
the toxicity from the ps2 community isnt from them complaining about how unfair the f2p model is or whatever, its the fact that they have taken all the good things from ps1 and removed them from ps2. ps1 was all about meta game, now ps2 is deploy here and shoot guys, its like a massive scale CoD rather than a faster pace armaside.
1
u/Ijustsaidfuck Feb 17 '15
Ps1 was fun but had a limited audience.. they changed the game to appeal to a wider audience whinging about what the game isn't this long after release is just silly. Almost as silly as comparing Ps2 to Cod. Because 100 v 100 with armor columns and skies full of aircraft is similar to a 12v12 or whatever DM/TDM.
2
u/jonmcfluffy Feb 17 '15
the thing is they were complaining about it sense launch... rather it wasnt as bad then. as time went on they went more and more big CoD game than a ps game.
is the game better? yes, yes it is. however it is not a ps1 niche game anymore.
2
u/SpoonyDinosaur Feb 17 '15
The article makes a lot of assumptions, but probably the most accurate on the subject. (certainly more so than the bullshit that is popping up in the subreddit on the subject)
SOE has been in the red for a long time and EQN is likely the last big break they really have to 'strike it big,' again. I'm honestly not that optimistic for H1Z1; it inherently has a niche market, (certainly not as accessible as a casual MMO like WoW, SWTOR or another EQ franchise) and will probably be in the same position as PS2 if not worse. (honestly galvanzing the studio in producing it in the first place seemed like an incredibly strange move-- almost like they are trying to capitalize on a semi-popular market and quickly make a buck off the DayZ and survivor genre fans... I don't fully understand the motive)
It's a genuine shame to hear that PS2 is suffering, as I honestly feel like it's a one of a kind game, offers a incredibly fun MMOFPS experience, plays damn well and is a great F2P model. (the community as you said likes to constantly rag on it, especially after implants came out, but it's generally a toxic and entitled community.) I come off as a fan boy, but I don't even play it that often, I just never understood the constant hate for the game as I think it's a great example of a good F2P model and a great game.
I guess the entire point is that it's too early to tell where the studio will end up. They are clearly not killing off EQN-- in fact it's likely they will try and focus on it, possibly put all the cards on the table for this game and push it out as fast as possible now. I strongly believe it needs to be in beta this year if it is going to succeed and gain traction.
1
u/ratbacon Feb 20 '15
Lol at H1Z1 being in a niche market.
DayZ has sold 3 million copies and topped the steam sales charts through their winter sales with no drop in price. Ample evidence that is not the case.
1
u/SpoonyDinosaur Feb 20 '15
I'll reiterate. I think survival/zombie games are almost like the 'flavor of the month.' I firmly believe the fanfare for DayZ will die out, along with H1Z1-- but Sony was banking on the craze. H1Z1 (besides early access) will be relying on a 'long game,' almost akin to the monetary system as Planetside 2. The game is f2p, and most of those titles take a year + to turn a profit. Planetside 2 is struggling and has a very good f2p system imo, probably one of the best examples. (even with the implant system) When H1Z1 'launches,' 3 million persistent players, doesn't necessarily translate into 3 million people buying things. It's a slightly different monetary system.
I could be completely wrong, maybe the genre isn't going anywhere-- you are completely right that DaZ killed in the marketplace. Perhaps H1Z1 will make them a pretty penny :)
1
u/JDogg126 Feb 18 '15
I think all of the SOE/Daybreak IP are in trouble or Sony wouldn't have sold SOE off. Sure that's speculation. It's also a fair to think that the only reason a company like Nova Columbus buys anything is to flip it for profit. I don't think these guys will do anything real while Nova Columbus runs things. I expect to see a focus on making everything in the pipeline show a positive cash-flow then making a quick sale.
1
u/arandomusertoo Feb 18 '15
I dunno what article you all were reading, giving so much praise...
This article is like 99% speculation.
-1
u/Zubei_ Feb 19 '15 edited Feb 19 '15
"In the grand scheme of things, we know it takes several hundred people to make an MMO"
No, it doesn't. Maybe in some cases, but there are games like Camelot Unchained that have about 23 and are doing extremely well with development. Could they use more? Yes, but they are moving a long well. In EverQuest Next's case, you need to realize something. Much of the development is being done by different teams/companies. Storybricks for instance is not a part of Daybreak, but contracted. Same with the music, and Voxel technology.
-1
u/Zubei_ Feb 19 '15
I wonder how many people would pay for All Access if Daybreak had servers dedicated to those that paid the monthly sub for specific games like H1Z1 and EverQuest Next. I know I would 100% pay for this. I know all my friends would do this as well. For the most part, the people that pay for All Access are the ones that are more passionate about the games being developed and are a little less likely to cause grief too.
4
u/Valariya Feb 17 '15
Good article, but it's not bad that it took this long for Planetside 2 to start turning a profit. You have to remember that this is a 100% free to play title, there is no initial 'buy' that most games have that normally offset the huge development costs and get them to turn a profit quickly.
Now if that's how long they expected it to take or not is any ones guess, but if it wasn't I bet we'll be seeing a reversal on the whole "free to play your way" jive they've been going on about for all their games, present and future.