Enjoy the sunset

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by Name2, Jun 1, 2020.

  1. Name2 Augur

    Back in December 2018, Daybreak offered up the lifetime subscription for $300. For people converting from a month to month subscription that essentially means paying for 20 months up front. For people paying yearly subscriptions that meant paying for 3 years up front. They offered up 6000 of these (I believe they sold out), which represents what I have to assume at this point is a substantial portion of the player base.

    At the time, Daybreak looked at the situation and thought it would be better to get that money up front as opposed to receive it ongoing via subscriptions. Whatever motives spurred that decision, they were essentially betting against the long term success of the game.

    If you assume that they did the math assuming mostly monthly subs would convert, those players break even in August, at which point them continuing to play becomes a loss for Daybreak. If you assume they did the math assuming mostly yearly subs would convert, those players would break even in December 2021. The reality is likely somewhere in the middle.

    Halfway in between those two extremes is anniversary 2021. Seeing how they're essentially circling the drain with scaling back on the backend to the point of creating server instability and their inability to meet customer expectations, I expect next March will be dubbed "Anniversary 2021: A Farewell to Everquest." Hopefully there's some IRL loot I can buy to mark the occasion...
  2. Accipiter Old Timer


    XM Radio (before Sirius bought them) offered lifetime subscriptions from the get-go. It's marketing. It's naive to say they were betting against the long term success of the game.
    Gyurika Godofwar likes this.
  3. RotherSpald New Member

    Weren't the lifetime subs for all DBG games? Everquest 2, Planetside, etc.

    Sounds like you should revisit your assumptions.
  4. Sikkun Augur

    13 years after LOTRO offered lifetime subs it’s still going.
    9 years after DCUO offered lifetime it’s still going (they became all across lifetime even)
    16 years after WoW “killed” EverQuest it’s still going.

    Sure it will end eventually. But the forums have been saying it’s sun setting for over 16 years. If every day you predict you’ll die, eventually you will be right.
    Chacko Supreme likes this.
  5. Fraggly Augur

    It's weird you would calculate the breakeven point for the customer, where "them continuing to play becomes a loss for Daybreak", but not realize that might be the reason why they limited how many they offered in the first place. I don't have a lifetime sub and most (as in over 65%) of the people i played with didn't get one because they were concerned about "the sunset" so your substantial amount of the player base assumption is trash. Money today is worth more than money tomorrow, have you ever done the math on inflation? All games will end eventually.

    Another salty would be Araduner posting.
  6. HoodenShuklak Augur

    If this was a troll then you got me.
    Chacko Supreme likes this.
  7. Loze Elder

    If they were hedging their bets and trying to grab some cash before sunsetting, why limit it to 6000? Wouldn't it make more sense to make it an unlimited number and sell as many as they can before shutting 'er down? They're betting that most of the people that bought it wont ever use $300 worth of subscription.
  8. HoodenShuklak Augur

    Do some people think that selling stock in a company means the company is betting against themselves as well?
    Chacko Supreme likes this.